Strategic Farm Week: Marginal land

What makes land marginal? What to do with it both for a profitable business and a better environment? 

As the pressure ramps up to continue farming profitably without BPS, it is essential to know which parts of the farm contribute to profitability and viability, and which bits detract.

As well as rotational cropping, there are now ELMS scheme alternatives, which may have the dual advantage of improving the environment as well as generating a better return than the conventional cash crops.

How to evaluate this dilemma has been the subject of this AHDB Strategic Farm East’s research project. Over 2 years various physical and financial assessments have been carried out to develop a methodology to help answer this question at a practical farm level.