Your guide to Farmbench (2024)

Farmbench is a free tool for our levy payers. By signing up to Farmbench, you can identify your business strengths and weaknesses in just three steps.

1. Getting started

Simply access the Farmbench website and add this page to your favourites. Sign in using your AHDB account details or register as a new user.

If you are a Beef & Lamb farmer, the Farmbench team can offer an on-farm visit to collect your data. If you would like support, contact your Farmbench manager.

Carry forward function

Existing users can save time by using the carry forward function to move important information from one production year to the next.

Identify your enterprises

Before you start inputting data into Farmbench, it is important you understand what enterprises you have and how they should be handled.

Farmbench looks at the performance of individual farm enterprises as opposed to whole farm profit. For example:

• Arable enterprises are split by crop but could be split down further to compare margins of different varieties or fields
• A suckler herd includes that year's crop of calves up until weaning, with store, finishing and replacement cattle in their own enterprises
• A breeding flock includes that year's crop of lambs up until tupping, with any of the previous years' lambs still on farm within fat lamb or replacement enterprises

Access your data and set up your farm

New and existing users can watch the guides on how to access your farm data and set up your enterprises.

Choose the correct production year

A production year is a 12-month period which covers all financial and physical activity relating to the production of the annual crop (plant or animal). We are currently working on the 2023/24 year.

For arable crops, the year runs from harvest to harvest:

• From 2023 planting through 2024 harvest for winter combinable crops, as well as 2024 planting and 2024 harvest for spring combinable crops
• 2024 planting and 2024 harvest for sugar beet

For suckler herds, the year runs from weaning to weaning:

• From weaning 2023 through 2023 block calving for autumn block suckler herds
• From weaning 2023 through 2024 block calving for spring block suckler herds

For sheep enterprises, the year runs from tupping to tupping:

• From tupping 2023 through 2024 lambing

Any lamb and beef youngstock enterprises run alongside the breeding year. For farms with multiple enterprises, it can be useful to adopt a best-fit approach for all your enterprises, which your Regional Farmbench Manager can advise on.

2. Inputting your data

Data input is split into enterprises, production and costs.

Set up the enterprises you wish to benchmark

Include the enterprise name and the number of hectares/animals you had at the beginning of the production year. There are drop-down options within the set-up that are mandatory fields.

• For arable enterprises – Cultivation operations and treatment passes need to be entered (this is used in calculating the allocation of the fixed costs)
• For forage enterprises – Cultivation operations and treatment passes need to be entered, as well as the area that was harvested. This will determine the information that is required within the production page. Find out how to set up your forage enterprises
• For livestock enterprises – Opening numbers for each enterprise are required. Please note that the offspring of a breeding enterprise should not be entered in the opening numbers. See the guidance for setting up lamb enterprises and youngstock/beef enterprises. Be mindful when entering the details for your livestock enterprises that you can apportion costs to them. Every set-up is different; if you have any queries, contact your local Farmbench Manager

If you add the incorrect enterprise, there is an option to delete the enterprise at the bottom left of the page.

Production

In this section, enter all production, sales and other output information for your crops and livestock enterprises.

• For arable enterprises – There is the option to enter estimated and/or actual values. Estimated sales are to be used where the crop is still in store, and actual sales are to be used where the exact price and quantity are known because the crop has left the farm. All tonnage sold and used on farm is required as well as any straw sales. Data cannot be entered in both estimates and actuals; if half the crop is sold, then the total tonnage and estimated sales price should be entered in the estimates tab
• For forage enterprises – Tonnage that is produced, sold and fed is required to be entered in this section. Grazing numbers that are required are the number of animals that grazed in each enterprise and the number of weeks they grazed for
• For livestock enterprises – Each group of animals will have a separate production page. If the correct options are not available, revisit the enterprise set-up page. All animals opening and closing, produced, bought, died and any sales within this production year should be entered including their value in pounds, LW/kg, DW/kg and ages where required (it is essential to enter both LW and DW where these boxes are provided). If you are rearing replacements, be mindful of animals being transferred in and out of enterprises 

Costs

The costs are split into six sections – crop, livestock, labour, machinery, property, and admin and finance. Not all will be applicable, but you should enter as much information as possible.

