Category: News

The Farm Carbon Calculator continues to get better

Posted on October 30, 2025 by - Calculator, News

Our October Update is here! The last of our annual cycle in 2025, we’ve focused on adding new functionality making the tool easier to use. Newly introduced features like bulk editing of report items and data imports from the RPA make scenario planning simpler and data entry lightning-fast. Keep reading for a full breakdown of the many ways the tool just got better.

Summary

  • Dual reporting with GWP*: View your farm’s footprint using the standard GWP100 metric alongside GWP*
  • Quicker data entry: Use our new bulk copy and delete features to speed up your data entry and simplify scenario planning
  • Auto-import land & hedge data: Pull your land area and hedgerow lengths directly from the RPA using your SBI number to ensure accuracy and save effort
  • New products & updated factors: A selection of items have been added, including Protected Urea/UAN and various new animal feed blends 
  • Better report comparisons: Compare your reports year-on-year with improved usability and a clearer display of relevant KPIs
  • Understand the process & the nuance: Access our expanded and updated knowledge library and resources.  an old report – this will apply any backdated changes and give you the option to compare to the original report to see what has changed.
Autumn colours on farm - the Farm Carbon Calculator also see's change in October.

Image Credit: James Pitman, Senior Calculator Development Officer, Farm Carbon Toolkit.

Continuing to develop The Farm Carbon Calculator

We work hard to ensure our users benefit from the most recent science, new additional features and a continually improving experience in at least two annual updates: 

  • April update: The annual review of factors.
    • This update is our annual major review of all emission factors, ensuring they align with the latest science and official guidance
    • April 2025 through to June 2025 also saw a significant expansion of the livestock tab and the addition of Land Use Change (LUC) reporting to further enhance your reporting
    • April 1st is our annual cut-off. Any report made ending for a date before April 1st will use the previous year’s factors; any reports ending entered after will use the most recent factors.
  • October update: Focus on functionality and product expansion
    • The October update is where we review feedback we have received and act on this, either by adding products – like fertilisers or feed blends – and focus on making the process of reporting easier and faster for users.
    • If we add new items in October or update emissions factors we make them align with the April dateline for simplicity and so all new reports benefit.

With each update, we review ensure our underlying methodology remains up to date. This October update includes a few tweaks and additions, including the methods for GWP* adjustments, new feed blends and how to set report boundaries. 

We know changes to methodology affect carbon reports, and carbon reports reflect your farm – so you deserve to know a bit about how this is changing. Let’s ask the obvious question first:

Why does the methodology change?

In short, because the underlying sources have changed or updated. The calculator sits on top of thousands of hours of research and experience, drawing from over 16 years of development within our team, from agronomists and farmers, academia, and the research arms of governments and international organisations. The result of this work is the wide range of sources you can see detailed on our References that are constantly being reviewed. 

So what is in this new update?

View your report using GWP*

One of our most significant updates is the ability to view your report using GWP* (pr. GWP Star) alongside the international standard, GWP100. GWP100 remains the default for your report, but we have heard your requests and have provided a GWP* view, with methane emissions scaled to your livestock history.

An example new GWP* report summary page in The Farm Carbon Calculator

Methane is a short-lived gas (lasting about 12 years) compared to CO2 (1000+ years), and a valid criticism of the GWP100 standard is that methane’s impact is averaged over a 100 years timeframe, rather than the brief (but highly impactful) period it persists in the atmosphere. To account for this GWP* scales methane’s warming impact to its short lifespan by relating warming potential to changes in the rate of emissions, rather than just the total amount.

GWP* provides a valuable alternative perspective by assessing whether your livestock emissions are stable, increasing, or decreasing over a 20-year baseline. 

  • If your biogenic methane emissions have been steady, GWP* shows only the immediate warming impact of the methane, with no long term changes in the atmospheric methane stock. 
  • If your emissions have been increasing, it shows stronger warming, as you are increasing the atmospheric stock as well as causing immediate warming. 
  • If your emissions have been decreasing, it can even show a potential net cooling effect on the atmosphere, as whilst you have an immediate warming effect, you are slowly reducing the atmospheric methane stock. 

You can now use historical data to see how your footprint appears under a GWP* perspective. Head over to the new GWP* tab on the report summary page and explore how changing your stocking numbers over 20 years affects your footprint using GWP* scaling.

For the full details on the GWP* calculation, please refer to the full documentation for this update.

Make use of your Rural Payments Agency data

We have introduced a new feature where RPA data on land parcels and hedgerows can be directly imported into the calculator. 

We know data entry can be a pain. And we understand many farmers have likely entered much of the information they need in a carbon footprint report elsewhere already. We heard you, and are working on different solutions to automatically pull that data into your report, avoiding the need for double data entry. The first ready for you – for farmers in England – allows some data to be imported.

When setting up your report, by entering your Single Business Identifier (SBI) 9-digit number into the ‘Farm Business Identification Number’ field, we can identify your farm and import land area and hedgerow data from the RPA database.

Above – entry of the SBI number into the relevant Report details field, and below – the newly created, ‘Import RPA Data’ feature.

