Category: Insights

Using Trees to Grow Resilience

Posted on September 25, 2026 by - Case Studies, Insights

An agroforestry case study from Mingoose Farm, Truro, Cornwall

By Jemma Morgan, Farm Carbon and Soil Project Assistant

Richard Trevethan is an organic farmer of pedigree Shorthorn beef cattle – his family have been managing the land at Mingoose Farm since 1991, with Richard holding the reins for the past 20 years. In 2024 Richard engaged with the AgriCarbon Kernow project which offered Cornish farmers the opportunity to have a Farm Carbon Footprint completed.

As part of the project a de-carbonising plan was developed. In addition, a biodiversity survey conducted by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and a water resilience survey conducted by the Westcountry Rivers Trust were completed, with associated recommendations from both. As a result of this multi disciplinary approach, Richard decided to increase the number of trees at Mingoose which he hopes will lead to improvements in all aspects of the farm’s future resilience.

Creating a plan

With ideas proposed at the end of the AgriCarbon Kernow project in his mind, Richard linked up with Forest for Cornwall who were able to visit the farm and start the process of turning his ideas into a planting plan. 

Context is crucial, but almost more important, when devising an agroforestry plan, is what the farmer wants the new trees to achieve for the farm system. Mingoose Farm sits high up near the coast and is exposed to the wind, so shelter for his livestock is an important welfare consideration. With neighbouring farms not being organic, Richard has also noticed the drift of agrichemical sprays onto his land, so building up the height and density of his boundaries to ‘catch the drift’ was also a role he wanted trees to help with. Knowing that tree fodder can be a valuable addition to the diet of cattle, species selected needed to be suitable for browse and appropriate to the predicted future climate.

A public footpath crosses the farm and Richard is not alone among farmers in wanting to ensure the public stick to the path. Pasture fields may appear as ‘just grass’ and if people don’t understand that it’s a crop just as much as a field of wheat is, a visible marker can help to keep walkers off his fields. He has therefore chosen to plant fruit trees, specifically rare Cornish apples, pears and plums, in the hope that this will increase biodiversity, preserve genetic diversity which is at risk, encourage pollinators and provide tasty snacks for those who enjoy our public rights of way.

Spring 2025 – Planting begins…

The hard work of planting started in January of 2025 – not a conventional time for tree planting, but the trees were ready and so were Richard, his (retired) parents, and other invested parties.

In one 9 acre field, 5 mini copses have been planted, with 44 trees in each. They were then fenced off to allow grazing to continue around them while the trees got their roots down and became established. A second field of 4 acres is almost completely subdivided by a single line of 56 trees, but with gaps at either end allowing space for farm machinery to pass through.

Two other fields each had four shorter strips of trees planted within them which can be used to create smaller paddocks for rotational grazing and will grow to provide more shade and shelter for the stock. 

Summer 2026 – Reflecting on progress

I enjoyed chatting with Richard about his trees and his experience of increasing the amount of agroforestry at Mingoose. He says he can see no disadvantages to having the trees in the farm system and only wishes he had planted them 5 years ago… Everything on the farm takes that long to really get going, he reckons, so he’s happy to give them time to make themselves at home. However the labour involved in growing trees has turned out to be a greater consideration than he’d bargained for.

It is often said that planting trees is easy, but growing them is hard and Richard is not the only farmer I’ve spoken to who confirms it. Fortunately, Richard has a teenaged son who was after some cash and could be deployed to watering and weeding during the first summer: this proving necessary despite mulching the tree whips when they were planted.

This summer the trees are showing signs of struggle – they have not been watered and the current drought is seeing green leaves turn brown. Are they dying or is this a ‘forced’ early autumn with the trees shedding leaves as a survival tactic? Time will tell.

The traditional stone and earth Cornish hedges which prevail in the landscape locally are not particularly high, so another tactic Richard is trying is planting a single row of trees just a metre into the field from the hedge. In time these should grow much higher than the stone hedge, providing a wind break but also improving the water holding capacity of the soil and increasing the beneficial underground web of connections which improve carbon sequestration and storage.

His choice of species have included the english oak, sycamore and several different willows as well as rowan, (which seems to be coping with the heat better than some others), holm oak (an evergreen oak seen in mediterranean environments) and holly.

He is concerned about the challenges of our changing climate on the trees and wonders if he might gap up the almost inevitable losses with species that originate further south and can tolerate the saline air such as sea buckthorn or tamarisk.

Thinking about the future

I asked Richard if he’d consider planting more trees – as if 4,200 isn’t enough… His answer was ‘Yes’, but with the caveat that he’d have to think about the labour. 

One of the difficulties with trees on farms is that we know they are really important, and we know that the maintenance and care of them is crucial as a meaningful  investment in the future viability of our farms and our planet, however, their demands are rarely urgent. Cattle can make a noise, sheep can start limping, but trees can’t yell ‘I’m thirsty’, or ‘I’m bleeding – a squirrel is chewing off my skin’. 

Perhaps future planting plans should include the feasibility of getting water to new planting and maintenance planning – how many hours or days you should expect to need to give to checking, pruning, removing tree guards, gapping up, etc. and in what months that should be. This may allow land managers a more realistic expectation of the ongoing labour necessary and to allocate time for it in advance.