• Crop costs – Enter all seed (include home saved and treatments), crop protection, fertiliser, haulage, levy rates and sundries. Crop protection must be split out
• Livestock costs – Enter all feed costs (including purchased forage), vet and medicine, livestock contracting, breeding, bedding, fallen stock, commission, transport, levy rates and sundries
• Labour costs - Enter all labour costs, including casual labour. To account for unpaid/family labour, a market wage equivalent should be included: we use £30,000 FTE. Labour costs must be entered for the data to be validated and approved. A percentage of the labour must be allocated to the enterprises. The labour entry must be saved and then the option to allocate will become available
• Machinery costs – Enter any spares and repairs, hire and leasing, fuel, general contracting, enterprise specific contracting, and machinery and equipment depreciation. The three-stage allocation process is important when allocating to the enterprises – watch the videos on how to handle this for combinable crops, livestock and forage. Machinery and equipment are valued at second-hand market value. Only include owned equipment and items on HP agreements. Equipment must be allocated to the enterprises that utilise them. Machinery and equipment are depreciated at 10%
• Property costs – Input any repairs, farm maintenance, water, electricity, storage costs and property depreciation, as well as rent and land values

• Property depreciation – Add buildings which are less than 20 years old and any large repairs that should depreciate. Drainage and lime should also be entered in this section. Property is depreciated at 5%. A percentage must be allocated to the enterprises. The entry must first be saved and then the option to allocate will become available
• Rent and land values – The costs for rented land and rented value for owned land must be entered for the data to be validated and approved. Rent values are not visible on group reports

• Admin and finance costs – Enter the admin and finance costs as appropriate to each enterprise. Admin costs must be entered for the data to be validated and approved. Finance costs will not be included in group reports but will be visible on your farm’s individual reports

Watch the video on how to handle contracting income and costs. If you have any questions, please contact your local Farmbench Manager.

3. Understanding the results

Once your data has been inputted, there are three different types of reports: individual, multi-enterprise (arable only) and benchmark. Watch the video on how to access your reports. You can also benchmark as part of a discussion group.

Individual reports

These show one enterprise. Arable enterprises can be reported on a per-enterprise, per-hectare or per-tonne basis; forage enterprises on a per-enterprise and per-hectare basis; beef/sheep enterprises on per head of output, per dam put to sire and per LW kg of output. There are three levels of detail to choose from: essential, summary and detailed. Reviewing your individual reports is a good way to review your data input.

Multi-enterprise reports

These show all combinable and forage crops in your rotation. This is reported on a per-hectare basis and displays a farm average. The multi-enterprise report allows you to choose benchmark comparisons either regionally or nationally. The far-right column of the report displays a proportional analysis of costs through farm type.

Benchmark reports

These show one enterprise and the benchmarks for that enterprise. Arable enterprises can be reported on a per-enterprise, per-hectare or per-tonne basis; forage enterprises on a per-enterprise and per-hectare basis; beef/sheep enterprises on per head of output, per dam put to sire and per LW kg of output. The three levels of detail are available and there are specific comparisons available.

Data collection for beef and lamb

If you are a Beef & Lamb farmer, our team can offer an on-farm visit to collect your data. If you would like support, contact your Farmbench manager.

Group discussions

You can benchmark as part of a discussion group. For information on a local group, contact your Farmbench manager.  

The benefits of joining a discussion group include:

• Learn from and alongside your peers
• Shared experiences
• Personal development
• Acceptance of the need for change
• Break down the barriers
• Adopting best practice

Glossary

Enterprise: Enterprises can be crops which make up your rotation, for example spring barley, winter wheat and/or the groups of animals that make up your livestock on farm, e.g. breeding flock and lamb finishing.

Breeding enterprise: An enterprise that offspring are born into within the production year, for example a suckler enterprise or a breeding flock.

Replacement enterprise: An enterprise that includes offspring from the previous year that are being reared as replacements, for example breeding ewe replacements or suckler herd replacements.

Cultivation operations and treatment passes: Passes are broken down to allow you to record the number of hectares which have been treated in each way. The types to choose from are heavy cultivations, medium cultivations, light cultivations, heavy drilling, medium drilling, light drilling and grass maintenance. Treatments – number of passes for spraying, fertiliser and slug pelleting.

Production year: A production year is a 12-month period which covers all financial and physical activity relating to the production of the annual crop (plant or animal) from an enterprise.

Useful links