A LOCAL farmer has been recognised as being the top Soil Farmer of the Year after winning this year’s national competition

John Joseph, who manages 100 hectares of sandy loam soils at Trecorras Farm, located between Llangarron and Llangrove, was awarded the title last week in the competition, jointly run by Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture, and proudly sponsored by Cotswold Seeds and Hutchinsons.

The judges said that Mr Joseph had won because he has been championing soil health and using regenerative practices and observed that over the past decade, Mr Joseph has reshaped how soils are understood and managed on his farm.

He states that key management practices now include widespread use of companion crops, a seven-year rotation which has incorporated grassland into the arable system, 100 per cent direct drilling and reduced inputs.

Competition judge Jade Prince, soil specialist at Hutchinsons, praised Mr Joseph’s ‘clarity of purpose and scalability’ and added: “Every decision on John’s farm has a clear agronomic and economic rationale,” she said. “What stood out was his ability to link soil management to business viability—showing that good soil makes good business sense.”

Later in the year, Mr Joseph will be hosting an on-farm event to share his soil management strategies in action. This farm walk will offer valuable insights for fellow farmers looking to build soil resilience and cut input reliance.

Mr Joseph will demonstrate how different soil types, farming systems and business models can all benefit from a soil-first approach.

Details on the farm walks will be announced via the Farm Carbon Toolkit and Innovation for Agriculture websites, and social media channels in the coming weeks.

The runner up was Jonathan Hodgson, who farms 285 hectares in East Yorkshire while Andrew Mahon was third and manages 800 hectares in Bedfordshire.