GSC Grays are offering FREE business advice to farmers across the North of England to help them find the most profitable and sustainable solution for their business.
“We designed this bespoke scheme with our clients in mind, to provide a service tailored to individual farmer’s needs and to develop businesses which are profitable and sustainable without support.”
GUY COGGRAVE MANAGING DIRECTOR
GSC Grays are providing FREE and independent farm business advice to farmers in the North of England. The Farm Business Advice Service (FBAS) is funded by DEFRA’s Future Farming Resilience Fund, created to support farmers and land managers during the early years of the Agricultural Transition.
The free on-farm business review with one of our Farm Business Consultants is the cornerstone of FBAS. As part of the review, businesses will have the choice to either focus on their financial performance, or on the opportunities that SFI and other environmental schemes can provide. The report that follows will include recommendations and key actions arising from the information shared during the review and will outline the next steps which will move the business forward.
Further details on the business reviews can be found on the following pages.
For some businesses, this may be all that is required, an additional pair of eyes to review existing plans or provide some suggestions to consider. Others, whose farms are especially vulnerable to the loss of BPS, or those looking to make substantial changes, will be recommended for further specialist consultancy support. A summary of the funded consultancy services we offer through FBAS can be seen on page 6.
In addition, we have created an online resource centre which provides useful insight into the common issues identified in the initial reviews, as well as more in depth information on our specialist consultancy services.
In order to fully understand your business, one of our consultants will come and visit you in person, on farm. The focus of the on-farm business review is to understand the goals of the business, to ensure recommendations are tailored towards the individual business needs and those of everyone involved.
We encourage everyone with an interest in the future of the farm to be present at the meeting. This is a key opportunity to have a round table discussion on the aims and objectives of your business. Acknowledging strengths and weaknesses and interrogating financial information will help to make informed decisions moving forward.
The review of financial information includes a high-level accounts analysis to understand the financial position of your business and how this will link into creating recommendations that are achievable. Submitting the accounts for analysis in advance of the review meeting will enable our consultants to add real value to these discussions.
You will be issued with a concise action plan following the meeting, with a summary of the discussion and outcomes, and targeted recommendations outlining the next steps for you to move your business forward.
The report will contain the following information:
1. FARM SUMMARY
A brief overview of the farm, enterprises, and people within the business.
2. FARM OBJECTIVES
A summary of the main objectives outlined by the attendees. These will include personal and business objectives.
3. BPS REDUCTION CALCULATOR
A visual representation of the likely payments that the business can expect to receive, and use for budgeting purposes.
4. FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
A high-level overview of the farm accounts, highlighting any areas of strength/concern.
5. SWOT ANALYSIS
A summary of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats discussed during the review.
6. ACTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The consultant will provide recommendations and key actions from the information shared during the review. These will be specific to the farm and aim to incorporate the business objectives.
The recommendations in this report will determine whether any funded follow-on work will be offered.
“Thoroughly professional and helpful. A great help with dealing with the bank and making the plans into a reality. Reassurance for the bank and personally that it was the right thing to do.”
FARMER FEEDBACK
1. CARBON AUDITING
Preparing farm businesses to complete a carbon audit using an available on-line tool, or completing a basic carbon audit using historic data already compiled by your farm business.
2. BUDGETING & FINANCIAL PLANNING
Identifying opportunities to improve cash flow or business profitability through potential investment, production system changes or enterprise efficiencies.
3. BUSINESS RESTRUCTURING
Conducting an asset and liability audit to identify potential ways to restructure the business liabilities and achieve a more efficient and sustainable operation.
4. GRASSLAND REGENERATIVE FARMING
Providing practical and technical insight into grassland management techniques and identifying strategies that bring efficiency gains to livestock businesses.
5. ARABLE REGENERATIVE FARMING
Reviewing the strategies achievable to arable farmers looking for improved soil health, reduced costs and increased profitability through regenerative farming practices.
6. SUCCESSION PLANNING
Identifying the restructuring options available to facilitate retirement by either bringing family into the business or working with third parties through contract or share farming opportunities.
7. DIVERSIFICATION
Reviewing available resources including land, buildings, people, machinery and equipment to identify the most profitable diversification option(s) for your farming business.
8. ON-FARM RENEWABLES
Conducting a business audit and energy profile to understand the viability of a renewable energy scheme for your intensive farming business.
9. CONTRACT & SHARE FARMING AGREEMENTS
Reviewing the farming system, resources and objectives of farm businesses looking to establish a Contract or Share Farming Agreement, creating a recommended implementation plan.
“The loss of BPS is one of our greatest concerns. The free advice we received from GSC Grays has been a huge catalyst for conversations within the family business. We are now looking to make positive changes to the farm that will undoubtedly support us for years to come.”
FARMER FEEDBACK
Completing a carbon audit can have practical advantages for any farming business.
A carbon audit is an assessment of the emissions produced as a result of the farm’s operations alongside an assessment of the carbon sequestered by the woods, hedges, peatlands or soils on the holding.
Some potential benefits include cost savings, meeting processor compliance and achieving a higher product price. The UK has a national target to reach net zero by 2050, and the NFU have set an industry deadline for 2040, so it seems likely that in the future all farm businesses will be required to achieve net zero.
If you are successfully referred to the Carbon Auditing service following the initial on-farm business review, there are two different service packages that we can offer.
Introduction to Carbon Auditing:
• A half day meeting with one of our carbon auditing specialists who will provide an in-depth introduction to the process of carbon auditing with the aim of preparing you to complete a carbon audit yourself using one of the online tools available.
Basic Carbon Auditing:
• A carbon audit, completed by a GSC Grays carbon auditing specialist, using historic data compiled by you and we will also provide an action plan to take forward for the next year.
The following services are not covered by the FBAS scheme, but can be provided on a time charge basis:
Full Carbon Accounting Service:
• A bespoke carbon auditing service to produce accurate and repeatable results following a twelve month period of monthly data collection, from which constructive recommendations can be drawn by our carbon auditing specialists. An action plan will be developed between you and the consultant.
• A range of auxiliary services from renewable energy advice to investment and production system appraisals to ensure that the results of your carbon audit can be applied to deliver the greatest environmental and economic benefits to your business.
Any additional work will be agreed with you prior to any work being undertaken.
The FBAS service is available to all farmers and land managers, across all farming sectors, who receive BPS in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the North Midlands. As such you MUST have an SBI number.
In addition, as you are only permitted to sign up to the services of one of DEFRA’s funded providers, if you have already given your SBI number to another service provider since October 2022 you are unfortunately not eligible to sign up to ours.
If you would like to discuss FBAS with one of our team, scan the QR code below to request a call back:
SIGN UP NOW
Scan the QR code below to sign up:
Or, visit www.gscgrays.co.uk/fbas-sign-up
03333 059 059 | FBAS@GSCGRAYS.CO.UK
DUMFRIES
We offer FBAS to farmers in the area shown below.
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED
