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A total of 13,689 GLAS III farmers are running out of time to complete a number of key actions by the 31 March deadline.
The most pressing concern is for farmers to complete their nutrient management plan (NMP), as future payments will not be made through the scheme until this is completed.
For soil samples to be valid in the year the GLAS NMP is prepared, they must be taken after 15 September, five years previously.
Therefore, for samples to be eligible for 2018, they must have been taken after 15 September 2013.
Commonage lands, mountain land and rough grazing can be excluded from soil sampling, while all other land must be sampled and analysed.
Soil sampling should be done on an individual field basis, with the sample area not exceeding 4ha.
While January is a better time to sample, before fertilisers go out, for a lot of farmers, fertiliser or slurry may not yet have been applied on ground, so it would still give a very accurate picture of the soil fertility.
Grove of trees
Farmers also have until 31 March to plant a grove of trees. Depending on the plan chosen, a farmer can plant a minimum area of 0.05ha containing 250 trees up to a maximum area of 0.09ha with 450 trees.
It is advised to plant more trees than are required, in case any fail during the course of the contract. Trees must be planted in rows 2m apart, with a distance of 1m between the plants within the rows.
Lining out the rows with lime can be a useful way to ensure spacing is correct. Bare-rooted two-year-old whips are recommended to be used when planting.
LIPP
Farmers with low-input permanent pasture (LIPP) are no longer allowed to top these parcels until 1 July. These parcels are also not permitted to be cut for hay or silage.
Additionally, farmers with traditional hay meadow (THM) cannot top from 15 March until after the meadow is mown.
Grazing can take place on THM parcels up to and including 14 April. From 15 April until 1 July, they may not be grazed.
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