Trailblazing, pioneering and incredibly cool are some of the words you might use to describe Yeo Valley Organic’s new research project.

They want to prove that soil presents a big opportunity to help combat the effects of global warming. By extending testing across ALL its supplier farms over the next decade, it will be supporting British organic farmers to make a positive impact on locking-in carbon in the soil, which has huge potential to slow down climate change.

As the UK’s largest organic dairy brand, this could have a far-reaching impact on how we best manage soils in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

They have now set up the Yeo Valley Regenerative Organic Farming Project, with farmer-led social enterprise the Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT). Working with over 100 organic farmers, this innovative programme will look to further understand the real impact of soil carbon sequestration and soil health, in practical trials on working organic farms across the UK.

In the first year of the project, 505 fields, totalling 2,861 hectares have been measured by the Farm Carbon Toolkit. This is 5,050 bags of soil collected by hand and over 1,500 holes dug in the ground for the first wave of extensive practical field trials. Can you imagine?!

We will be sharing the results of their research as and when they’re ready.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Regenerative farming methods are driving a big part of the positive change at Yeo Valley Organic. Ambitious plans include creating one of the UK’s largest areas of agroforestry area (integrating trees, forage and the grazing of animals in a mutually beneficial way) in 600 acres of woodland in Somerset; mob grazing, biodiverse planting and herbal leys, and experiments with composting and bokashi, all to increase the knowledge of regenerative organic principles and its effects on increasing carbon stocks in the soil.

Make sure you visit the brand new ReGen area at Valley Fest.

We are the regeneration, it’s up to us to turn the tide.