This year saw the number of applications to the tillage section of TAMS (Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme) drop by almost 40%.
The number of tillage applications under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme also dropped – declining by 24%.
The Tillage Capital Investment Scheme opened in March 2017. In that year, 593 applications were made under the Tillage Investment Scheme and 97 were made under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme.
Three applications were made under the Organic Scheme in both 2017 and 2018.
That’s a total of 693 applications in 2017 and 429 applications in 2018 – a total drop of 38%.
Data source: DAFM
Most popular investments
The most popular investment so far has been minimum disturbance tillage equipment. 665 applications have been made for this type of equipment.
GPS machinery control is third on the list – at 251. A total of 226 farmers have applied for fertiliser spreaders.
Cambridge rollers and furrow presses have also proved popular, with a total of 224 applications made for these items.
Data source: DAFM
The most popular items show a shift in mindset towards more environmentally-friendly soil cultivation practices, as well as machinery that contributes to more efficient use of pesticides and that ties in with integrated pest management strategies on farms.