Whole crop spring cereals and overwinter stubble

Where it applies

Arable, Temporary grassland

Eligibility conditions

• Below the moorland line
• Land you identify as NOT at risk of soil erosion or runoff — keep evidence

What you'll do

Grow a spring cereal, harvest it as whole-crop silage, then leave the stubble standing over autumn and winter for farmland birds. Don't use a pre-harvest desiccant; restrict insecticide after mid-March and use only permitted herbicides.

Evidence to keep

• Written evidence the land isn't at risk of soil erosion or run-off
• A record of the whole-crop harvest and stubble retention
• Field operation records, with invoices

When

• Aug–Feb: Leave the stubble standing over autumn and winter, after the whole-crop harvest

Combining with other actions

Actions that can be paid on the same area:

• SFI 2026: AGF1, AGF2, OFC3, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1
• SFI 2024: AGF1, AGF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, OFC3, OFM4, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1
• SFI 2023: IPM1, NUM1, SAM1
• CS Higher Tier: CAGF1, CAGF2, CAGF3, CAGF4, CHS3, CHS9, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CSP20, CSP21, CSP9, CSW17, CSW19, CWS1, CWS3
• Countryside Stewardship: HS3, HS9, OR3, OT3, SW5