Environmental schemes inevitably create more administration for farmers and advisers, so many consultants are turning to digital tools to help manage records.

The Farm Consultancy Group (FCG) recently began using Regeno's Farmwalk app, which was designed to streamline record-keeping. It allows farmers and advisers to capture photos, voice notes and other evidence while in the field and automatically links them to relevant scheme requirements.  It also supports Welsh and Scottish schemes as well as standards like Red Tractor and LEAF.

FCG uses the platform to support its stewardship management service, which helps farmers manage their Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship agreements. "We were getting more and more requests from the Rural Payments Agency asking for field records and evidence to support stewardship claims," says Steph Emmerson, director at FCG. "Our systems worked, but they were manual and time consuming. We knew there had to be a more streamlined way of managing that information."

The consultancy team helps clients by collecting evidence like grazing records, photographs and seed invoices to ensure compliance requirements are met.

"We were very good at getting clients into schemes, but we knew there was more we could do to support them with the ongoing record-keeping and evidence collection," says Steph. "Having everything in one place makes the process much more streamlined and professional in terms of the service we can offer our clients."

The platform also supports consultants during client meetings by recording discussions and tracking follow-ups. "Previously I would have a meeting, make notes and then later write up a summary," Steph explains. "Now I can almost send that summary during the meeting, which saves a lot of time and makes sure nothing gets missed."

Kimberley Broughton, farm consultant at FCG, says the system is already helping reduce the time spent on routine administration. "Previously we would collect documents from clients, take photos on farm and then spend time filing everything back at the laptop," she says. "It was quite time consuming, but hthe app makes the process much quicker and easier to manage."

The platform can also highlight any missing records, helping consultants ensure evidence requirements are met before inspections or compliance checks. "It flags up anything that's missing, so you can quickly chase it or upload it," says Kimberley. "It just gives you that confidence that everything is there and organised if you need it."

As well as supporting environmental schemes, the consultancy believes digital tools like this could have wider applications across other areas of farm compliance. Regeno also includes a dedicated health and safety module and a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) calculator, helping broaden its use beyond stewardship administration alone. 

"We can definitely see tools like this fitting into consultancy going forward," adds Kimberley. "It's very user friendly and once you've used it across a few farms it becomes straightforward to integrate into day-to-day work."

• For more information visit https://regeno.farm.