Helping farmers measure carbon: The environment baselining pilot

Our baselining project kicked off late last year and is set to help 170 farms across England, Scotland, and Wales get a clearer picture of their environmental impact.

Led by AHDB and supported by QMS, the pilot will collect detailed assessments of carbon found in the soil, trees, and hedges.

Various measurements and sampling have been progressing throughout the year.

The results will give farmers a better understanding of their greenhouse gas emissions and help them make better decisions and prepare for the future.

The farms selected represent a broad cross-section of British agriculture, including producers of dairy, beef, lamb, pork, cereals, and oilseeds.

These farms span a variety of soil types and landscapes, ensuring the data reflects the diversity found across the farming industry in GB.

Our Cow Molly, based at Cliffe House Farm, near Sheffield, is one of the 170 farms taking part in the pilot.

Eddie and his brother Dan work alongside their parents and have a 100-cow milking herd of Holstein Friesian crosses and Swedish red crossed with jersey.

On the decision to join the pilot, Eddie says:

“We want to have the knowledge to improve our farm and take our customers on the journey with us.

"Ultimately, they fund what we do by choosing our products and engaging with our local community is a key part of our business.

"We would like to understand what our environmental data tells us about our farm now, and what we need to do to make improvements.”

The pilot will continue through 2025, incorporating additional measurements such as soil carbon and nutrient testing, as well as comprehensive carbon audits.

By capturing detailed data on carbon stocks in trees, hedges and soils, greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration potential, the project aims to demonstrate the environmental value of British agriculture both domestically and internationally.

Ultimately, this initiative will help the farming industry showcase its role in delivering public goods and services, such as carbonstocks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced biodiversity while supporting the transition to more sustainable and profitable farming practices.

As part of the pilot, farms have been scanned using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. This involves flying a plane or drone over the farmland to create a 3-dimensional model of the landscape.

LiDAR works by emitting laser pulses that bounces off the ground or trees, etc. and returns to a sensor to measure the distance they have travelled.

This enables trees and hedgerows to be identified and where land is likely to suffer from soil erosion and potential run-off of nutrients during heavy rain.

Mapping the woody vegetation on the farms will provide an estimate of how much carbon is stored in trees and hedges, as well as their roots.

The majority of the LiDAR scanning was undertaken during the winter when the leaves were off the trees making it easier to get a better assessment of the terrain level.

Just two farms remain and will be scanned in the winter months. Photographic imagery as well as the LiDAR will be used to estimate whether the trees were coniferous or broadleaved and pick up other natural features.

The end result is a detailed, practical report to support better decisions looking at carbon stocks, potential sequestration, habitat management and preserving water quality.

Soil sampling and analysis are also part of the pilot. To measure how much carbon is stored underground, 36 mm cores of soil will be taken down to one metre deep or to the C-horizon, where soil meets the parent rock.

It’s thought that most changes in carbon levels happen in the top layers of soil, so samples are taken at four different depths to understand where and how much carbon is being stored and how that might change with different management.

Sampling intensity varies according to land use and is being collected from farmland, woodland, and moorland where suitable areas exist.

Soil nutrients, pH, and texture are also assessed at a field level. Sampling will take place in 2025 to establish a set of baseline soil results for each farm.

Each farm will receive support from a dedicated consultant to carry out a carbon audit in years one, three, and five, with action plans developed in years one and three.

The plans will draw on wider data from soil sampling and LiDAR scans, when available, to help farmers understand their farm’s carbon footprint and identify practical steps to reduce emissions.

This is a five-year project and we will also investigate the role of remote sensing in assessing soil carbon levels, soil health and biodiversity as a means for future measurement.

Tegid and Hannah Williams farm at Cefn Gwyn in Chwilog, near Pwllheli, where they run a 300 crossbred cow herd.

They milk in a 24/48 herringbone parlour, producing an average of 5,000 litres per cow each year, with 3.88% protein and 5.21% butterfat.

The family has been farming Cefn Gwyn for around 15 years, starting as a run-off block for youngstock and silage and converting to a full dairy in 2020 after being offered more land.

Tegid, his brother, and parents now focus on genetics, soil health, and making the most of homegrown forage to boost profitability.

One area where they are currently working on their carbon is through sowing clover, which has always been incorporated into their reseeding plans.

Tegid and Hannah were encouraged to plant more clover over the last two springs after attending AHDB’s Curious About Clover event last year.

Tegid said:

“About 85% of our farm is in the pilot, split across three blocks.

“We didn’t include any land on short-term tenancy, since it’s a five-year project.”

Tegid and Hannah joined the pilot to get a clearer picture of the farm’s environmental performance.

“We’ve got a mix of land types, woodland, and ponds, and I just wanted a proper baseline.

“Our soils vary across the blocks, and we want to know if we’re managing them in the best way.

“Our carbon figures go up and down each time we work them out for our milk buyer, so looking at it over five years should give us a better understanding.”

As part of the pilot, LiDAR scanning has already taken place. He said:

“A plane flew over two of our blocks and a drone covered the third.

“We were calving at the time but barely noticed it happening,”

They’re still waiting for the soil samples to be taken, but are keen to see the results.