Having accurate land area and hedgerow data affects your KPIs, as total farm area is used to calculate your emissions per hectare (or fuel per hectare, FPCM per hectare, etc.). By using accurate RPA data you can get more refined information into and from the carbon footprint.

We continue to work on other integrations for an even wider range of users, and we have solutions for certain data sources (such as Gatekeeper/ TELUS Crop Management farm software records) which are not quite ready for public release. If you are interested in learning more, or are having difficulty reporting because of these data barriers, let us know and we can work together to find a solution. Similarly, if you enter data into a different site/tool that you think is highly relevant to your footprint, let us know and we will see what potential there is to automate data entry – contact us now.

Speed up data entry 

Farm Carbon Calculator reports are built item by item. Where previously you would add each item through the standard process, the new copy function allows you to take an item in the report, copy it and continue editing. This means if you are for example adding a host of contractor operations to your report you could add one for a known field using the standard process, copy it multiple times, and then edit each one to be a different activity – i.e. the first was mowing, the next tedding, then bailing, wrapping, etc.

An example where multiple items are selected in blue ready to be copied or deleted in The Farm Carbon Calculator

You can delete or copy in bulk too which may be useful during scenario planning – generally completed by making a copy of a report and changing multiple aspects at once. With these new buttons this is a far quicker process. Each item should still be edited individually to encourage care in this process.

We’ve added your requested items

We are constantly reviewing the items you request for the site, and in each update we will try to include the items if we can find robust data on their associated emissions. In this update we have included a selection of new feed blends relevant to cattle, sheep and poultry farmers. We have also included a selection of named products in the inputs tab, and you can now enter fertilisers that use protected urea or UAN. To see a list of what has been added see the documentation for this update. If you use something on-farm and can’t find it, get in touch and our team can help you enter it, or record your request for our next update.

These sheep are enjoying some new feed. Our Farm Carbon Calculator also includes new feeds including for sheep like these.

Image Credit: Anthony Ellis, Senior Farm and Soils Advisor, Farm Carbon Toolkit

Updated resources, and more insights

Alongside the calculator updates, we’ve significantly expanded our knowledge base to provide greater clarity on the complexities and many ‘grey areas’ of carbon footprinting in agriculture:

  • Reworked and expanded Toolkit: We’ve overhauled The Toolkit to be a more useful repository of knowledge on all things sustainable and resilient farming. You’ll find more case studies, reviews of different systems, and practical examples of how to adjust your farming system to be more sustainable and protect your soils. Explore The Toolkit to see what applies to your farm.
  • New guidance on report boundaries: Carbon footprinting can be tricky when it comes to shared resources. Our new guide, Setting Report Boundaries and Understanding Leased Assets, provides essential advice for situations like accounting for someone else’s livestock temporarily on your land.

Voluntary Carbon Markets Report: For those considering getting paid for carbon, we’ve published an insightful report on the current state of Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM). This document provides clear insights into the system’s risks and opportunities. Read the report to get up to date.

The Calculator continues to grow

This update highlights the continued growth of our calculator, and if you want to delve into the specifics of the update you can see complete information in our:

  • What’s changed in October 2025 document
  • Or in our latest methodology document

You will also see some of our bespoke services and solutions on offer, as well as some planned developments. Download resources.

Communicating this update

If you need to communicate this article in a sentence, for example alongside your report within a supply chain, or to accompany a project you are involved in, use this:

The Farm Carbon Calculator has updated its emissions factors & methodology in line with the latest data sources – detailed information about what has changed can be found on our resources page.

Contact us 

If you require further detail or support:

We love to hear from you and we want to understand your needs to make the calculator the best it possibly can be for you. 

Supporting Innovation in Soil Health: Our Collaboration with LandApp

Posted on March 24, 2025 by - Calculator, News

At the Farm Carbon Toolkit, we’re excited to share news about our recent collaboration with Land App to support the development and launch of their new Soil Survey feature on Land App Mobile.

As part of the Agri-Carbon Kernow project in Cornwall, our team played a role in helping develop and test this tool, which is designed to help farmers and land managers record, report, and review both lab and in-field soil measurements. 

A Collaborative Effort

Working closely with the Land App team, we brought together our expertise in soil health and carbon to create a digital soil sampling solution that meets real-world needs. 

By integrating the robust soil survey methodologies we advocate in our projects into Land App’s platform, we’ve enabled farmers to gain deeper insights into soil health and carbon sequestration potential. The new feature not only helps users assess soil conditions with greater accuracy but also supports more informed decision-making for sustainable land management, as well as the evidence required for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

The new Soil Survey feature enhances Land App Mobile’s suite of data collection tools—joining the General Data Collection survey and PTES’ Healthy Hedgerows—to provide reliable insights into soil health, which are essential for informed land management and funding applications.

Why It Matters

  • Digital Efficiency: Easily record and review soil sample data on the go, including the ability to support evidence required for SFI.
  • Sustainable Impact: Empowering better land management decisions through accurate, real-time data.
  • Collaborative Innovation: A tangible outcome of our work in the Agri-Carbon Kernow project, highlighting the benefits of cross-sector collaboration.

We’re proud to have supported Land App in bringing this feature to life and look forward to further innovations and collaborations. This includes using the Land App API to help users seamlessly manage their soil data within each platform.

