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Soil management funding beyond the SFI26: where farmers can still access support

Author: Alli Arden

3rd September 2026

NRM

Agriculture

The closure of the previous SFI offer in 2025 and the introduction of the streamlined SFI26 scheme has led many farmers to reassess how they fund soil analysis, benchmarking and nutrient management activities. While SFI26 continues to support a range of actions that contribute to soil health, nutrient efficiency and sustainable land management, it offers fewer dedicated options for routine soil assessment than previous versions of the scheme. As a result, many businesses are exploring alternative sources of support for soil testing and soil improvement activities.

SFI26 field in UK with cows

Why soil analysis is still a good investment

Even without SFI payments, soil testing and benchmarking remain among the highest-return investments on a farm. Accurate soil data underpins:

The value of soil analysis was never dependent on subsidy. Subsidy simply incentivised farmers to start. The challenge now is to maintain the practice, and there is still funding available to help.

 

Public soil management funding routes that still support soil-related work

While the SFI no longer pays directly for soil testing, several Defra schemes continue to support soil management in practical ways.

Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26)

The SFI26 offer remains an important source of support for sustainable farming activities. The scheme now contains 71 actions, compared with 102 in the previous SFI24 offer, and has been simplified to focus on activities that support both environmental outcomes and food production.

Farmers can still access payments for actions that contribute to soil health, nutrient use efficiency, water protection and farm resilience. These include cover cropping, precision nutrient application, integrated pest management, reduced cultivation intensity (no-till), buffer strips, and other land management practices that help maintain soil function.

However, for businesses looking specifically to support routine soil testing and benchmarking, additional funding sources may be required.

SFI26 now operates through application windows rather than the continuously open approach used under earlier versions of the scheme. Defra has allocated £290 million for new SFI26 agreements during the 2026/27 financial year, with up to £60 million reserved for Window 1 applicants, now closed. Window 2 is expected to open on 22nd September, and any budget not committed in Window 1 is carried forward into Window 2. This approach is intended to provide greater control over expenditure while maintaining support for sustainable farming activities across England.

Government support for farming remains substantial despite recent changes to SFI. Following the £5 billion farming budget for 2024/25 and 2025/26, Defra has indicated a Farming and Countryside Programme budget of approximately £2.32 billion for 2026/27, including around £1.95 billion for Environmental Land Management schemes. This demonstrates that significant public funding remains available to support both food production and environmental outcomes, although farmers may need to look beyond SFI26 alone to access support for specific activities such as routine soil testing and benchmarking.

 

Countryside Stewardship (CS)

Countryside Stewardship remains a primary source of funding for soil-related initiatives that help farmers apply soil analysis results and preserve soil health. Despite not directly funding analysis, CS still supports a wide array of actions to improve soil quality. These include options that increase organic matter, enhance soil structure, reduce erosion, and control runoff.

Important measures include establishing grass and herbal leys to boost soil biology, planting cover crops and in-field grass strips for winter protection, and creating buffer strips to intercept sediment and nutrients. The scheme also finances erosion-control techniques such as swales, sediment traps, cross drains, hard standings, and livestock tracks, all of which minimise soil loss and safeguard water bodies.

Collectively, these measures make CS one of the most effective routes for farmers to obtain funding for soil improvement, even in the absence of dedicated soil-testing payments.

Defra’s “Find funding for land or farms” directory is the central hub for all open grants and should be the first place farmers check for new opportunities.

 

Capital grants that support soil management funding

Capital grants don’t pay for lab tests, but they fund the equipment and infrastructure that make soil management more efficient and reduce long-term costs.

 

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF)

The FETF supports equipment that improves productivity and environmental performance. Soil‑relevant items include:

These investments help farmers act on soil test results more precisely and cost-effectively.

 

Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants

These include items for:

All of these support soil function and reduce the risk of degradation.

 

Innovation and collaboration funding

For farmers wanting to trial new approaches or collaborate with advisers and researchers, innovation funding remains a strong option.

 

Farming Innovation Programme

This programme funds farmer-led trials and collaborative projects. Soil health, nutrient efficiency, and regenerative practices are recurring themes. Funding can cover:

 

Landscape Recovery and Local Nature Recovery

These schemes support landscape-scale environmental improvements, including peatland restoration, erosion control, and soil carbon enhancement. Soil analysis is often an eligible project cost.

 

Water company funding: the most underused source of soil support

Water companies are now some of the most active funders of soil testing and nutrient management. Their goal is simple: healthy soils reduce nitrate, phosphate, sediment, and pesticide losses into drinking water sources. Supporting farmers is cheaper than treating pollution.

 

What water companies typically offer

Depending on the catchment, farmers may be eligible for:

These programmes are often practical, flexible, and tailored to local conditions.

 

How to access this support

Farmers should:

For many farms, this is the most accessible and generous source of soil-related funding available today.

 

Severn Trent – STEPS / Stepwise (Environmental Protection Scheme)

Severn Trent’s long-running farmer support programme is known as STEPS (Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme). In some regions, it is branded as Stepwise.

STEPS supports farmers with grants for precision technology, cover crops, tillage changes, watercourse protection, and soil‑health improvements. The 2025 programme expanded eligibility and refreshed options focused on soil health, soil structure, nutrient timing, and livestock integration.

