Government Grant Income While Building Stronger Soils with Claydon Machinery

1. Maximise Government Grant Income While Building Stronger Soils with Claydon Machinery Every farmer dreams of achieving a strong, healthy crop and well-structured, fertile soil season after season. Better soil means better drainage, stronger root development, higher yields and fewer inputs—a goal every grower works tirelessly towards. To achieve soil regeneration, farmers go to great lengths and undertake various initiatives like investing in the right equipment, managing rotations, minimising soil disturbance and regularly testing soil to make informed decisions that support long-term soil health. To support their efforts, the UK government has introduced funding schemes like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF)—designed to help farmers adopt smarter, more sustainable practices rooted in organic regenerative farming. But to get the best of both worlds - stronger soil resilience and maximum scheme benefits - you need machinery that aligns with both your agronomic goals and government sustainability priorities. This is where Claydon’s innovative Opti-Till® system stands out, combining tools like the Evolution direct drill and stubble management machinery such as the Straw Harrow. Together, they help build long-term soil health, reduce compaction and support practices encouraged under the SFI. Better still, individual components like the Claydon Evolution Drill and Straw Harrow are eligible for funding under FETF 2025, making them a practical, profitable choice for today’s forward-thinking farmer. Here’s a brief look at the Opti-Till® equipment qualifying for funding: Claydon Evolution Direct Drill The Claydon Evolution Direct Drill is more than just a direct drill—it is designed to offer optimum growing conditions for your crops with the versatility of working across varying soil conditions. This drill is a reliable choice for high-output and resilient farming. Advantages of Claydon Evolution Direct Drill: Used as part of the Claydon Opti-Till® System, the Evolution drill supports low soil disturbance, allowing for ideal growing conditions without overworking the soil. It offers a split hopper option, which means the seed and fertiliser application can be carried out in a single pass, thus saving time and improving efficiency. The drill is known for its performance across all soil types, even when conditions are difficult giving farmers reliability throughout the season. Since Opti-Till® crop establishment using the Evolution Direct Drill requires fewer passes, it uses less fuel and is better for preserving soil structure and health, both of which align well with sustainable farming schemes. Claydon Straw Harrow

2. As part of the Claydon Opti-Till® approach, the versatile Claydon Straw Harrow plays a vital role in stubble management, weed and slug control: It is designed to disrupt slug habitats by destroying nests and exposing eggs to sunlight, which helps with natural pest control. It operates at high speeds of up to 25km/h, breaking up and evenly distributing straw and increasing decomposition rates, helping to create a mulch layer and increase organic matter It creates a shallow tilth to chit weeds, which are then raked out with another straw harrow pass, creating a cleaner seedbed. Strong and robust and with wrap-around tines, the Claydon straw harrow is not lifted on the headlands but stays in work, leaving no heaps of straw to compromise crop establishment Claydon Equipment and its eligibility for Government Funding Evolution Drill– FETF & SFI Straw Harrow– FETF If you found this an interesting read and want to learn more about how Claydon machinery can help you build resilient soils while maximising your SFI and FETF claims, here’s the link TIME TO FOCUS ON KEY PRIORITIES - Claydon Drill Seed— you will find information here.