Thank you to the team at Land App for their partnership—and for the opportunity to help shape tools that support sustainable land management!

Find out more

For further details and to see the Soil Survey feature in action, please refer to the Land App’s guidance.

Reflections on the 7th Carbon Budget from the  Climate Change Committee

Posted on March 19, 2025 by - Insights, News

By Liz Bowles, CEO, Farm Carbon Toolkit

Every five years, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC)1 publishes a statutory report detailing the UK’s ‘carbon budget’ for a future five-year period. The 7th Carbon Budget covers the period 2038-2042. It is a stock-take of UK GHG emissions (current and future) and provides advice to the Government on how and where these emissions will need to be reduced (‘the pathway’) if the UK is to meet its legal obligations to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. 

This report came out with other reports and consultations such as the Defra Land Use Framework Consultation and the IGD’s Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System. Certainly how we produce food and look after agricultural land in the UK is coming more and more under the spotlight.

Within the 7th Carbon Budget report, it is good to see that the role of land use change in removing carbon is now being linked to agricultural land which gives a truer picture than was previously the case, when land use change was in a separate silo.

It is clear that the carbon budget is very high level, focussing on climate impacts only, with little reference to the impacts of the proposed changes on biodiversity across the UK’s agricultural land. In reviewing this budget, FCT has taken a very practical viewpoint and has reflected on areas where the budget could have helpfully provided more detail and looked at how to fully engage with farmers and growers across the land who are on the delivery frontline.

As other sectors decarbonise, the proportion of total emissions arising from agriculture will increase, putting more pressure on the sector to make progress on emissions reduction and carbon removals. In 2022 the contribution of agriculture to overall UK emissions was 12%. By 2040 this is predicted to rise to 27%, after the activity to reduce emissions set out in the carbon budget and it will be the second highest emitter after aviation even with the target action outlined in this carbon budget.

The report proposes a pathway for agriculture to reach net zero by 2050. Not surprisingly woodland creation, peatland restoration and other land use changes are highlighted as mechanisms to sequester more carbon. There is significant reliance on carbon sequestration into land sinks through the 2040’s but little reliance on any level of carbon sequestration into soil itself. 

There is a reliance on increased tree planting from the late 2020’s onwards as trees will only start to sequester larger volumes of carbon from 15 years of age onwards. According to the UK Woodland Carbon Code, sequestration rates for woodland increase dramatically during the “teenage years” of woodland establishment. In total, woodland creation has been modelled to contribute 15% to emissions reduction by 2050 . This will require an additional 1.1 million ha of woodland to be planted by 2050. In addition some 300,000 ha of lowland peat and 970,000 ha of upland peat will be returned to natural/ rewetted condition by the same time.

For agriculture the reduction in overall GHG emissions is targeted at 45% by 2050 compared to 2022, coming primarily from a reduction in livestock numbers (38% by 2050) with a relatively small contribution from the adoption of low carbon farming practices. These reductions are significant, reducing the breeding flock of sheep from 15 to 11 million ewes and the breeding cattle herd from 3 to 2 million head.

The reduction in grazing livestock numbers will release land for tree planting. The combined effect of the changes to farming practice and tree planting is to suggest that the sector will become a net sequesterer of carbon by 2048.

There are a number of important assumptions included within this budget which bear further scrutiny:

  • Crop yields will increase by 16% by 2050. Presumably this increase is deemed necessary to ensure adequate plant based foods to replace the current levels of meat in our diets. However it is questionable whether this will be achievable in practice, even if gene editing technologies are successful and fully deployed as more adverse weather events are already affecting yield levels in the UK and across the world. It is not clear how critical to successful achievement of the overall plan this is.
  • Stocking rates for grazing livestock on lowland will increase by around 10% with stocking rates in the upland reduced. Presumably the former is to allow for more land to be released to grow crops for human consumption and the latter to reflect the current over-grazing in parts of the upland and to reflect rewetting of upland peatlands and the proposals for tree planting. Targeting increased stocking rates for lowland livestock could require additional artificial fertiliser inputs which would seem counter intuitive, though the increased stocking rate could potentially be achieved through improvements in grassland utilisation efficiency.
  • Consumption of meat products (primarily beef and lamb) will fall by 35% by 2050 compared to 2019 levels. On first sight it would appear that changes in consumption are mirroring proposed reductions in livestock numbers, however, no mention is made of any changes in dairy cow numbers, but since the majority of beef produced in the UK comes from the dairy herd this will also impact milk production. Consideration is also given to replacing meat in ready meals with plant based alternatives which will negatively affect carcass balance, with lower value “cuts” often used for this purpose at the moment. This would put further pressure on sector profitability. The targeted reduction in ruminant livestock numbers would lead to a lower requirement of permanent grassland for grazing of a similar order to the reduction in livestock numbers. This would amount to around 3 million ha which could be diverted for other use, where this is possible. Tree planting would be a key use for poorer quality ground (topography and stoniness) with better quality grassland moving to arable cropping where this is possible. This would probably lead to loss of carbon from soils, especially when permanent grassland is first transitioned to arable cropping2. It is not clear whether this has been accounted for within the overall budget. 
  • The carbon budget includes a very low value (0.5Mt CO2e per year for carbon removed by grassland soils). This appears to be low and seems to take little account of the ability for well-managed livestock systems to bring multiple benefits beyond reducing emissions including carbon removals into soils and enhanced biodiversity.

    More research and data analysis is required urgently to inform us of the ability of the soil to permanently and reliably store more carbon and how best this can be done. We have some information as do others, but as yet this is not a body of evidence which the CCC can use as part of its carbon budget.
  • Returning around 300,000 ha lowland peat to a rewetted state will impinge upon its current use for growing vegetables, fruit and arable crops. The report does mention that some 10% of horticultural production will move indoors, which is likely to focus on leafy salad type crops. However for field scale vegetable production left to be grown outdoors the question remains as to where they will be grown. Moving vegetable growing to other parts of the UK will require careful site selection if current levels of margin (currently pretty low) are to be maintained and consideration of the infrastructure required, such as pack houses and cold stores.

There were also a number of notable omissions from the budget:

  • Whilst the pathway to reduce nitrous oxide emissions are recognised as coming primarily from agriculture, there is no mention of the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuel based N fertilisers. For arable cropping, up to 75% of total emissions arise from the production and use of artificial N fertiliser. Great work is being done to produce low carbon alternatives, but further information on the likely “winning technologies” in this space would have been helpful.
  • The level of efficiency of the UK to produce food at a lower GHG intensity than some other nations, utilising fewer arable resources (land and feed) and with lower supply chain discards through a circular feed system provides the nation with a competitive advantage in terms of overall emissions per unit of home grown food. This could be better recognised within the budget report.
  • There is no mention of any target to reduce numbers of pigs and poultry within this 7th Carbon Budget. Whilst the animals themselves do not emit methane, their manures do and their reliance on imported soya has a significant impact on overall UK agriculture emissions as well as the soil degradation associated with cereal production to grow the cereals they wholly rely on. We have estimated that reducing reliance on imported soya by 50% and moving to feeding UK grown beans and pulses will reduce the emissions from agriculture by 7% (primarily due to reduced reliance on artificial N fertiliser and to removing deforestation emissions on 50% soya supply).

Reliance on land use change to enable agriculture to reach net zero by 2050

In the period from 2043-2050 agriculture and land use are budgeted to contribute the largest share of net emissions reduction (35%) – see figure 2 below from the Carbon Budget report, and to reach net zero emissions by 2050 as a result of increases in carbon sequestration into land sinks (primarily increased areas of woodland and reduced emissions from peatland due to changed management) with emissions of around 25Mt CO2e and sequestration of around 26Mt CO2e per year. Current emissions from UK agriculture are around 48Mt CO2e per year.

Distribution of emissions reductions during each carbon budget period (Climate Change Committee, Seventh Carbon Budget, 2025)

At FCT, we are in agreement with the Agriculture Advisory Group of the UK Climate Change Committee and its report in calling for more nuanced targets which better reflect the benefits of UK livestock production, especially when it is primarily based on the consumption of forages. We also agree with their view that it is important to reflect on the impact of the different gases on warming aligned to the Paris Agreement temperature goal. Both GWP100 and GWP* metrics are important and could already be reported in concert to inform on both GHG accounting (CO2e) for national inventories and impact of different GHGs on climate warming (CO2e) important for the Paris Agreement. 

We believe that the report could be much more positive about the contribution that resilient farming businesses, agricultural land and farmers can make to meeting the climate change challenge. Positive engagement and empowerment of farmers, growers and land managers are critical elements in building confidence and encouraging investment but is currently patchy, with beacons of good practice such as the Farm Net Zero project in Cornwall, which is delivering change on the ground and practically supporting farm businesses to transition towards net zero.

Footnotes

  1. A body set up to hold the government to account on their progress towards net zero and reducing emissions
  2. The UK GHG inventory suggests that the average change in non- organic soil carbon density (to 1M deep) from converting grassland to cropland in England is -24 tonnes C/ ha, in Scotland is -101 tC/ha, Wales -39 tC/ha and NI -68 tC/ha

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from grassland

Posted on March 17, 2025 by - Insights, News

The key areas of grassland management that are known to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions are fertiliser application and management of applications, grazing management, introduction of more diverse species into grassland including legumes and herbs, and correct use and application of farmyard manures and slurries

Effective, efficient use of artificial N fertilisers

Greenhouse gas emissions from synthetic fertilisers is a significant emissions source on grassland farms. 50% of emissions come from the production of the synthetic fertilisers and about 50% from the processes that take place in the soil after application. Estimates suggest that 10-30% of all applied nitrogen fertiliser is lost to the crop or grassland to which it is applied; use efficiency is influenced by application method and environmental conditions at the time of spreading. Make sure soil pH is above 6.5 if possible, soils are not compacted, that soil temperature is warm and rising and that soils are not not waterlogged. Do the basics well and you will get better yield response from your fertilisers and lower GHG emissions.

Reliance on Inorganic N fertiliser usage can be reduced through incorporating more legumes into swards. Establishing clover within temporary leys has additional benefits of higher protein forage and also a more diverse rooting system which can aid production in adverse climatic conditions. Typically grass clover swards containing around 30% clover by DM can fix around 120Kg – 180 Kg N /ha/ year. When they are in the sward, this is free nitrogen fertiliser!

As we are coming to appreciate that the nitrous oxide emissions associated with inorganic N fertilisers are a huge part of agriculture’s total emissions, improving N fertiliser use efficiency is critical.  Saving 170kg N/ ha across 50ha will reduce emissions  by around 58 tonnes CO2e which is more carbon than is sequestered annually in 10ha of broadleaf woodland.

Grazing Management

Grazing rotation is an excellent way to increase grass utilisation and reduce GHG emissions. Ensure there are adequate rest periods between grazing cycles to allow the sward to recover to optimise soil and plant health. Consider sub-dividing fields further to  allow for more regular livestock  movement. The long term effect of increasing rest periods and grazing taller grass is improved soil organic matter and soil structure. This will aid in reducing weed burden, lengthen the grazing season and improve resilience to flood and drought.

Including deeper rooting and more traditional species will increase above and below-ground biodiversity which may increase productivity alongside potential carbon capture and sequestration deeper into the soil profile. Ensure that grassland species composition supports production goals, soil type, soil pH and climatic conditions and consider overseeding where required. 

Overseeding permanent pasture with improved diversity can provide a wide array of benefits.  If 5 ha permanent pasture was over-seeded or re-seeded to create a herbal ley (consistent with SAM3 SFI) it could provide an additional -15.68 t CO2e of carbon removed per year. This will also build soil health and resilience by optimising the above ground canopy increasing the surface area of leaves for photosynthesis and supporting a greater below ground biodiversity responsible for cycling nutrients.

Accurate consideration of manures and slurries

Sampling and analysis of your farmyard manures and slurries will enable optimal accounting for the nutrients in them. Knowing what you are applying will enhance the accuracy of nutrient management planning and could reduce the requirement for synthetic N fertiliser. Consider the application method when applying organic manures to avoid nutrient losses and if possible cover muck heaps like silage heaps where possible to avoid dilution and runoff of nutrients. 

Grassland Manager of the Year 2025

Posted on February 20, 2025 by - Carbon Farmer of the Year, News

Andrew and Clare Brewer: 2025 winners in the National Arable and Grassland Awards 

Andrew Brewer is our FCT Carbon Farmer of the Year 2024 and we are delighted to congratulate him and Clare on scooping the National Arable and Grassland award for Grassland Manager of the year. Andrew is also one of our Demonstration Farms in the Farm Net Zero Project in Cornwall which is supported by the National Lottery.

Andrew and Clare are pictured in the centre of the photo with sponsors and judges

They were worthy winners in this category. The Awards are supported by a wide range of industry businesses including BASIS and the National Association of Agricultural Contractors.  

A day in the life of… Anita Jelley, Finance Co-ordinator

Posted on May 14, 2025 by - Meet The Team, News

Working as a Finance Coordinator for an organisation that supports farmers and landowners to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable land use offers a unique blend of structure, autonomy, and purpose.

My role, while rooted in financial processes and accuracy, is deeply connected to a wider mission—to support those working on the frontline of environmental change.

My typical day begins around 8am, working remotely from home. I start by completing daily bank reconciliations and reviewing staff expense claims. This early morning routine provides a quiet, focused window to clear key financial tasks. Once that’s complete, I turn to updating project boards and project invoicing. These tools are vital for keeping track of financial workflows across the diverse range of projects we support.

As the day progresses, I move into deeper, more focused work. Afternoons are usually dedicated to preparing detailed project claims, compiling reports, and other financial work. These claims are crucial—they help secure funding and maintain compliance with project requirements, especially around mid-month when many of these claims are processed in batches. I also carry out credit control twice a month and prepare a monthly project invoicing report at the start of each month, so no two weeks ever look quite the same.

My role involves regular communication and collaboration. I meet weekly with my manager, the COO, and every fortnight with Rachel, our Operations Administrator, and Becky, our Business Development & Technical Director. These meetings ensure we’re aligned on project needs, timelines, and workflows. I also make myself available to other staff who may have finance-related queries, which helps build trust and keeps things running smoothly. Though most of my work is internal, I do have monthly contact with external organisations around project claims and invoice payments.

What I enjoy most is the team I work with. There’s a strong sense of shared purpose—everyone genuinely cares about our environment and the work we’re doing to support sustainable land management. That enthusiasm is infectious and makes it easy to stay motivated. I look forward to starting work at the start of each week! I also appreciate the autonomy in my role. I have the freedom to improve systems and processes, and it’s rewarding to know my work is helping make things more efficient and accurate.

My work-life balance is healthy. My hours are flexible, which helps manage the ebb and flow of deadlines and busy periods. While I can disconnect at the end of the day, I’m also happy to put in extra time and effort when needed to meet critical deadlines. Working remotely enables me to enjoy life outside of work.

Being a part of this growing organisation—one that’s making a tangible difference to how we care for our land and resources—is not just fulfilling, it’s inspiring. Every day feels like a small but important step toward something bigger.

I’m honoured to be part of the Farm Carbon Toolkit team and I am excited about the future.