After seeing what has been achieved at Mingoose so far, I hope that the potential benefits, in terms of animal welfare, carbon sequestration, increased biodiversity (he already has a barn owl who’s enjoying the extra food options which are probably scurrying around in the longer grass beneath the trees) and more living roots supporting soil health may convince Richard it’s worth planting more trees, even if he leaves it for a couple of years… 

If you yourself are a farmer or grower who would like to learn more about agroforestry and explore how trees might boost your own lands’ future resilience, you can contact us and chat with Jemma here.

Case study written by FCT’s Jemma Morgan

Bees, Beans and Drought

Posted on August 26, 2026 by - Insights

By Hannah Jones, Farm Carbon and Soils Advisor

Figure: Phacelia is a good mid season food source for a range of pollinators

Years ago, I had an excellent PhD student named Jake Bishop, who is now a successful scientist at Reading University, who worked on beans and the impact pollinators have on bean sets. 

In those days, much of my research focused on the effects of heat stress on crop flowering. Seeing the stamens emerge in sequence from a wheat flower still brings back waves of nostalgia.

Back to beans: the first thing to note is that heat stress is far more catastrophic if a plant is also suffering from drought. The most vulnerable stage of flowering is pollen formation. Thus, the combination of heat and drought is much worse than heat alone. 

If pollen is damaged, the flower effectively becomes male-sterile. The female stigma waits for pollen to arrive, but if none appears within about 10 days, the flower drops off. For the bean, bees can save the flower. They transfer viable pollen from a flower that escaped the heat stress—perhaps by developing on a cooler day—to pollinate the male-sterile flower. Jake proved that bees become increasingly important for maintaining crop yields under extreme weather conditions.

Bees in the field need encouragement through nesting sites, like old mouse holes, and alternative food sources. Phacelia and clovers are classic mid-season forage crops, while early and late-season species like hawthorn and ivy provide disproportionate benefits to founding queen bees. A consistent, even if relatively small, early-season food supply can dramatically boost bee populations all summer by ensuring the queen is well-nourished.

I always grow phacelia with my beans but it is not for the bees, but for the wasps. These aphid-eating wasps completely wipe out my black bean aphids. This was brought to mind last week while I was assessing a bean trial. The beans next to the hedge and the phacelia margin were completely free of aphids. However, about 50 metres into the field, there was clear evidence of heavy infestation.

Ultimately, the cost-benefit ratio depends on the weather. High temperatures, drought, and the loss of chemical pest control all highlight the immense value of beneficial insect communities in our fields—and our responsibility to provide them with diverse hedges and food throughout the year.

Figure: Aphid remains on a bean stem after feeding of the larvae of parasitic wasps. The holes in the aphid mummies show where the adult wasp emerged

From Tipp-Ex and Roneo machines to AI – a reflection from Liz Bowles

Posted on August 14, 2026 by - Insights, News

By Liz Bowles

From Tipp-Ex and Roneo machines to AI1

After a career spanning some 45 years in Agriculture, I have decided to step back from full time employment and from my current role as CEO of FCT. The Directors will be starting the recruitment process for my successor in the coming weeks. 

I have experienced such change in agriculture and our food systems over these years and I thought I would share some of this here. 

I was lucky enough to be one of the last volunteers recruited straight out of university by Voluntary Services Overseas. There followed three years of working in Zambia training agricultural extension workers and travelling across the continent including being in Harare (Zimbabwe) on the day its name changed. I am not sure I was a successful teacher, but I certainly learnt so much from the experience.

On my return to the UK, I was recruited by ADAS initially as a Dairy Husbandry Advisor which saw me inspecting dairy farms in Shropshire to make sure they complied with the Milk and Dairies Regulation 1959. At that time there were over 4,000 dairy farms in Shropshire alone. Inspecting was not for me and over the years which followed ADAS offered me many routes to increase my knowledge and support agriculture and the farming sector. During my twenty years with ADAS, I held a number of roles in the Midlands and the South West including being their principal red meat advisor and setting up South West Quality Meat with Claire Parnell and three SW livestock marketing Co-ops.

After becoming a Nuffield Scholar and travelling the world to research co-operation and collaboration in the red meat sector, I joined English Food and Farming Partnerships on its launch following the post 2001 FMD report authored by Lord Curry which called for greater cooperation in UK agriculture.  Here, I worked with a small but mighty team of people supporting the farmer-controlled Business Sector. Of all the work we did, I think the “Share to Farm” initiative stands which saw us looking at  all the ways in which  farmers  can work together to reduce costs and increase margin. I still have some of the films we made and shared. Shame they are on CDs!

On leaving EFFP, I joined the Soil Association as their Farming and Land Use team leader and later as Director of Farming and Land Use. In this role I led all the work the Soil Association charity did with farmers, whether organic or not. Aside from the privilege of leading the great team at Soil Association, I am most proud of how we managed to evolve the Innovative Farmers Programme with the patient support of the Prince of Wales Charitable Trust from Tom MacMillan’s great idea to a long-term initiative which puts farmers in control of on farm research to work on things which are most important to them.

During this time, I was a Director at the Oxford Farming Conference during the Covid lockdown period which added zest to the management of a conference with two out of the three years of my term having to be remote events. 

