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The funding pot for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was allocated in a matter of hours earlier this week, leaving farmers across England questioning a system that feels like a lottery. Our CEO, Joseph Gridley, comments: "There will be a lot said over the coming days about the SFI window that was opened and then quickly closed this week for farmers, with 100% of the £233m pot allocated in just a few hours. What it demonstrates is the huge appetite farmers have for acti

Options for SFI26 that can help you build drought resistance on your farm

Grain trader Robin Appel Ltd has partnered with Soil Association Exchange to measure and improve the environmental performance of 15 of its oat growers.

A collaborative project involving 21 beef and sheep farms across the North Highlands and North East of Scotland is demonstrating how practical data, trusted advice and peer-to-peer learning can help farmers make informed decisions for the future.

British farming is under real pressure. Commodity prices are weak, input costs (fuel and fertiliser especially) remain punishing, and margins are thinner than they've been in years.

The 2026 updates to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI26) announced at this year's NFU conference represent a major reset for the scheme. SFI agreements will now be capped at £100,000 per farm, the number of actions reduced from 102 to 71, and shortened to three years. In this piece Soil Association Exchange’s Director of Farming Services Geoff Burke highlights some of the opportunities that the scheme offers to farmers. You will no doubt have read many articles/blogs/c

Across the UK, beef and sheep farmers are running incredibly complex businesses. They face rising costs, volatile weather, tight margins, and growing demands from government and retailers. At Soil Association Exchange, many of us come from farming backgrounds. We understand what it takes to keep livestock healthy, land productive, and businesses afloat. Our role is to back you and help create a more resilient UK farming industry. As more farmers look to register for the Tesco

Here's how looking after your farm's soil can help improve the resilience of your farm business, save you money, and unlock funding.

“The food system is the Titanic. We’re changing the engine while ignoring the iceberg.” Here's what I heard—and what I hope—at Innovation Forum’s Future of Food and Beverage event.

The government’s sudden announcement on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in England has blindsided farmers. Despite months of...

At Soil Association Exchange, we’re always on the lookout for ways to help farmers boost their productivity while keeping their soil in...

Soil Association Exchange is proud to join Innovation Forum’s Future of Food and Beverage Forum on 13-14 May 2025

New£1m fund rewarding farmers for emissions reductions

Reflections on the Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System

As you may well have seen, recent updates and details regarding new options for farm funding through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) have been announced. We are pleased to see more detail being published which adds clarity to the actions aims and the restrictions, allowing farmers to properly plan for what to apply for and the impact on rotations and land management going forward. Here are some details of note: Some Flexibility has been lost Farmers have lost some o

The Oxford Farming Conferences in January always provide a good energy boost after Christmas, and this year was no exception. With OFC’s theme being diversity this year, it reminded us of what a fascinating industry we all work in. Back at our day jobs now, we’ve been mulling over a few things we took away: Farming HAS to be more diverse if it is to be more successful – and we need to challenge ourselves and the industry to face up to that. On the flip side – there is alrea

A view of how Food and Farming were in the spotlight for the first time at COP28

Soil Association Exchange Head of Farming Advice Beth Metson shares her thoughts on SFI, and highlights what to look out for when getting involved. There are so many positives about the new options in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) plus some areas you need to think carefully about when applying. Flexibility in the new SFI is a welcome change and one we as an industry are not used to, but something we do need. Farmers are subject to many variables that are out of the