A day in the life of… Jemma Morgan, Farm Carbon and Soils Project Assistant

Posted on August 15, 2025 by - Meet The Team, News

As a Farm Carbon and Soils Project Assistant with FCT, I have a wide range of activities to keep me busy! Primarily, I help our advisory team to complete work with farmers who are exploring the impact of their businesses on carbon storage and emissions and the ongoing impacts of climate change.



Sometimes this means heading out from home early (with my breakfast coffee in my mug) to do a day of soil sampling on a farm. This usually involves donning wellies and waterproofs and hoiking buckets and various metal implements up hills and over/ through gates to walk a W across a field, stopping about 18 times per field to extract a core of earth. This earth is then amalgamated according to sample depth, then posted off to a laboratory for analysis. I’ll also be digging cube-shaped pits the width and depth of a space to assess soil structure at different depths, and count the number of worms present (this can be a useful indicator of soil health). A farm will have between 3 and 5 fields to be sampled, so it’s usually quite a physically demanding day, but the privilege of viewing the landscape from places the public can never usually access is never lost on me. I see glimpses of creeks and reservoirs, magnificent trees and ruined buildings and very often, as I’m the only person out there, wonderful bird life, butterflies and majestic deer. It’s also fascinating to encounter so many different farming systems and business priorities.

I joined FCT just before completing a Masters in Agroforestry and Global Food Security, so I also use every opportunity to encourage and engage with landowners and tenants who might be interested in expanding the number of trees in their farm system. This might be through chatting with other advisors, developing relationships with local tree nurseries, or cheering on those already giving it a go.

A huge bonus of my role is that I can be part of a variety of projects FCT are working on. I was recently able to do some work in beautiful rural Scotland with LUNZ, have been down to the Isles of Scilly to shadow an organic horticulture business and will be heading to Yorkshire next month to examine the carbon footprint of Willow, Flax and Hemp farming and processing.

Although my office is a laptop perched at home, we have a brilliant team of highly knowledgeable and motivated people, all passionate about improving the world we live in for the farmers we serve and the food system they are the core of. I’m lucky to be part of such a passionate team and when we do get together at events or for training, I feel like I’m going to work with ‘my tribe’.

Bringing new and novel fertilisers into Calculators: a call for further collaboration 

Posted on January 16, 2025 by - Insights, News

This month marks a year since the publication of the ‘Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture’ report commissioned by Defra and produced by ADAS. 

The collaborative efforts of the three leading carbon calculators resulted in significant progress being made, especially in the area of harmonisation on methods to bring new and novel fertilisers into our Calculators.

An opportunity for harmonisation

Commissioned by Defra in 2022, the independent ADAS report sought to explore the level of divergence in carbon assessments between carbon calculators and provide recommendations for harmonisation, with the ultimate goal of ensuring comparability of results between the different providers. As the report states:

It is not about identification of which calculator is better or worse than others. It is intended that the insights from this analysis will help inform a potential approach that will enable providers to develop their calculators in a way that creates increased comparability of results while still allowing innovation.

Successful collaboration

In response to the publication of the report, three of the UK’s major carbon calculators – Agrecalc, Cool Farm Tool, and the Farm Carbon Calculator – agreed to work together in June 2024 to harmonise their calculator methodologies, on the understanding that such work would ultimately benefit all their end users. 

Since that initial meeting, we are pleased to report significant progress on one area of divergence identified by ADAS between the different calculators reviewed, namely fertiliser embedded emissions.  In addition, we are working on Calculator interoperability to enable data transfer between Calculators.

We have recently established an Industry Fertiliser Steering Group to explore how new and novel fertilisers with lower carbon footprints should be incorporated into all carbon calculators. This work is being kindly supported by the Agriculture Industries Confederation (AIC). With a range of new and novel fertilisers being developed and introduced into the UK, it is important that any emissions reductions brought about by these products can be accurately accounted for by the calculator tools. 

Join us

Following the successful collaboration between Agrecalc, Cool Farm Tool, and the Farm Carbon Calculator, we are keen to invite other calculator providers who also publicly provide transparency in their calculator methodologies to join us on this harmonisation activity.  Liz Bowles, CEO of Farm Carbon Toolkit said:

We are keen to support all Calculators who wish to work together for the benefit of the agricultural sector.

Our mutual goal is collaboration with industry, trade bodies, and fellow calculator providers in the UK and internationally, so that we can actively contribute to the development of more consistent approaches to on-farm carbon calculation, for the ultimate benefit of our varied customers. We look forward to hearing from you.

Additional Information

This positive, collaborative work has come about as a direct result of the ADAS report commissioned by Defra. Further information on the report is set out below, together with some key aspects to assist everyone in the agri-food sector to understand more about how farm-based greenhouse gas emissions are estimated.

The purpose of the ADAS work

This project was developed to quantify the level of divergence in the calculation of farm-level emissions between a selection of the main carbon calculators on the market, understand the causes of this divergence, and determine how those differences might impact the user. By its nature, the report focuses on the differences between calculators and the challenges of providing robust estimations while making the process accessible to non-expert users. 

However, as the report states:

It is important to recognise that despite these challenges the calculators are all able to provide the farmer with a baseline understanding of emissions and can facilitate the start, and ongoing development, of a decarbonisation process.

