New calculator helps farmers see SFI impact on bottom line

Farmers can now calculate whether SFI actions are likely to pay off for their own business, after AHDB launched a new online cost/benefit tool ahead of SFI26.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board said the calculator has been designed to help farmers look beyond headline payment rates and assess the likely financial impact of different Sustainable Farming Incentive actions.

The launch comes ahead of the first SFI 2026 application window, expected at the end of June 2026 for smaller farms of 3 to 50 hectares and those without other live Environmental Land Management funding agreements.

A second window is expected to open in September 2026 for all farms.

AHDB said the online resource has been developed with farmers to support more informed decision-making as businesses continue to adjust to the transition away from the Basic Payment Scheme.

It allows users to input information relevant to their own farm, giving them a more tailored assessment than previous analysis based on representative “model farms”.

The calculator has been designed for farm business decision-makers across the cereals and oilseeds, beef and lamb, dairy and pork sectors.

By factoring in both income and implementation costs, it estimates the likely net financial benefit of different SFI actions.

It also allows farmers to compare options, assess where they fit on farm, calculate the opportunity cost of taking land out of production and explore how stacked actions could affect returns.

Dr Amandeep Kaur Purewal, AHDB senior economist, said: “The aim of our tool is to help provide our farmers with more clarity around SFI, and to ensure farmers are better prepared to assess their options and maximise the value of the scheme within their own businesses.”

She said the ability to factor in the cost of specific actions would give farmers a more realistic picture of whether an option was likely to benefit their business.

Dr Purewal added: “This will provide a more comprehensive and realistic picture of what the benefit – or not – of any action taken will be and enable levy payers to make more informed business decisions.”

The online resource has been tested with farmers and wider industry representatives to ensure it reflects practical decision-making at farm level.

Dr Purewal said AHDB had taken feedback from farmers who wanted to understand how SFI choices would affect their own holdings, rather than relying on model farm assumptions.

She said the new calculator provides “a bespoke solution for individual farm businesses”.

The aim, she added, is to help farmers move beyond asking “What could I be paid?” to understanding “What will this mean for my bottom line?”

AHDB said the planning tool has been built with practicality in mind, using a clear interface that explains calculations transparently and provides outputs tailored to individual farm circumstances.

The SFI Planning Tool is now available on the AHDB website for farmers preparing applications for the next phase of SFI.