Having been a Director at the Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT) since 2016, I became their first Chief Executive in 2022. At this point, interest in a greater understanding of how food production contributes to our climate and nature crisis was increasing and with it, interest in the tools and services which FCT provides.  I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to lead the FCT team as the organisation developed its whole farm carbon assessment tool and has become known as a centre of excellence for carbon farming, involved in many key industry projects working on reducing the emissions and increasing sequestration associated with food production as well as working directly with farmer groups and supply chains to implement practical change which always involves adopting more sustainable and regenerative farming practices. As an organisation we have now achieved Model Assurance from the Carbon Trust for our Calculator. When I first joined FCT, I could not have imagined that just four short years later we would be in this position. 

Some of my highlights at FCT have been:

  • When we won our first Innovate Project (we were the lead partner) – a SMART project which is apparently notoriously difficult to win (which we did not know at the time). This project enabled us to recruit Lizzy Parker in 2023 to lead the development of an API for our Calculator and to embark upon a fundamental overhaul of it. This has been transformational for FCT
  • Our work with the Duchy of Cornwall, where we are now into year seven. We provide regular carbon audits for their tenants and support them to transition to become more resilient businesses. 
  • Farm Net Zero: I was at the Soil Association when the opportunity to bid into the Climate Action Fund came along. The Soil Association had previous experience delivering lottery-funded projects and their involvement was helpful. Farm Net Zero was the first Lottery-funded project that considered farming as a community. Delivering this project over five years with (pretty much) the same delivery staff and farmers has delivered measurable impacts and shows the way for other such projects. We are now speaking across Europe on this project and how it can be emulated elsewhere. You can read the final report here.
  • Involvement in NCS, CHCx3 and LUNZ as key delivery partners has underlined our role as experts in carbon farming. 
  • Maintaining our Calculator as a free tool for farmers meets our Community interest. This is a big deal and though we are now looking at developing “freemium” offers alongside our free “offer”, being able to offer this to the industry is something we can rightly shout about. Especially as user numbers continue to rise and we now offer quality training for users.
  • Involvement in CHCx3 has provided us with the opportunity for further ongoing development of our Farm Carbon Calculator in line with the project deliverables, ensuring our Calculator is fit for purpose for the Voluntary Carbon Market for all farmers wishing to enter this new market
  • Farm Carbon Assessment Tool harmonisation: In Summer 2024, FCT, Cool Farm Alliance and Agrecalc announced that we were embarking upon a programme of harmonising our methodologies where possible. We are still working together and with each update we work to ensure harmonisation. For example, this includes how we account for purchased ruminants in farm businesses and how novel fertilisers are included in our tools. These harmonisations may seem small, but they build greater alignment and increase trust in all our tools, something the industry has been calling for.
  • Gaining Model Assurance from the Carbon Trust. This certification is the result of painstaking work from all involved.

I am not sure what the future will bring and am really looking forward to the opportunities that I know will arise, including more of a focus on my grassland farm in Devon and making it more resilient in the face of the “new normal” weather.

The greatest lesson I think I have learnt over my career is constancy and working with nature not against it. I am getting better at observing how nature solves problems and hope that I will get better still – with more practice.

  1. When I started my career, I had to write my advisory reports long hand or by Dictaphone and send my copy to the typing pool for typing. This is where the tippex came in and woe betide you if you wanted to amend your copy after sending it down. Roneo machines were just about the only way of producing a large number of the same document, which for advisory work included one memorable poster for a farmer trip to Trawscoed I organised which meant posting information on billboards across the county. ↩︎

An Ode to the Farm Carbon Calculator: Why variation is a strength, not a weakness

Posted on July 30, 2026 by - Calculator, Insights

By Hannah Jones, Farm Carbon and Soils Advisor

Embracing differences between carbon tools builds a more robust agricultural future.

A senior industry figure recently voiced their frustration to me regarding the variation in results between different farm carbon calculators. It is human nature to fixate on criticisms, they always seem to occupy more brain space than praise.

However, the availability of three quality carbon calculation tools to model farm emissions should not be viewed as a failure or a barrier. In fact, it is a vital mechanism for accuracy.

Checks and Balances

The most reliable systems in the world rely on friction and debate to find the truth. In science, the most trusted biological research relies entirely on peer review, where rigorous auditing and constant critique ensure that results are accurate and uncertainties are clearly defined. In politics, democratic systems use a multi-party structure to intentionally slow down decision-making. This friction prevents extreme actions and ensures agreement from the majority. The world of agricultural carbon accounting functions exactly the same way.

Collaboration Over Competition

Rather than working in isolation, the team behind the Farm Carbon Calculator actively collaborates with two other internationally renowned platforms: Agrecalc and the Cool Farm Tool. This relationship creates both an opportunity to digitally implement checks and balances and a human opportunity for the scientists, practitioners and farmers who contribute to the tools’ development to debate, discuss and collaborate to find collective routes forward.

Our transparency is our greatest asset. We explicitly show the confidence levels of our data, highlight the scientific literature it originates from, and clearly state when figures are modelled (such as in agri-environment sequestration). We openly define what is highly reliable and what remains a best estimate.

