Simon Cowell
2025
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.
My Sessions
Beneath the surface: Innovation to unearth soil secrets
Tom Allen-Stevens
Prof Craig J Sturrock
Simon Cowell
Malcolm Barrett
William Blake
BOFIN and Innovative Farmers explore cutting-edge tech that is unlocking soil secrets. Hear from Simon Cowell, a ‘Root Ranger’ farmer in BOFIN’s TRUTH project, and Cornwall farmer Malcolm Barrett, who ran an Innovative Farmers field lab trial. Learn how insights from the soil-sniffing PES sensor and CT soil scans influence Simon’s farming practices, and how […]
20 years Notill vs Plough effects on soil quality
Speakers in this session have long term experience on different managements systems. Soil type varies from heavy Essex clay to mulchier Finnish clay and Danish loamy type soil. We’ll compare our experiences, pinpoint bottlenecks and draw some conclusions.