Soil & Nutrient Management

Soil Health Analysis goes beyond standard pH, phosphate, potash, and magnesium testing. It includes biological and physical assessments—like organic matter levels, compaction, microbial activity, and infiltration rates. These factors influence how well crops access nutrients and water, and how resilient the soil is to weather extremes.

Our service includes:

• Soil Sampling: both a soil nutrient analysis and/or a soil carbon analysis can provide an overview of soil health and recovery. They allow an understanding of important factors, including carbon stocks, water permeability, and microbial activity, all of which impact yields and longevity of the land.
• Nutrient Management Plans: we assess crop requirements, organic manures, and fertiliser inputs to build nutrient budgets that reflect your system and future plans. Recommendations are tailored to your soil type, rotations, and yield goals, with clear guidance on timing and placement.
• Environmental Assessments: these take a holistic approach to the business’s environmental sustainability, involving soil health, nutrient availability, water quality, and biodiversity, and providing recommendations that can improve the land’s environmental quality.
• Funding and Markets: Andersons can help identify any available funding that can be stacked and provide additional income for improving ecosystem services, such as increased carbon stocks within the business.

Key Measures in a Soil Health Analysis

• Soil Organic Matter (SOM): Higher SOM improves water retention, nutrient holding, and soil structure. It’s a good long-term indicator of soil vitality.
• Compaction Assessment: Simple tools like a penetrometer or spade can reveal compacted layers that limit root growth and drainage.
• Biological Activity: Earthworm counts are a trusted, low-cost way to gauge life in the soil. Lab tests can also measure microbial biomass and respiration.
• Soil Structure and Aggregation: A visual assessment—looking at soil tilth, rooting depth, and aggregate formation—can often tell you more than a lab result.

Why Soil Health Analysis Matters?

• The drive toward sustainable farming, including future ELMS schemes and existing Countryside Stewardship initiatives, places emphasis on soil as a long-term asset.
• Maintaining soil health isn’t just about ticking boxes for grants—it’s about protecting yield potential, reducing inputs, and building resilience to climate variability. