{"id":1715,"date":"2026-06-09T10:53:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/?p=1715"},"modified":"2026-06-15T11:59:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T10:59:55","slug":"sustainable-carbon-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/sustainable-carbon-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbon Farming: How Organic Fertiliser Helps Store Carbon in Soil"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1715\" class=\"elementor elementor-1715\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e86b757 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e86b757\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-647d7be elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"647d7be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Carbon farming:<\/span> how organic fertiliser helps store carbon in the soil<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-65f993cf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"65f993cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Agriculture is increasingly recognised as both a contributor to, and a potential solution for, climate change. Carbon farming (the practice of managing land to maximise the amount of carbon stored in soil and vegetation) is gaining serious attention from policymakers, environmental organisations and forward-thinking farmers. Organic fertiliser has a significant role to play.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f7fbcf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f7fbcf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is <span>carbon farming?<\/span> <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f3ce9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7f3ce9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Carbon farming encompasses a range of practices designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the soil as organic carbon. It is not a single technique but a philosophy of land management that prioritises building soil carbon alongside productive agriculture.<\/p><p>Key carbon farming practices include:<\/p><ul><li><strong>Adding organic matter:<\/strong> Through organic fertilisers, composts, manures and crop residues.<\/li><li><strong>Reducing tillage:<\/strong> Minimising soil disturbance to preserve existing carbon stores.<\/li><li><strong>Cover cropping:<\/strong> Growing plants between cash crops to maintain living roots and add biomass.<\/li><li><strong>Diverse rotations:<\/strong> Including a mix of crops and grassland to build soil biology.<\/li><li><strong>Agroforestry:<\/strong> Integrating trees into farming systems for above and below-ground carbon storage.<\/li><\/ul><p><br \/>The potential is substantial. UK agricultural soils contain approximately 10 billion tonnes of carbon. Even modest increases in soil carbon levels across farmed land could make a meaningful contribution to national emissions reduction targets.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b5ff2ce elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b5ff2ce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Soil as a <span>carbon sink<\/span> <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46b44c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"46b44c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Healthy soils are the largest terrestrial carbon store on earth, holding more carbon than the atmosphere and all vegetation combined. When soil organic matter increases, carbon is being sequestered. When it decreases (through intensive cultivation, erosion or neglect) that carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO<sub>2<\/sub>.<\/p><p>The relationship is straightforward: soil organic matter is approximately 58% carbon. Every percentage point increase in soil organic matter across the top 30cm of one hectare represents roughly 90 tonnes of carbon stored.<\/p><p>UK arable soils have lost significant organic matter over the past 50\u201370 years of intensive farming. Reversing this trend is both an environmental opportunity and an agronomic one, since higher organic matter means better soil function, improved yields and greater resilience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3b0331a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3b0331a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How organic fertiliser contributes to <span>carbon storage<\/span> <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-731b69a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"731b69a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">1. Direct carbon addition<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-891c07d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"891c07d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Every tonne of SoilWorx organic fertiliser applied to land adds organic carbon directly to the soil. With 75%+ organic matter content (approximately 43% carbon by weight), a typical arable application of 750 kg\/ha adds meaningful quantities of carbon with every season.<\/p><p>Not all of this carbon remains permanently, some is mineralised by soil microbes to release nutrients, which is part of the product&#8217;s value as a fertiliser. However, a proportion is stabilised into longer-term soil organic matter fractions, contributing to a gradual increase in soil carbon stocks over time.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8efaca9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8efaca9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">2. Stimulating biological carbon cycling<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47a7bdf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"47a7bdf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Perhaps more importantly, organic fertiliser feeds the soil food web. Active microbial populations process organic matter into stable humus compounds that persist in the soil for decades. They also produce glomalin and other binding substances that physically protect carbon within soil aggregates.<\/p><p>SoilWorx trials at Rothamsted Research (with whom SoilWorx has a research partnership) have shown a 461% increase in organic carbon when applying SoilWorx Dynamo to the ground. Long-term evidence of using organic-based products to build soil carbon shows a 5-10 year timeline, such as the AHDB DC Agri project 2015.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-630a02c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"630a02c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The <span>circular economy<\/span> connection<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad400b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ad400b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>SoilWorx organic fertilisers are produced from waste streams that would otherwise contribute to environmental problems. Poultry manure, feather meal and bone meal are by-products of the food industry. By processing these materials into high-quality fertiliser, SoilWorx closes the nutrient loop:<\/p><ol><li>Organic waste is collected from food production.<\/li><li>It&#8217;s heat-treated, sterilised and pelletised at our plant.<\/li><li>The finished fertiliser is applied to farmland, returning nutrients and carbon to the soil.<\/li><li>Crops grow, food is produced, and the cycle continues.<\/li><\/ol><p><br \/>This circular model avoids the carbon-intensive manufacture of synthetic fertilisers (which relies heavily on natural gas for nitrogen production) and puts waste materials to productive use. It&#8217;s carbon farming in practice, not just in theory. By closing this loop with high-quality crop nutrition, SoilWorx makes sustainable agriculture measurably achievable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5508221 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5508221\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span>Practical steps<\/span> for farmers<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b251aa elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0b251aa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>If you are interested in carbon farming, here are practical steps to get started:<\/p><ul><li><strong>Baseline your soil carbon:<\/strong> Test soil organic matter percentage now so you can measure progress. Standard soil analysis from any agricultural lab will provide this.<\/li><li><strong>Switch to or incorporate organic fertiliser:<\/strong> Replace some or all synthetic inputs with SoilWorx products to begin building organic matter with every application.<\/li><li><strong>Reduce tillage where possible:<\/strong> Consider minimum tillage or direct drilling to preserve existing soil carbon.<\/li><li><strong>Introduce cover crops:<\/strong> Keep living roots in the soil for as much of the year as possible.<\/li><li><strong>Monitor and record:<\/strong> Track soil OM levels over time. Document your practices for potential carbon credit schemes.<\/li><li><strong>Explore incentives:<\/strong> Check eligibility for SFI soil health actions, carbon credit programmes and environmental stewardship payments that reward soil carbon building.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae8bfb3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ae8bfb3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Building <span>soil carbon<\/span> is good business<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07c9883 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"07c9883\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Carbon farming is not just about environmental responsibility. Higher soil carbon means better soil structure, improved water management, better nutrient cycling and greater crop resilience. These translate directly into reduced input costs, more consistent yields and lower risk.<\/p><p>SoilWorx organic fertilisers make carbon farming practical, affordable and measurable. Every tonne applied is an investment in your soil&#8217;s long-term productivity and the planet&#8217;s future.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ce45754 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ce45754\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Start your  <span>carbon farming journey<\/span> <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-50b6510 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"50b6510\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Explore our <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/products\/agricultural-fertilisers\/\">agricultural range<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/contact\/\">talk to our team<\/a> about building a soil health programme.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carbon farming: how organic fertiliser helps store carbon in the soil Agriculture is increasingly recognised as both a contributor to, and a potential solution for, climate change. Carbon farming (the practice of managing land to maximise the amount of carbon stored in soil and vegetation) is gaining serious attention from policymakers, environmental organisations and forward-thinking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1715"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2029,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1715\/revisions\/2029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.rdp.co.uk\/soilworx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}