The Soil Farmer of the Year 2024 competition is now open for applications from any UK-based grower.
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.
Running since 2015, it supports a network of farmers and growers who are passionate about their soil and the innovations that safeguarding it can bring to their business.
Emma Adams from Farm Carbon Toolkit says the competition is open to all farmers in the UK, regardless of system, enterprise or farm size. “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,” she stresses.
Farm walks
Online application forms are available via the Farm Carbon Toolkit website until the closing date of 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.
Innovation for Agriculture’s Deborah Crossan 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 about how that field has been managed and seeing the impact it’s had on the soil structure over time,” she says.
“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.”
Prizes
This year’s competition is sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons, with the top three farmers receiving a voucher for seeds from Cotswold Seeds.
To find out more, visit https://farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk/soil-farmer-of-the-year/
