As farmers across the country are busy sampling to get their soil carbon baselines, The James Hutton Institute is issuing the last call for land managers to enter its long-running competition, Best Soil in Show, which aims to highlight the importance of healthy soils.
Soil samples will be analysed by the institute’s leading scientists against compositional, structural, and chemical criteria to test and benchmark the soil.
The winner will be announced at The Royal Highland Show on 22 June 2023 and will receive a trophy and free in-depth analysis of their sample, to confirm its quality status the characteristics that make it the Best in Show. 15 runners-up will receive a basic analysis of their sample.
Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of The James Hutton Institute, said, “Soil is integral to our lives. It plays a vital role in our food, our homes, our biodiversity, the water we drink and so much more.
“Best Soil in Show highlights the importance of maintaining healthy soils to deliver biological, ecological, and ultimately, economic benefits. We hope to support land managers in their understanding of how the characteristics and condition of their soil can help them to make informed decisions about its management.”
The James Hutton Institute has over 90 years’ experience in soil and crop research and hosts Scotland’s National Soils Archive, which is a historic reference of soils in the past and is used to test new analyses and monitor changes in soil over time.
Soil samples must be submitted by 31 March 2023. For more information on how to enter visit hutton.ac.uk/about/best-soil-show.