The Wisdom of Estimation

The philosopher Socrates famously noted that true wisdom is recognising the limits of your own knowledge. In modern agricultural data, admitting “we don’t know for certain, but let us estimate this for you” is not a weakness: it is a profound scientific strength.

By working together and embracing these transparent differences, our carbon calculator teams are building a more honest, reliable, and resilient foundation for sustainable farming.

Further Reading

Farm Carbon Calculator Achieves Model Assurance From the Carbon Trust

Farm Carbon Calculator Data Quality Scoring

Cool Farm Platform Achieves Assurance from the Carbon Trust

Farming Regenerative Livestock in the Stour Valley: the importance of local knowledge and biodiversity

Posted on July 29, 2026 by - Case Studies, Insights

A case study of first generation farmer Sam Morgan

by Joe Jones, Farm Carbon and Soils Project Assistant

Sam’s Journey: from Disillusionment to Agency

Sam Morgan is a first generation livestock farmer, living and farming in the Stour Valley in Suffolk. His journey into farming looked pretty straightforward as he grew up: obsessed with tractors and cows as a child, and then going off to work on a farm as soon as he could drive. However, after completing a degree in agriculture, he found he had lost much of his enthusiasm for farming. Instead he was left with a despondent feeling at the challenges, a sentiment shared with many potential new entrants:

”I came out [of the course] feeling like there’s no chance I’m going to get into farming. The capital, the land prices… I came out more aware of the barriers than ever.”

This disappointment would lead Sam away from farming, travelling and working in different industries for a few years until his enthusiasm was rekindled in some of the books he was reading, especially in the field of agroecology and the vision of farming that could benefit humans and the environment. Eventually he went to study at the Centre for Agrocology, Water and Resilience in Coventry, in his words ‘the most inspiring place I’ve been a part of’. Exposed to a variety of ideas and sent off to events such as Groundswell and Oxford Real Farming Conference to speakers like Allan Savoury and Charles Massey, Sam rediscovered a new drive for wanting to farm positively and, after an inspiring talk about local ecological knowledge, thinking of the older farmers he had worked alongside, he decided that the Stour Valley was the place he felt most at home to really get to work on his farming dream. ‘I thought I have to come home’.

Building the herd and becoming a tenant

After returning home from Coventry, Sam decided to make the leap, he had built up a wide range of experience working on local farms, carrying out volunteer conservation work and working as a ranger for the commons ground around Sudbury. Whilst working for local farmers, Brigid and Mark Cracknell, he became aware of an opportunity for a tenancy on a 35ha of floodplain meadow owned by a local land trust, just over the river from the farm. He was delighted when he applied and was successful in getting it. The Cracknells kindly worked out an agreeable arrangement and sold him 10 store calves and Sam finally had his first herd.

Since 2022, after starting with 10 dairy crosses, Sam now has a herd of 16 Red Polls, an East Anglian breed that he is proud to have. The reason for his choice was a mixture of picking a local breed that was well adapted to the heat due to its coat’s colour and a breed that does really well on the grass fed system Sam manages. Alongside his tenanted land, Sam also grazes his herd on a local arable farm on a herbal ley. On both systems he paddock grazes, with high intensity grazing and long rest periods. This system is key to maximising forage and protecting soil health especially during periods of drought. As Sam says:

”Grazing done well is a net positive for animals, people, soil health and resilience to drought. Grazing done badly is disastrous”.

Alongside grazing, hay cutting is key, especially as another product for Sam’s business and for maintaining the biodiversity of Shalford Meadow by removing excess nutrients . Not only does the biodiversity of the land enrich the resilience of the local landscape but he believes it gives the beef he produces its flavour and nutrition for his customers. Another key part of Sam’s system is reducing chemical inputs. Since he acquired his herd he has only used wormers once in 4 years, which has not only saved money but has also benefited the invertebrates where he grazes his cattle and he doesn’t apply any fertiliser.  

Farming with Nature and Selling his Produce

One of Sam’s proudest moments, a year after taking over the tenancy, was the surprise find of the Narrow Leaved Water Dropwort (Oenanthe silaifolia), a floodplain meadow species, last recorded in 1972 in Suffolk and believed extinct in the county. His find was officially confirmed and logged by the Suffolk Biodiversity Information Centre and alongside other positive signs such as breeding lapwing returning to the site has helped to encourage Sam that he is managing the site successfully for both farming and biodiversity.

In tandem with the sustainable agriculture that Sam implements, importance of providing his product through local food networks in South Suffolk, to another key pillar of the fulfilment he gets from farming. Through his business, Stour Valley Farming and Conservation, he sells his beef directly either through meat boxes or direct at local farmer markets. Knowing his customers and fellow producers is really important for Sam.

“It feels good to talk with other local producers and to know the people I sell to. I know when I sell my product it’s going to be cooked in the same town or nearby.’ 

Face to face interactions and Sam being questioned on how he produces his meat is something he really enjoys because he is proud of what he is producing, “it’s the kind of traceability I think people should have”. He is keen to share with customers the benefits of the livestock on the local environment (increasing soil health with their manure) and the nutritious diet they have access to. Although he did give his original dairy crosses some winter fed barley, his Red Poll cattle are fed exclusively on grass, wild plants and herbal leys.

