Free farm advice

Also see our Farmer Health and Welfare page to find out about organisations offering help with mental and physical health or personal and business debt.

Local advice in Cumbria

The Farmer Network offers a Free Farm Business Health Check through funding from Cumbria Growth Catalyst programme. For more information about the service and/or to book an appointment, please contact the Farmer Network on 01768 868615 or E mail: admin@thefarmernetwork.co.uk

Funding for this business health check still to be confirmed for April 2024 onwards.

Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes is a free, farmer-led programme of farm walks, events and webinars. You also receive free Pasture for Life membership until March 2024. The programme is run in partnership with Protected Landscapes and is open to everyone farming in the following National Parks and AONB: Surrey Hills, High Weald and Kent Downs, the Yorkshire Dales, Nidderdale, Forest of Bowland, North Pennines and the Lake District.

Cumbria Woodlands offer a free Woodland Advisory Service exists to support landowners and land managers looking to create or manage woodland within Cumbria. The advisory service can offer information on all grants and funding available for woodland management and creation.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust offers free advice on the management of upland peatlands and hay meadows. You can get more details by contacting Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

National advice

Future Farming Resilience Fund

Any farmer or land manager who receives the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments in England is eligible for free business advice during the early years of the agricultural transition.

The Future Farming Resilience Fund has awarded grants to specific UK-wide organisations to provide free advice. The organisations work with farmers and land managers to understand how the changes to farming will affect their businesses and help them to plan for the future.

The free advice is available until March 2025.

Farm Business Survey – access to £600 worth of business software

By taking part in the Farm Business Survey you will be offered free access to Promar International’s Agstute farm business software, worth £600, along with other free reports and benchmarking services.

SFI Annual Health and Welfare Review

In February 2023, Defra announced that the first step of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway is ready to the rolled out: The SFI Annual Health and Welfare Review. Farmers and land managers who have been in receipt of BPS, can apply for a funded annual visit from your chosen vet or team of vets. It can be undertaken whenever it works for you. It will allow you and your vet to concentrate on your animals’ specific health and welfare priorities.