However, with so many options and schemes available, navigating the world of applications, deadlines, and updates can often feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve created a month-by-month guide designed to keep you on track for the year ahead. And with Land App as your trusted partner, you’ll have the tools to simplify and streamline every stage of the journey.
Table of Contents:
Winter: Laying The Groundwork
Spring: Application Season
Summer: Keeping Momentum
Autumn: Wrapping Up And Looking Ahead
Navigating ELMS With Confidence
Winter: Laying the Groundwork
January is the perfect time to reflect on the previous year’s outcomes and refine your objectives—what worked last year? What could be improved? Take this time to align any changes to your farming and land management objectives with ELMS like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewardship (CS), or Landscape Recovery (LR). Notably, applications for the “new and improved” Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) schemes opened on January 2nd, offering year-round flexibility for those keen on habitat restoration, flood resilience, or water quality. However, thorough planning and preparation are crucial before diving into CSHT applications—which, at first, will be by invitation only.
February focuses on preparation and collaboration. This is the time to gain a deeper understanding of your land by gathering important data, from soil health metrics to biodiversity records, that will help shape your applications. Working closely with advisors or consultants can refine your plans and ensure they align with scheme requirements. Using Land App’s collaborative tools, you can share draft plans and maps, ensuring clarity and accuracy throughout the planning process.
March can turn your attention to planting and habitat creation, such as finalising spring planting plans or exploring habitat enhancement options under schemes like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). With SFI now operating under a rolling application window, submissions can be made at any time without specific deadlines. Land App makes navigating these schemes easier than ever thanks to our pre-populated templates and Validator Toolbox. These templates simplify the whole process, helping you efficiently map out projects, design scenarios, and prepare accurate applications for the latest SFI schemes. Whereas the Validator Toolbox checks your SFI, Countryside Stewardship, and Biodiversity Net Gain plans meet eligibility criteria. For more information on SFI 2024 and how to use Land App to plan your application, watch our webinar.
Spring: Application Season
April is the month to focus on eligibility and prepare for Countryside Stewardship applications. If you’re considering CSHT, now is the time to confirm that you meet the criteria for upcoming schemes and review application requirements in detail. With Land App’s comprehensive data layers, you can instantly visualise important information about your land, such as conservation constraints, protected areas, and landscape designations. By addressing these elements early, you can identify any potential hurdles before they become roadblocks.
May usually marks the height of application season, particularly for Countryside Stewardship schemes. However, the flexibility of monthly start dates for CSHT and SFI agreements means careful coordination with clients or other advisors is needed. Land App’s collaboration features and Validator Toolbox can help make this process efficient and streamlined.
June takes you into the field to gather the data that will inform your land management plans. Conducting surveys and assessments—whether for biodiversity baselines or soil health—is often required for ELMS applications. And now with Land App Mobile, you can conduct site surveys, gather and track environmental data for agri-schemes, and measure distances all from your smartphone or tablet.
Summer: Keeping Momentum
July can be a useful time to focus on implementing your approved projects. Whether that’s managing grassland or improving watercourses, summer is ideal for putting plans into action. However, effective implementation requires clear mapping to ensure accuracy and efficiency. With Land App’s Drawing Tools, you can create custom maps tailored to your project needs–whether it’s marking out planting areas or defining buffer zones. Easily switch between base maps, interact with land boundaries, and annotate your maps with text, arrows, and other markers to keep track of your planned changes.
August, with harvests in full swing, offers a good opportunity to reflect on ongoing land management activities, to see what’s thriving and what might need adjustment. This is also an excellent time to review any updates from Defra regarding upcoming changes to ELMS, particularly as an additional 14 SFI-endorsed actions are expected to become available this summer.
We’ll keep this blog updated with the latest developments, so be sure to check back throughout the year. We also share monthly Defra updates on the blog—subscribe to our newsletter here to get these insights straight to your inbox each month.
September encourages long-term planning and integration. Use this time to identify potential areas of your land that could benefit from further enhancement. Whether it’s planting cover crops or planning for winter grazing, proactive measures taken now will pay dividends later. This is also the time when many farmers survey their hedgerows, typically in late summer and early autumn, to assess their condition and plan for future management. With the People’s Trust for Endangered Species’s (PTES) Healthy Hedgerows survey now fully integrated within Land App and Land App Mobile, you can easily map, assess, and track the health of your hedgerows—helping to improve biodiversity and ensure compliance with environmental schemes. Learn more about this integration here.
Autumn: Wrapping Up and Looking Ahead
October marks the transition to a new cycle of applications and projects. Start by reviewing the outcomes of your summer projects: What worked well? Were there any unforeseen challenges? This reflective process is invaluable for improving future applications. Additionally, continue to take note of any updates or changes to ELMS that might influence your plans for the coming year.
November is ideal for consolidating your data and ensuring all documentation is up to date. Well-organised records, from soil testing results to habitat assessments, will simplify future applications and ensure you’re prepared for audits. Together with Land App’s data management features, you can store and retrieve all the necessary information in one place.
December provides a moment to celebrate your achievements and prepare for the year ahead. Use this quieter period to reflect on your progress and set goals for the next cycle, knowing that you can enter 2026 with confidence, ready to build on the foundations laid this year.
Navigating ELMS with Confidence
The evolving landscape of environmental land management can seem daunting, but with the right tools and a clear plan, you can turn these challenges into opportunities. By breaking the year into manageable steps and leveraging Land App’s suite of features—from collaborative planning to advanced mapping—you’ll be well-equipped to maximise the benefits of ELMS in 2025.
Ready to simplify your environmental stewardship journey? Log in to Land App today to take the first step toward achieving your goals.