The scheme has now launched, and offers:

For more information, click here.

 

Wessex Water – Phosphorus Reduction Schemes

Wessex Water continues to run some of the most targeted and practical farmer support schemes in the country, centred on reducing phosphorus and preventing soil erosion in priority catchments.

Its programmes in the River Stour and Tone, Parrett and Yeo catchments offer grants for actions such as cover crops, under-sowing, reduced tillage, track and yard improvements, and erosion risk mitigation. These schemes have been refreshed for 2026 and remain a reliable route for farmers seeking support to maintain soil health and nutrient efficiency, and often include soil testing, nutrient planning, and grants for infrastructure that reduces runoff.

This scheme supports farmers in the River Stour catchment in reducing phosphorus runoff from fields, tracks, and farmyards. The scheme has just been revised, so click here for more information.

This programme covers the Rivers Tone, Parrett and Yeo, offering grants for practices that reduce phosphorus inputs, prevent soil erosion and buffer watercourses.

For more information, click here.

Southern Water – Catchment First Scheme

Southern Water’s environmental and farm‑support work is delivered under the Catchment First scheme. This includes soil-related support, water‑quality monitoring, and advisory services. This scheme is a broad catchment‑management programme involving hydrologists, land‑management specialists, and environmental scientists working with farmers to protect water quality.

While Southern Water’s farmer grants vary by catchment and year, Catchment First is the central hub where farmers can find:

 

United Utilities – CaST & SCaMPS

United Utilities prioritises reducing diffuse pollution caused by nutrients, sediment, and pesticides while enhancing soil health and resilience in their drinking water catchments. Its strategy is collaborative and long-term, involving direct engagement with farmers, landowners, and advisors.

Strategic programmes

Core elements of the offer

 

Local catchment partnerships

The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) network serves as the national hub for all catchment partnerships across England and Wales. It is the primary resource for local support related to soil health, nutrient management, and water quality, offering services such as free soil testing, farm visits, and small grants in certain regions.  These are region-specific but can be extremely valuable, especially in high-priority water quality areas

Catchment-based partnerships (CaBA groups) frequently offer:

 

Industry and supply‑chain support for soil health

A growing number of supply chain programmes now incentivise good soil management, nutrient efficiency, and regenerative practices. These schemes are becoming increasingly important because they provide direct, practical support, often including subsidised soil testing, benchmarking tools, agronomy advice or payments linked to environmental performance. For many farmers, these programmes are easier to access than government schemes and more closely aligned with day-to-day business decisions.

Supply‑chain and private‑sector initiatives

Many supply‑chain partners now require or encourage soil testing as part of sustainability programmes. These include actors such as:

Support can take the form of:

These programmes often align well with the soil work farmers began under SFI. For example:

These programmes are becoming a major driver of soil health improvement because they reward farmers directly for good practice, often provide free or subsidised soil testing and benchmarking, help farmers meet the sustainability requirements of premium markets, and reduce reliance on government schemes by embedding soil health into commercial contracts.

 

How farmers can combine funding strategically

The most resilient approach is to treat soil analysis as a core business investment and use funding to support the wider system around it. I would recommend using:

This creates a sustainable soil‑management system without relying on a single scheme.

Soil testing and benchmarking remain vital, high-value practices. While the SFI no longer funds them directly, the funding landscape remains abundant and varied. Farmers who combine public schemes, water company support, supply-chain programmes, and local catchment initiatives can continue to build on the soil improvements they started under SFI and sustain the long-term resilience of their land.

 

How NRM can help

NRM provides soil analysis services to support sustainable farming. Reach out to us for more information and to order your analysis kits before the autumn sampling season.

 

Funding Links

Find a Grant (UK Government)
Searchable database of all government grants, including agricultural and environmental funding. http://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). Find Funding for Land or Farms. GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms.

Farm and Land Payment Data (GOV.UK)
Useful for understanding how schemes are being paid and what programmes are active. http://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-farm-and-land-payment-data

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF)

FETF 2026 Guidance (Defra Farming Blog), Details on eligible items, funding themes, and application windows. defrafarming.blog.gov.uk

Farmwell – Grants, Schemes and Funding Overview

Independent summary of current FETF rounds and deadlines. https://farmwell.org.uk

Water Company schemes

Wessex Water – Phosphorus reduction scheme

(https://www.wessexwater.co.uk/our-purpose/rivers-and-coastal-waters/catchment-management/river-stour-phosphorus

(https://www.wessexwater.co.uk/our-purpose/rivers-and-coastal-waters/catchment-management/somerset-phosphorus

Southern Water – Catchment First

https://www.southernwater.co.uk/latest-news/we-re-working-with-farmers-to-improve-water-quality/

United Utilities  SCaMPS & CaST

Farmland management

Severn Trent – StepWise

This is the central hub for all STEPS information, including catchment-specific details. The link gives you a flavour of what sustainable actions are funded.

Portal homepage – Severn Trent Catchment Scheme

Catchment Based Approach (CaBA)

Hubs – CaBA

Agricultural Advice Hub

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