Present work and future opportunities

At current Sam sells his beef and hay produced on Shalford whilst also offering consultancy and working on farm. Sometimes the balance can be tricky, he says, but it’s clear that Sam thrives off the mixture of different work and people and he is able to develop new relationships in the local area as a result. What’s in the future? Sam would like to get GPS collars for his cattle next, not only to reduce the labour but also to track and understand his cattle’s movements and behaviour better. Through baselining and monitoring the changes at Shalford he is also building an evidence case for his farming system, showing improvements in biodiversity, soil health, water management whilst producing nutritious food. As his tenancy is for a fixed period he hopes when it comes to an end, he will have all the evidence to show he is ready for the next step.

Conclusion: Sam’s advice for new entrants

As Sam’s case demonstrates, a big part of the solution of creating healthier farming systems and tackling societal challenges is tapping into local networks, bringing people closer to their food, farming for the climate and biodiversity and people taking pride into their local landscape. A big part of this will be those coming as new entrant with energy and passion and we’ve asked Sam to share some tips from his own journey:

  • “Get started and get stuck in”, Farming can have a very steep learning curve but the importance of jumping in even if you feel a little unsure is often valuable
  • “Find the right people to work for.” – Having one or a few valuable mentors can be huge in learning the important aspects and setting you up for opportunities in the future
  • Loving your landscape – Sometimes there will be points where its hard and difficult to continue but having passion for your local environment is very powerful
  • Talking to people and listening – This is actually my observation of Sam. He is great at talking to anyone and I think this has been key to the success and network he has built

In this series, our aim is to bring more positive stories of farming bringing benefits to the land and the community. If you want to follow more of Sam’s work, you can do so though his website or his Instagram. If you yourself are a farmer or grower who would like to learn more about sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture practices, you can contact us here.

Case study written by FCT’s Joe Jones

Groundswell: a view from our Advisory and Calculator Teams

Posted on June 23, 2026 by - Calculator, Insights

At the height of midsummer, Groundswell is a chance for all of our team to get together with those farmers, growers and industry professionals leading the way within regenerative agriculture. With the festival about to kick off next week, we spoke to Anthony and Lizzy from our Advisory and Calculator teams about what the festival means for them – and what they’re looking forward to this year.

Groundswell – An FCT Advisor’s Perspective

Anthony Ellis, Senior Farm Carbon and Soil Advisor

For ten years – or is it 11? – Groundswell has been the epicentre of knowledge exchange on Regenerative topics in the UK. I’m grateful to have attended 7 of those years, and had the privilege of speaking at three.

As a farmer, it gives me the opportunity to expose myself and my system to the challenge of new ideas and practices. As an advisor, it allows me to sharpen my skills and ensure I am abreast of the latest science and understanding. It places us all before a range of inspirational speakers, Gabe Brown and John Kempf to name but two. And arguably most important of all, it gives us the chance to socialise and let our hair down amongst likeminded people… with the help of some very fine ales and ciders courtesy of the Earthworm Arms!

For us at FCT, it affords us the opportunity to meet our current and future partners and customers face to face, explain the work we do with farmers to improve on-farm resilience and effect meaningful, positive change in our food systems. This year we will have much to share. From the successful conclusion of a number of important projects like Farm Net Zero and Agri Carbon Kernow, to the start of new advisory project such as NutriWise and SoilSync. And also, not forgetting the continuation of our valuable work with the Duchy of Cornwall Estate.

We look forward to welcoming you to our “new look” stand at Groundswell this year to share knowledge and experiences of a changing industry.

The Calculator Team at Groundswell

Lizzy Parker, Carbon Calculator Manager

Dr Lizzy Parker, Calculator Manager

For the team behind the Farm Carbon Calculator, the collective energy of Groundswell is a massive battery recharge. When you are deep in the day-to-day grind of software, data, or policy, it can feel like you are pushing a boulder uphill in isolation. But for two days at Groundswell, so many interesting people are willing to share their experiences and curiosity can take over.

One of my absolute favourite memories captures this beautifully. It was my second Groundswell; my head was spinning with all the new concepts I was learning, and I’d spent the day getting “gently” interrogated by farmers about the nuances of carbon footprinting. As the sun set, I finally met up with my FCT colleagues over dinner.

I was bursting with questions. I remember grilling our Advisors about the mechanics of calf-at-foot dairy systems: Why did agriculture move away from this? What are the practical challenges today? How does it impact milk yield? To have a team of brilliant colleagues who could lay it all out for me over a beer was incredible. Often, the answer in regenerative agriculture is: “We might not have all the peer-reviewed research yet, but here is the anecdotal data from a farmer I spoke to last week who is making it work.”

That willingness to openly share stories, the hard data alongside the lived experience, is the true magic of Groundswell. It highlights exactly what we try to do at FCT. Measuring a carbon footprint isn’t a box-ticking exercise; it is a powerful lens for understanding your whole farm ecosystem, reducing inputs, and backing up farmer intuition with field-scale data.

Bulk density: how to do it and why it’s important

Posted on May 27, 2026 by - Insights

By Joe Jones & Becky Willson

    Bulk density: how to do it and why it’s important

    Bulk density is a soil property commonly measured when soil testing, particularly in relation to measuring soil carbon. An important component of measuring soil health, it can provide farmers and growers guidance on what to focus on following testing.

