Soil Farmer finalists show cost-cutting power of better soils

Five farmers using soil management to cut input costs and strengthen business resilience have been shortlisted for Soil Farmer of the Year 2026.

The competition recognises practical approaches to improving soil function, reducing costs and supporting profitable farm businesses, with the winners due to be announced at 4pm on Wednesday 1 July in the Grass Tent at Groundswell.

The shortlist includes farmers from Devon, Lincolnshire, Surrey, Lancashire and Northumberland, covering field vegetables, organic production, conventional arable, and mixed sheep and beef systems.

The finalists are Paul Baker from Devon, Colin Chappell from Lincolnshire, Chris Mighall from Surrey, Chris Molyneux from Lancashire and Tom Fairfax from Northumberland.

Organisers said the range of finalists showed that healthy soil principles could be applied successfully across very different farming businesses.

Deborah Crossan, head of soil and natural resources at Innovation for Agriculture and one of the judges, said the finalists had demonstrated clear business benefits.

“Across the entries we've seen reductions in fuel and input costs, greater resilience to drought and wet weather, and systems that support both livestock and crop performance,” she said.

“These are practical changes that are making a real difference to profitability and long-term resilience.”

All five finalists will share the management decisions, challenges and lessons that have shaped their soil health journeys during the awards ceremony at Groundswell.

Ms Crossan said farmers interested in improving soil function, reducing inputs or building resilience would find practical ideas to take home.

“Anyone interested in improving soil function, reducing inputs or building resilience into their farm business will find plenty of practical ideas to take home,” she said.

She added that the ceremony would provide “a rare opportunity” to hear directly from farmers working in different systems but with a shared focus on healthy soils.

The Soil Farmer of the Year competition is run by Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture, and is sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons.

The winning farms will host a series of farm walks later in the year, allowing other farmers to see the practices discussed at Groundswell in action and hear first-hand how they have influenced business performance.