Lizzy Elgie, Farm and Environmental Advisor at StephensonsRural, looks at how policy change, cost pressures and new income opportunities are influencing farm decision-making, and where farmers can start when planning for the years ahead.

If you opened a history book on challenges and opportunities facing British agriculture, no two years would read the same. The industry is constantly changing.

Farming in 2026 is presenting a series of challenges that have not been seen before, with the impact of Brexit starting to take effect, uncertainty around agri-environment schemes, increased input costs and policy U-turns.

With an increase in interest around natural capital, agroforestry and regenerative farming practices, British farming looks much different to how it did a decade ago, so it is important that the way farmland is managed changes too.

As momentum builds around some of these new concepts, ideas and technologies, it is important that farmers and landowners are open to engaging with this and make changes to their farming practice to get the most out of their land.

Current topics of industry discussion to consider:

• Self-production of livestock feed to reduce input costs
• Length of crop rotation and what is included in this to maximise utilisation of nutrients within the soil, including companion cropping and clover integration
• The importance of time efficiency and investing in technologies such as cameras, insect detectors and soil sensors to aid this
• The role of diversification on the farm and what diversification could be implemented to support your income stream; from meat vending machines to educational visits and pick your own produce sites
• Income through BNG, nutrient neutrality and water neutrality credits
• Integration of trees into farming systems to increase land efficiency and nutrient utilisation, and the potential for carbon storage

With so many different avenues to consider for you and your farming business, it can be hard to know where to begin, what will work on your land and how it will benefit your business.

In addition to these key ideas, the place for both national and local stewardship and grant schemes remains strong in supporting farming productivity and environmental benefit. The confirmation of the extension of the FiPL scheme until 2029 was welcomed, as we await further details for the SFI26 scheme.

Starting points:

• Do your research - before entering any new concept, it is important to do your research on what may be suited to your land and location
• Planning - look at capital plans that you can receive funding for, such as the PA4: Agroforestry plan, where you could receive a set amount of funding just for planning how an agroforestry system might look on your land, with no obligation to have to carry it out
• Discuss ideas - a lot can be learned from discussing your ideas with others who have put plans into action already and learning through trials

Whatever you think the next step may be for your farm, the StephensonsRural team are on hand to offer their advice and expertise.

Get in touch with Lizzy Elgie.