    What is Bulk Density?

    Bulk density measures the mass of a known volume of soil, including the pore space – i.e. how tightly or loosely it is packed together – which has a huge impact on important soil processes. For example, if a soil is unusually tight it can affect porosity, which in turn affects water infiltration and soil aeration. Consequently, when these processes are inhibited it can negatively impact soil and plant health, reducing farm productivity. This is why compaction issues are a key focus of soil health discussions.

    Soil Texture and Bulk Density

    In order to understand what the bulk densities of our soils should look like, we also need to understand how soil texture plays an important role in determining the natural range of bulk densities.

    Peat generally has a very low bulk density (as low as 0.2 g/cm3) due to its high organic matter content, allowing for a high amount of porosity. Cultivated fine textured soils, such as clays and silt loams, often have bulk densities in the middle of the range (between 0.9g/cm3–1.5g/cm3), whilst cultivated sandy soils tend to have higher bulk densities (1.25g/cm3–1.75g/cm3). To give you an idea of what an extremely high bulk density looks and feels like, concrete has a value of 2.5g/cm3.

    The key part to remember is that each soil type has an inherent bulk density range, and while occupying a lower or middle part of the range is generally desirable, this is heavily context dependent. 

    Bulk Density and Management

    Although bulk density is determined by soil texture, how soil is managed will also contribute to the final figure. Heavy equipment, cultivation or grazing in unsuitable conditions and unsuitable nutrient management can all drive up bulk densities into ranges that will cause problems later on. Avoiding these practices – whilst increasing soil organic matter (SOM) and optimising soil health – will help to keep bulk densities in a range suitable for optimal productivity. If in doubt about what your range should be on farm, finding and examining the soil in undisturbed areas that share the same soil texture as your main cropping or grassland areas (such as in hedge bottoms) can help to give a baseline.

    Bulk density and carbon

    Although bulk density can reveal insights into soil structure and health, it is most commonly measured in order to quantify carbon stocks. When carbon samples are taken and analysed they are expressed as a carbon concentration (C%) of the soil sample, but in order to quantify the amount of carbon in the specific field we must know the mass of soil within a given volume. If soil carbon is being measured at different depths, then a measurement of bulk density must also be taken at those depths.

    How do we take it?

    There are different approaches to taking bulk densities. The most common method used is the intact core approach, which is what we use at FCT. For each depth being sampled, we use a core of a known volume, insert it into the soil at the depth and then carefully remove it to be sent away for lab analysis. When we receive the data back we can then use a simple formula to calculate the carbon stock.

    SOC stock (tC/ha) = Bulk Density g/cm³ x Depth (cm) x OC(%) x 10

    Conclusion: Key points about bulk density 

    On farm sampling is a balance between scientific rigour, cost and practicality. In order to help farmers with this, we offer the following guidance on bulk density sampling:

    • Measuring Carbon Stocks – When sampling for carbon, bulk density should also be taken to enable carbon stocks to be quantified
    • Accounting For Depth – Bulk density will change at different depths, so taking at least a sample per depth per field is necessary in combination with the sampling for carbon at different depths
    • Choosing Location – The location for a bulk density sample should be representative of the primary field conditions. As with sampling for other soil properties, atypical areas such as gateways and headlands should be avoided 
    • Stony Soils – If you have stony soils, you may be required to take multiple bulk density measurement as stones can introduce variability that requires more data to overcome

    If you’ve read this article and still feel overwhelmed by the information about soil sampling, please feel free to contact us with your questions. As the science evolves and new technologies develop, more user friendly and practical approaches are emerging for farmers and growers to use.

    Contact us here

    Soil Carbon – digging deeper into the numbers

    Posted on April 22, 2026 by - Insights

    By Becky Willson, Business Development & Technical Director

    Attend any soil-related farm event, and you will be recommended to go home and take samples for analysis to give you a baseline. When I am giving talks myself, I have a slide that says – the best time to start testing soil organic matter (or carbon) was 20 years ago; the second best time is now – so data and baselining is really important. With the rise of regenerative agriculture and the focus on agriculture’s ability to provide climate solutions, having data and evidence to quantify the impact of activities is crucial.  

    However, within agriculture anything to do with delivering climate solutions is not linear and predictable; we are dealing with complex biological systems inherently dependent on the weather and huge variability in soil type, farming systems and management. This is where sampling can provide insights – sampling (as long as it is representative and taken following best practice) over time can provide insights into the impact of practices on individual farms and give confidence that things are moving in the right direction. But this takes time, and can prove challenging when results from the lab don’t show what we would like.  

    There can be many reasons why samples show a reduction in organic matter (or carbon) when results are received. This can seem disheartening and lead to a lack of confidence in practices or management change. Through extensive resampling we have done as part of various projects; we have seen a real mix of fields that have increased, dropped and maintained carbon, which can often beg the question – what is happening?

    Consistency matters

    If you are re-sampling fields that have been previously sampled, then the golden rule is consistency. It’s imperative that samples are taken at the same time of year, sent for analysis to the same lab, and using the same analytical technique. This is because in order to have confidence that the change in organic carbon is down to management, all other variables need to be controlled for. 

