The search for Britain’s next Soil Farmer of the Year continues, with organizers inviting farmers to show how they are putting soil health at the heart of their business, with entries now open for the 2026 competition.
The awards, launched on World Soil Day, are run by Innovation for Agriculture and the Farm Carbon Toolkit, sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons, and aim to highlight farmers who are building resilience and profitability through soil-focused practices.
Approaches such as reducing tillage, integrating livestock, improving drainage and promoting biological activity are among the techniques praised in the competition.
Becky Wilson, Business Development and Technical Director for the Farm Carbon Toolkit, encouraged entries from a wide variety of farms. “Good soil management is not defined by area, company structure, or farming system.
“We want to hear from farmers who are actively considering long-term soil health and adapting their management to improve their soils,” she said. He added that the competition will help recognize those successes while also sharing them across the industry.
Entries can be submitted via a short online form with the option to upload video or audio entries instead of text. The winner will receive two advanced gold soil analyzes from Hutchinsons, the top three participants will receive a Cotswold Seeds voucher and free entry to Groundswell 2026, and the winner will be announced at a dedicated awards session. Finalists will also have the opportunity to host a Soil Farmer of the Year farm walk to support knowledge exchange.
“Knowledge sharing is central to the spirit of this contest,” Wilson said, noting that the 2025 winner will host their own farm walk in spring 2026. These events offer potential participants an opportunity to see how leading farmers actually manage their soils and what this means for their performance.
Jade Prince, head of soils at Hutchinsons, said more farmers were seeing soil health as an important safeguard against increasingly unstable weather. “Drought, flooding and interruptions in field operations are becoming increasingly common, and healthy soils are the first line of defense,” she explained. Improved structure, balanced chemical reactions, and strong biological activity all contribute to increased resilience.
“This is why Hutchinsons supports the Soil Farmer of the Year competition,” she said. “We want to champion companies that keep the soil at their heart while maintaining strong, productive businesses. We encourage anyone on that path to join us in 2026.”
Cotswold Seeds Group Director Paul Totterdell said he was delighted to support the award. “This long-running competition has been pivotal in rewarding the incredible efforts of real farmers, guardians of the soil, who have bravely taken the step towards regenerative agriculture.
“These farmers and land managers are leading the way in understanding how to achieve agricultural yields while protecting our most important natural resource, our soil,” he said.
