Soil monitoring

The SFI actions for soils focus on improving soil health, structure, organic matter and biology. They can help with the long-term productivity and resilience of the soil to benefit food production. They can also provide environmental benefits, such as better water quality, improved climate resilience and increased biodiversity. They include:

1. SAM1: Assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter
2. SAM2: Multi-species winter cover crops
3. SAM3: Herbal leys

This guidance focuses on SAM1.

SAM1: Assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter

Through SFI actions for soils you can receive £6 per hectare (ha) and £97 per SFI agreement per year.

Please refer to the full government guidance at SFI actions for soils

What you need to do

1. Assess your soil
2. Create a Soil Management Plan
3. Test Soil Organic Matter (SOM)

You need to assess the soil for all land parcels entered into this action. You do not have to submit anything, but you must be able to produce a written soil management plan covering the relevant land parcels. You must also test the Soil Organic Matter (SOM) on all the land parcels entered into this action. Your SOM test needs to have been done within the past 5 years, and your Soil Management Plan must have been done/updated in the past 12 months

Your Soil Management Plan should cover:

1. Soil type, texture, structure and biology
2. Risks of runoff & soil/wind erosion
3. Gradient
4. Run-off/closeness to water
5. Nitrogen leaching

An example could look like this:

Your Soil Organic Matter test should:

1. Be done in spring/autumn and should avoid times when the soil is especially dry/water logged and not be done within 3 months of applying slurry
2. Be done at 15cm/6in depth in a "W" pattern with between 5 and 7 stops