    One of the key challenges that often occurs is that historically, any samples may well have been analysed for organic matter (using Loss on Ignition analysis) and now recommendations (and requirements for carbon markets) are to analyse organic carbon content (using DUMAS analysis).

    The conundrum is therefore: do you maintain consistency and use LOI to be able to show progress over time, or start using DUMAS analysis and thus negate your ability to compare to previous samples? For new fields that haven’t been sampled before – and for accuracy and to give yourself the best chance of accessing funding in the future – analyse for carbon using DUMAS. However, for fields that have been previously analysed using LOI, then consistency is required. Because loss on ignition analysis is more variable it is even more important to ensure that sampling locations, seasonality and the lab are consistent, otherwise results that you get back may not be truly reflective of what’s actually happening in the field.

    For best practice in sampling for carbon, why not read our guidance document.

    Sample location in the field should also be marked to allow for resampling to be taken in the same locations. Fields that are in perennial cropping or are managed using a direct drill or min till system will tend to be more variable than fields which are cultivated regularly, and so sample location is even more important in these fields. 

    Depth of sampling

    Sample depth is very important when sampling for carbon. Ultimately the agronomic benefits of increasing soil organic carbon lie in improving soil function, nutrient cycling, water infiltration and resilience. If we are able to manage fields in a way which allows for deeper rooting, limited disturbance and diverse rotations, carbon is more likely to be sequestered in the lower soil horizons. The highest concentration of carbon is in the top soil, however this carbon is the most likely to be released due to biological activity; as you go deeper into the soil, there is a lower concentration of organic carbon, but it is more stable.

    Ensuring that you are sampling to a consistent depth is important, for example – if you have sampled in year 1 to a depth of 10cm, and then you sample a bit deeper when you resample, it may well be that the carbon percentage declines; not because you have lost carbon, but because the sample is from lower in the soil profile. The FAO recommendation for carbon sampling is to sample to 30cm, and sampling for carbon markets often takes several samples from the same pit down to 1m to be able to quantify the total carbon stock and concentration at different depths.

    There are also some thoughts that, as soils are managed in a way that builds carbon, the total volume of soil increases; thus you may be sampling to the same depth but the horizons have moved, and previously you were sampling top soil and now you are sampling sub soil. More research into being able to take account of total soil volume and identifying horizons will allow for a deeper understanding of key practices that are building soil.

    Weather and sampling frequency

    Weather plays a major role in shaping soil carbon levels, influencing both how much carbon is stored in the soil and how quickly it is lost. Warm temperatures tend to accelerate microbial activity, which can increase the breakdown of organic matter and release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. In contrast, cooler conditions slow this process, helping soils retain carbon for longer periods. Rainfall is equally important: adequate moisture supports plant growth and the return of crop residues to the soil, boosting carbon inputs, while excessive rainfall can lead to waterlogging and carbon loss through runoff or erosion. Drought conditions reduce plant productivity and limit organic matter inputs, gradually depleting soil carbon stocks.

    As such, understanding these weather-driven patterns is key to managing practices – such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and residue management – that help protect and build soil carbon despite changing climate conditions. This is why sampling frequency is important; don’t sample too often as results may well be showing fluctuations in microbial activity rather than stable carbon. Recommendations are to sample no more frequently than every 5 years (ideally every 10 years), but this is often difficult to balance alongside the need to have data to ‘prove’ the impact of farming systems. 

    Anecdotally, we are seeing some farms – especially during extended hot periods like last summer – managing to maintain performance (either forage quantity or crop growth), despite a loss of soil carbon. This may well be that these farms are utilising the carbon within the soils to drive production (almost like withdrawing funds from your bank account), as part of the carbon cycle in the extractive phase, which will then be rebuilt over time. As we are seeing more and more extreme weather, the link between soil carbon and resilience is crucial for maintaining in-field performance.

    Is it all just about carbon?

    One of the challenges that we have, especially with the development of the carbon marketplaces, is that soil metrics become solely about carbon. Carbon is one metric and one option for soil analysis but it isn’t the only metric. Something that has been incredibly valuable for us while completing numerous soil samples across projects is completing soil health observations to be able to complement the lab analysis. When we therefore get a result that doesn’t go the way that we want from a soil carbon perspective, we then have other data to correlate it with; as such, can we see that the field is compacted, or that the biological activity is lower than we would like. 

    Conversely, it can also be really encouraging for farmers who are changing their practices to see that while carbon levels may be not increasing at as fast a rate as they would like; other measures of soil health and performance are, which gives confidence that it is the right thing to do.

    We should not only be focusing on increasing soil carbon but increased soil health and functionality, which allows us to be more resilient and profitable.

    We have too often in the past seen the impact of only focussing on one metric, especially on a metric which is still very early in development.  If you can go and dig a hole at the same time as taking your samples for lab analysis and note down how the soil is structured, what the plant roots are doing and the number of worms you find, it will allow for much more detailed understanding of management and engage you so much more in your soil than merely receiving a report back from the lab.

    Carbon is important, yes, but in isolation can lead to mistrust and confusion. So as we move into the spring, let’s go and assess our most cherished resource on the farm and ensure that it is functioning well across all parameters which provides a solid foundation for a resilient business.

