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Last chance for farmers and land managers to enter Scotland’s Best Soil in Show competition

Best Soil in Show
“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 is issuing a last call for farmers and land managers across Scotland to enter its long-running soil competition, Best Soil in Show, which aims to highlight the importance of healthy soils across the country.

Soil samples will be analysed by the Institute’s leading scientists against compositional, structural, and chemical criteria to gauge how optimally managed the soils are.

This year's 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, including confirmation that their land is being used as effectively as possible with benchmarking against previous samples. 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. More information on how to enter can be found here.

Press and media enquiries: 

For more information please contact Laura Moore laura@clarkcommunications.co.uk 0131 589 2019.


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The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.