NRM partners with the NFU to improve accessibility of soil carbon measurement across the UK

NRM has teamed up with the NFU to offer its members a discount to measure their soil carbon. As part of the agreement, NFU members get 10% off NRM’s CarbonCheck and CarbonCheck Plus packages.

Earlier in 2021, NFU President and beef farmer Minette Batters had 13 fields at her farm tested using NRM’s CarbonCheck. This new service measures organic and active carbon as part of a comprehensive analysis suite and enables farmers to benchmark their soil health.

‘The agricultural industry is in a unique position as it is both a source of greenhouse gas emissions and a sink of carbon,’ said Minette. ‘As part of our ambition for UK agriculture to achieve net zero by 2040, we have partnered with NRM to give our members a 10% discount on its CarbonCheck services because we know farmers are keen to better understand where they are now, and measure progress to help us meet our ambition and support the planet.’

Soil samples were taken by Minette on each of the fields at her farm. The samples were then sent to NRM for analysis. CarbonCheck measures organic and active carbon as part of a comprehensive suite, as well as organic matter, C:N ratio, total nitrogen, total carbon, inorganic carbon, carbonate classification, and bulk density.

Minette was delighted with her soil carbon levels, which came back higher than NRM’s dataset average of over 4,000 samples. The farm’s average adjusted organic carbon stock (in tonnes per hectare) was 129 t/ha whilst NRM’s dataset average comes out at 98 t/ha, and their Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) level was 1.7% higher than the dataset average. By comparing the results for her different fields, Minette could determine what that meant for her future crop nutrition plans.

‘To increase soil carbon levels, I recommend tailoring crop nutrition plans for different fields, as they have varying potentials for carbon storage,’ said Rory Geldard, business development manager at NRM. ‘Options for soils with good potential include maximising growing crop frequency to increase organic matter returns and talking to agronomists to discuss introducing appropriate fertilisers. Both solutions will help increase carbon stocks and improve soil health overall.’

‘Soil analysis can really benefit the farm business, the environment, and improve soil health overall, as well as providing meaningful data,’ said Minette. ‘The NFU wants to make it easier for NFU members to realise such benefits.’

If you are an NFU member and want to take advantage of this deal, visit nfuonline.com/carboncheck for the next steps.