Fundamentals of all Farm Carbon Calculators

As the report states:

all carbon calculators are models; there is no single correct answer as they are aiming to simplify a complex biological system

However, it is important to understand why there are differences in results between calculators and identify ways to minimise these differences. 

Harmonisation of calculators aims to ensure greater levels of precision of outputs, while recognising the need to simplify data entry to support the use by non-expert users (e.g., farmers), in order to facilitate the provision of consistent guidance to farmers to support their decarbonisation efforts.

Findings of the work

The report did not recommend any one calculator as being superior to the other calculators investigated. Indeed, what has become clear is that different calculators ask different questions and there is currently no one standard question. 

It is important for farmers and growers to look at how individual calculators work for them in providing results at a product, enterprise or whole farm level and seek one which meets their specific needs. The report set out the main areas where ADAS found differences between how the calculators dealt with different types of emissions and how the boundaries for such measurements were set.

Conclusions

It is clear that there is still much work to be done by all calculators to ensure they remain aligned with emerging guidance as this science develops and matures. The good news is that data standards harmonisation is underway, driven by the tool owners themselves. 

While there continues to be a range of different user and supply chain requirements for a farm carbon footprint (from corporate scope 3 reporting and risk management planning to product footprinting and on-farm resilience planning) there will be an ecosystem of different tools and providers to meet this range of needs. One size does not fit all in this space!

To identify which Calculator might suit you best, AHDB has set out a useful set of questions to guide you: Carbon footprint calculators – what to ask to help you choose | AHDB

Notes to Editors

As the UK agricultural supply industry’s leading trade association, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) represents businesses in key sectors within the supply chains that feed the nation.

Its Member businesses supply UK farmers and growers with animal feed, fertiliser, seed, crop protection products, trusted advice and quality services that are essential to producing food, as well as trading crops and commodities across the globe.

Formed in October 2003 by a merger of three trade associations, today AIC has over 230 Members in the agri-supply trade and represents £17.8 billion* turnover at farmgate.

AIC works on behalf of its Members by lobbying policymakers and stakeholders, delivering information, providing trade assurance schemes, and offering technical support.

www.agindustries.org.uk

*According to a 2023 survey of AIC Members.

Farm Carbon Toolkit is an independent, farmer-led Community Interest Company, supporting farmers to measure, understand and act on their greenhouse gas emissions while improving their business resilience for the future.

The Farm Carbon Calculator uses the IPCC 2019 and UK GHG Inventory methodologies and is aligned with the GHG protocol agricultural guidance.  Recent developments have allowed us to provide greater interoperability with other data platforms through our Report Export API and Carbon Calculation Engine API. This represents a step-change in the industry’s ability to provide trustworthy carbon footprints with transparent methodologies on platforms where farmers already collect data, thus reducing the data inputting onus on farmers. This new functionality has been warmly welcomed by supply chain businesses who are now using our Calculation Engine to support their customers without the need for further data entry.

The Farm Carbon Calculator is used across the UK and on four continents with global usage growing at around 20% per year.

For over a decade, Farm Carbon Toolkit has delivered a range of practical projects, tools and services that have inspired real action on the ground. Organisations they work with include the Duchy of Cornwall, First Milk, Tesco, Yeo Valley and WWF. The Farm Carbon Calculator is a leading on-farm carbon audit tool, used by over 8,000 farmers in the UK and beyond. To find out more visit www.farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk  

Media contact: Rachel Hucker (rachel.hucker@farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk 07541 453413)

Agrecalc, a carbon footprint tool developed by combining practical expertise with world-class agricultural science, is a precise instrument that offers both breadth and depth of on-farm and through-the-supply-chain calculations of GHG gas emissions.

Agrecalc is the largest source of collated farm benchmark data from thousands of farms, having been used as the designated tool to deliver carbon audits under various schemes since 2016. It is recognised as the preferred carbon calculator in many of the emerging government programmes.

With a mission to increase efficiency and business viability of food production, the scientists, consultants, and developers who work on Agrecalc, strive to constantly upgrade the calculator according to the most up-to-date available research results and recommendations.

Media contact: Aleksandra Stevanovic, Head of Marketing; (aleksandra.stevanovic@agrecalc.com; 07551 263 407)

Cool Farm Alliance is a science-led, not-for-profit membership organisation (community interest company) that owns, manages, and improves the Cool Farm Tool and cultivates the leadership network to advance regenerative agriculture at scale.

For over fifteen years, the Cool Farm Alliance has worked to put knowledge in the hands of farmers and empower the full supply chain to understand and support agro-ecological restoration by providing a respected, standardised calculation engine to measure and report on agriculture’s impact on the environment. The Cool Farm Tool has established widely endorsed, science-based metrics for water, climate, and biodiversity, supported in 17 languages and used in more than 150 countries around the world.

Cool Farm Alliance members share the need for a respected, consistent, standardised, independent calculation engine and have joined the Alliance to ensure the Cool Farm Tool meets this need, now and in the future.  To find out more visit https://coolfarm.org/

Media contact: Kandia Appadoo (comms@coolfarmtool.org)

Farm Net Zero Updates: December 2024

Posted on December 19, 2024 by - Farm Net Zero, News

It’s been a busy time in the Farm Net Zero project with lots of exciting on-farm trials work taking place. On-farm trials are an important part of activities, as in order to support a change in practice, a key step is to evaluate the impact on your farm. There are trials going on looking at a range of innovations across livestock and arable enterprises. 

