Essex arable farmer Simon Cowell has been pioneering sustainable soil management practices on his farm on the Dengie peninsula for more than 20 years. Over that time he has embraced no-till farming and enhanced soil biology through homemade compost to reduce artificial inputs. He is committed to learning and collaborating via his role as a ‘Root Ranger’ farmer trialist with the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN). Simon was named Farmers Weekly’s Soil Farmer of the Year in 2018.