The Soil Farmer of the Year 2024 competition is now open for farmers to apply.
The competition, run by Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture, finds and champions farmers who lead the way in improving soil health and increasing the resilience of their farm business. The competition which has been running since 2015 now supportsa network of farmers and growers passionate about their soil and the innovations that safeguarding it can bring to their business.
Emma Adams, Senior Farm Carbon and Soils Advisor at Farm Carbon Toolkit, encourages any farmer who is prioritising the management of soil to apply.
“The competition is open to all farmers in the UK, regardless of system, enterprise or farm size,” she says. “If the impact on soil is at the heart of your decision making, with implemented practices driving improving soil health as part of a fully functioning farm ecosystem, this is the competition for you.”
Online application forms are available via the Farm Carbon Toolkit website. Applications will remain open until 5 March 2024.
The winners will be announced at Groundswell 2024, with the top three farms hosting farm walks to share ideas alongside demonstrating their practices and approaches.
Deborah Crossan, Head of Soils and Natural Resources at Innovation for Agriculture explains that the farm walks are a key part of the competition, as it gives others the opportunity to see how each winner has approached soil management.
“Nothing beats digging a hole and looking at the soil in the field while hearing directly from the farmer how that field has been managed and seeing the impact it’s had on the soil structure over time,” says Ms. Crossan.
“This competition champions farmers who understand the importance of soil and are using management practices to protect and improve it. Crucially, it also enables others to learn from what they’re doing via the farm walks,” she adds.
This year’s competition is once more kindly sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons, with the top three farmers receiving a voucher for seeds provided by Cotswold Seeds.
If you are interested in finding out more, entering the competition or nominating someone who you think is deserving of this award, further details can be found on the Farm Carbon Toolkit website or
