Farm Business

Farm Management

Effective & comprehensive farm management service

GSC Grays provide an effective and comprehensive farm management service. One of our experienced consultants will manage the day-to-day running of the farm, liaising with employees or contractors, monitoring performance and providing other specialist services such as agronomy, marketing advice or budget preparation as required.

As the landowner, you are able to choose your level of involvement in the business and retain control over the long-term objectives and direction for the business. We can keep you informed through regular meetings or updates tailored to your requirements.

The business remains in-hand, while benefitting from the knowledge of our Farming team to ensure the business runs efficiently, profitably and is comparable to the best performing businesses across the industry.

Farm Business Advice Service

FREE advice for your farm business

We have been appointed by DEFRA as a provider to the Future Farming Resilience Fund (FFRF) Scale Up Project which offers all farmers and land managers who receive Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments, access to FREE business advice during the early years of the Agricultural Transition. Our Farm Business Advice Service (FBAS) provides specialist and bespoke advice to help farm businesses build a resilient and successful future.

Following registration to the service, you will receive a FREE on-farm business review to assess your goals in the next 5-10 years, be that improving productivity, expansion, maximising environmental stewardship opportunities and income through the public and private sector, improving financial returns, diversifying, restructuring the business, retiring and/or succession planning to give a few examples. Support will be given to develop a strategy and action plan to achieve your objectives and overcome any barriers you face.

For those needing further support there is a mixture of one-to-one and group support that the service can offer.

Contract & Share Farming

Professionally managed agreements tailored to your requirements

GSC Grays offer a range of contract farming, share farming and joint venture agreements that can be tailored to your individual circumstances. These agreements provide an effective way to share land, machinery or expertise for the benefit of both parties, allowing some landowners to reduce their day-to-day involvement in farming, while enabling other businesses to expand the area they farm. They can also be a tax efficient and effective alternative to a Farm Business Tenancy.

It is important to ensure that the agreements in place are carefully drafted and well understood by both parties from the start. Our in-depth knowledge of the wider issues relating to land ownership, such as taxation, Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship, sporting and other interests enables us to advise landowners as to the most appropriate options for their circumstances. We work with both parties to create an annual budget and farming policy, which is then rigorously monitored through monthly, quarterly or annual reporting as required, and professionally managed.

Basic Payment Scheme

Pro-active advice for BPS & cross compliance

GSC Grays’ management of your Basic Payment Scheme does not end with completing and submitting the Annual Claim Form.

Our aim is to cut through the complicated rules and regulations to offer bespoke, pro-active advice to ensure clients comply with the rules of the scheme with minimal impact on the management of their business.

Whether it is producing a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Report, or undertaking a Cross Compliance Audit, we can help businesses to grow and develop without being held back by regulations. We can also help scrutinise inspection reports to ensure that the process is carried out correctly by the relevant authority.

As the Basic Payment Scheme is phased out, we will support you in preparing your business to remain profitable as the payments decline and provide you with the latest information and guidance on new schemes that could help your business to thrive

Woodland Creation & Management

Maximising returns from new or existing woodland

Farm woodland can deliver many benefits, sheltering stock, preventing erosion, producing timber, reducing flood risk, sequestering carbon, and providing habitat and food for farm wildlife. Woodland creation grants and support for ongoing woodland management can also make planting woodland an attractive proposition on lower yielding or challenging farmland. If you are interested in planting woodland on your farm, we can provide an initial appraisal of the suitability of the site, the grants that may be available to you and a projected annual income from public or private funding sources.

The active management of existing woodland can increase the benefits it delivers and may be beneficial for tax reasons. Our consultants are experienced in preparing woodland management plans targeted at your objectives. Whether you are interested in enhancing a woodland’s biodiversity value, improving its ability to sequester carbon or optimising its timber production, we can advise on how best to maximise returns from newly planted or existing sites.