    Closing the livestock embedded emissions gap

    Posted on March 26, 2026 by - Calculator, Insights

    By James Pitman, Calculator Development Officer

    The core mission of a farm carbon calculator is to provide a comprehensive view of the emissions and sequestration your farm is responsible for, both directly and indirectly. As footprinting standards evolve, our ability to calculate this complexity is becoming more complete, but we are not perfect, and there is a gap in embedded emissions that the current standards and guidance overlook.

    Footprinting recap: what are Embedded Emissions?

    Indirect emissions (often called embedded emissions) are those generated by the goods or services your farm purchases. This includes the emissions from manufacturing the fertilisers being spread or the emissions from the mill rolling barley and trucking it from a merchant to your gate.

    Accounting for these embedded emissions is no longer optional; it is critical for supply chain reporting and meeting rigorous standards like the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for dairy or the World Resources Institute (WRI) Corporate Value Chain Standard, so it is essential that we capture the embedded emissions in ALL farm purchases.

    The “Gap” in Farm Footprinting

    While calculators have long tracked emissions for fuels, feed and fertiliser, one area has historically been overlooked: the embedded emissions in purchased livestock.

    Whether you are buying replacement dairy heifers, or store calves or point-of-lay hens, those animals arrive on your farm with a “carbon debt” from their previous life stages. Excluding this data leads to:

    • Underestimated footprints for finishing farms or flying herds.
    • Inconsistent comparisons between farms that breed replacements versus those that buy them.
    • Missed opportunities for supply chain mitigation.

    A Harmonised Approach

    Rather than waiting for international bodies to catch up, we have collaborated with Agrecalc, Cool Farm Platform, and Eggbase to create a standardised, globally applicable methodology for embedded livestock emissions. As key players in the UK farm carbon footprinting field, it is important that we not only hold each other to a high standard, but we make sure that all tools are improved and present farmer data in the fairest and most consistent manner possible. 

    As a collective, we have created a three-tiered approach to accounting for embedded livestock emissions using publicly available data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). We are leading the charge on implementing these methods, and in our April 2026 update, we are introducing our baseline approach for accounting for livestock embedded emissions in the calculator.

    The embedded emissions update

    From April 1st, you will see a new option in the Farm Carbon Calculator’s livestock section, where you can add embedded emissions from livestock based on the number of purchased animals and their average liveweight at the time of purchase. Then using the FAO’s Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) data set we attribute emissions intensity values based on the average energy required and emissions produced to rear the livestock to the point of sale. This is a highly reliable and repeatable starting point for all users, and is the base implementation we would expect from all carbon calculators. Two higher tiers of implementation are outlined in the upcoming whitepaper, and we will be aiming to add these to the Farm Carbon Calculator in due course.

    How Will This Change Your Footprint?

    If you operate a closed flock or herd and do not purchase livestock, your footprint will not change.

    However, if you purchase animals for fattening, finishing, or as replacements, you will see an increase in your total emissions to reflect the carbon cost of rearing those animals before they reach your farm, below are some examples of the footprint changes:

    Enterprise OverviewPurchased animalsFarm emissions without embedded emissions (current)Farm emissions with embedded emissions (proposed)
    Finishing farm, purchasing low weight beef youngstock for fattening, and ewe lambs for expanding breeding flock.  500x Beef stores (185kg), 100x Ewe lambs (40kg)  3,745.87 tCO2e3,745.87 + 497.47 [Stores] + 13.51 [Lambs] = 4,258.44tCO2e
    Broiler farm with its own arable production.2.2million day old chicks (40g) annually.35,318.35 tCO2e35,318.35 + 50.51 [Chicks] = 35,368.86 tCO2e
    An upland Beef and Lamb producer breeding its own replacements. 0, all on farm origins. 829.80 tCO2e829.80 tCO2e

    Get in touch

    If you have questions about how these changes affect your specific report, please get in touch with our support team.

    calculator@farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk

    Top tips when taking a Soil Sample

    Posted on March 30, 2026 by - Insights

    Soil is the most important resource that we have on the farm – and as those soils start to warm up and the grass starts to grow in the Spring, it’s a really good time to start thinking about soil analysis.

    With volatile fertiliser prices and an increasingly extreme weather system, sampling can put you on the front foot. By providing us with insights into how our soils are performing, understanding the nutrient content of what you’ve got in the field is a great business benefit – allowing you to adjust your inputs accordingly.

    Where do you need to start?

    If you’re going to spend the money sending samples off for analysis, it’s really important to take a good sample. So, make sure that you are taking a representative sample of your field by:

    • Walking the field in a W.
    • Avoiding tram lines and gateways, to really make sure that the sample is a representative of that field – and so you can have confidence when making management decisions.
    • Making sure that when you send samples off you understanding the test that you’re doing:
    • Are you just looking at pH and those macronutrients?;
    • Do you also want to think about organic matter?;
    • Is carbon an aspect you may want to consider?

    And while you’re out, it’s a really good opportunity for you to use your spade to really start to look at the impact of the winter on your soil health. Because if you can get that soil working well, not only are you going to have a resilient farm, but you’re really going to set yourself up to have a really good season moving forward.

    Further reading

    You can read more in our Soil Testing Factsheet, produced as part of the Farm Net Zero project.

    Contact us here