Michael manages a 730 acre mixed farm in Shropshire and Staffordshire for the Thompson family, comprising of 550 acres of arable and the remainder in permanent grass and woodland. He was a finalist in the 2020 soil farmer of the year competition. Michael has been working hard on soil health since taking on the job in November 2014, and through a gradual process now farms without the use of most synthetic inputs. Michael uses tailored nutrition and biology as well as compost applications alongside zero tillage to optimise the health of his soils and the food he grows. The arable rotation is diverse and includes milling wheat, heritage wheats, quinoa, beans, grass, OSR, oats and barley. The farms flock of 400 ewes are integrated into the arable rotation grazing cover crops, cash crops and grass leys. The flock is purely forage fed with no concentrates used, and the majority of lamb sold locally to a farm shop.