We have a trial running on two monitor farms which is looking at how to reduce Septoria in wheat through biological nutrition to boost plant defences. This builds on an event which was held in January 2024, with Tim Parton and Nick Woodyatt focussed on the importance of biology for soil and plant health and a webinar by Mike Harrington on plant pathology in the autumn. 

The trials builds on expert knowledge, from Tim, Nick and Mike alongside arable farmer from Yorkshire Angus Gowthorpe to trial growing a very diverse mix of wheat varieties on both farms.  The trial will then be comparing performance of the wheat specifically focussing on septoria prevalence, between a biological approach and a standard chemical fungicide programme. The crop will be monitored for disease pressure throughout the trial but the impact on the crop and farm carbon footprint will also be calculated.

Within grassland systems, we will be tracking Will Martin’s successful herbal ley reseeds into next year. We had a great event in the autumn, and a repeat assessment will allow those attending to understand the longer term survival and establishment of herbal leys with and without glyphosate and direct seeding with and without secondary cultivation. 

We will be benefitting from the expertise of Pete Bone, Mike Harrington and some farmers who came to the event at Carwen to improve grass yield without increasing nitrogen inputs. The focus in will be on adjusting macro and micro nutrient indices to increase dry matter offtake. Early soil samples suggest calcium may be a nutrient of particular interest.

From Soya to Sustainability Conference

Posted on December 13, 2024 by - News

From Soya to Sustainability Logo

A new event is setting out to drive the transition to a more sustainable, resilient and secure
food system in the UK through reduced dependency on imported soya. This event is part of the Nitrogen Climate Smart Project, in which the Farm Carbon Toolkit is a project partner.

‘From Soya to Sustainability’ will be held on January 22, 2025 at KingsGate Conference
Centre, Peterborough. It will bring together farmers, processors, manufacturers, researchers,
policymakers and industry leaders to explore innovative strategies for integrating beans and
other pulses into livestock diets, reducing the need for imported soya.

Headline speaker Philip Lymbery will emphasise the urgent need for change in our food
systems. Philip is Global Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming and author of
Sixty Harvests Left: How to Reach a Nature-Friendly Future with other roles including visiting
Professor at the University of Winchester. He was appointed UN ambassadorial ‘Champion’
for the 2021 Food Systems Summit in New York and co-lead of its Sustainable Livestock
Solutions Cluster.

Other speakers will include experts leading the charge for reduced use of soya in the UK
who will share the latest research and innovations in the production and use of peas and
beans.

There will also be ample networking opportunities enabling delegates to connect with like-
minded experts from across the supply chain.

Roger Vickers of PGRO and lead of the NCS Project which is coordinating the event said:

“This event is a call to action for all in the agri-food supply chain to play their part in the
move from soya to sustainability, which is urgently needed if we are to reduce our
environmental impact.

“Growing more pulse crops in the UK and using them in livestock feed would help tackle our
dependency on imported soya while also promoting agricultural practices that benefit
farmers and the environment. There are multiple wins, but it is not an easy fix.

“We need urgent and concerted action across the supply chain if we are to make a
difference. I encourage anyone working in the agri-food supply chain to attend and be part of
a movement for change.”

To find out more and secure tickets, visit ncsproject.co.uk

From Soya to Sustainability Logo

ENDS

Notes to editors:

All press enquiries for NCS and From Soya to Sustainability should be directed to Clemmie Gleeson
clemmie@bofin.org.uk

A selection of high-resolution pictures, including photos of key project representatives, general shots
of pulse and legume crops and logos can be found here.

From Soya to Sustainability is organised by partners in the NCS Project.

Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) is a four-year £5.9M
research programme involving 200 UK farms and 17 partners.

The project aims to bring about a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for UK agriculture through increasing pulse and legume cropping in arable rotations to 20% across the UK and replacing 50% of imported soya meal used in livestock feed rations with home-grown legumes.

The project is steered by science and proven by real farm enterprises, with significant benefits for both
crop and livestock productivity, including cost savings of over £1bn/yr.

PGRO (Processors and Growers Research Organisation) leads the consortium that includes AB Agri,
ADAS, Agrii, BOFIN (British On-Farm Innovation Network), Cranfield University, Farm Carbon Toolkit,
Firstmilk, GWCT (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust), The James Hutton Institute, Kelvin Cave,
LC Beef Nutrition, LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), McArthur BDC, PBL Technology, SRUC
and Wessex Water.

The NCS Project is funded by the Farming Futures R&D Fund: Climate smart farming, part of Defra’s
Farming Innovation Programme. Defra are working in partnership with Innovate UK who are delivering
the programme. Project number: 10043778

Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency. It supports business-led innovation in all sectors,
technologies and UK regions, helping businesses grow through the development and
commercialisation of new products, processes, and services. ukri.org

Farmers are encouraged to join the PulsePEP community, a platform and knowledge exchange hub.
For more, visit ncsproject.co.uk