Soil Farmer of the Year

Run in partnership by Innovation for Agriculture and The Farm Carbon Toolkit, the national Soil farmer of the Year competition aims to find the best farmers and growers who are engaged with and passionate about managing their soils. The competition is sponsored by Hutchinsons and Cotswold Seeds.

Soil underpins the entire farming system. A healthy well-managed soil rich in organic matter will support productive and healthy crops and pasture, which in turn supports a profitable and resilient farming system.

Since 2015, our Soil Farmer of the Year competition has helped to find, promote and champion UK farmers who are passionate about safeguarding their soils and building resilient businesses. As part of the competition, the top three farmers host farm walks that bring farmers together to share good practice and innovations that improve soil health.

The competition has become widely recognised by organisations working in soil health, with many promoting it to their networks to increase participation.

Soil Farmer of the Year 2026 – Entries now open

Are you taking steps to improve the health, resilience, and productivity of your soils? If so, we want to hear from you.

The 2026 Soil Farmer of the Year competition is now open for entries. This annual award celebrates farmers who are leading the way in practical, profitable soil management, whatever their farm size, sector or system. If you’re improving your soils and learning as you go, your experience could help inspire and inform the wider farming community.

Why enter Soil Farmer of the Year?

Gain recognition - Showcase the work you’re doing to enhance soil health and build resilience in your farm business.
Share your experience - Your knowledge can accelerate learning across the industry, helping others adapt, innovate, and thrive.
Win valuable prizes – Farmers placed 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd receive a Cotswold Seeds voucher and free entry to Groundswell 2026, where the winners will be announced.
Join a growing community – Winners also have the opportunity to host a supported farm walk, giving others a chance to learn directly from your experience.

Who can enter?

Any farmer in the UK, regardless of acreage, enterprise mix or farming system.

Whether you’re organic or conventional, livestock or arable, no-till or mob-grazing, your approach is welcome.

What we’re looking for

Your entry should describe:

The soil management practices you’ve implemented
Why you chose them
The changes you’ve observed in soil health
Any impacts on crop or livestock performance, business resilience or costs

You can submit your answers in writing, or via a video or voice note.

How to enter

Find the online entry form here: https://bit.ly/soil-farmer-26
Answer the entry questions by writing directly into the form or uploading an audio/video recording
Submit by Thursday 5th March 2026

Judging and next steps

Anonymised shortlisting:
All entries are anonymised and assessed against the competition criteria.

Farm visits:
Shortlisted farmers will receive a farm visit from the judging panel in May 2026.

Judging panel:
Includes a past winner plus representatives from Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture.

Awards ceremony:
Winners will be announced at Groundswell 2026 during the Soil Farmer of the Year Awards Ceremony.

Farm walks:
Finalists will have the opportunity to host a supported farm walk later in the year or early in 2027.

Ready to share your story?

If you’re improving your soils and building a more resilient farm business, we encourage you to take part.

Submit your entry today and be recognised for the fantastic work you are already doing.

2025 Soil Farmer of the Year

Once again, the Soil Farmer of the Year took place at Groundswell. The 2025 winners were:

1st place - John Joseph from Trecorras Farm in Herefordshire

2nd place - Jonathan Hodgson from Great Newsome Farm in East Yorkshire

3rd place - Andrew Mahon from Glebe Farm in Bedfordshire

Winners in a row with their certificates

2024 Soil Farmer of the Year

The winners and runners up of the 2024 Soil Farmer of the Year competition were announced at Groundswell, with all the finalists speaking about how they have prioritised soil management and the results achieved by doing so.

Tracy Russell and David Newman from Bucksum at Shabbington Fields Farm in Buckinghamshire claimed the top spot, with Ed Horton from SS Horton & Sons in Gloucestershire in second place and Ben Richards from Middle Trelan Farm Ltd in Cornwall placed third.

2023 Soil Farmer of the Year

The 2023 Soil Farmer of the Year winners were announced at Groundswell 2023, a huge congratulations to them all.

1st Place – Stuart Johnson, West Wharmley Farm, Hexham (pictured above, right).
2nd Place – Richard Anthony, R&L Anthony Ltd, Bridgend (pictured above, centre).
3rd Place – Bronagh O’Kane, Drumard Farm, Cookstown (pictured above, left).

Further details on the finalists and highly commended can be found here.

2022 Soil Farmer of the Year

The winners were announced at Groundswell 2022. Read about it here.

Details about farm walks at each of the winner’s farms can be found here:

Mixed Soil Farmer of the Year - a farm walk with Billy Lewis
Soil Farmer of the Year runner up - a farm walk with Andrew Rees
Arable Soil Farmer of the Year - a farm walk with David Miller

2021 Soil Farmer of the Year

Read about the winners of our 2021 competition here and insights from the farm walks here:

2020 Soil Farmer of the Year

Resources from our 2020 competition:

2019 Soil Farmer of the Year

Resources from our 2019 competition:

2018 Soil Farmer of the Year

Resources from our 2018 competition: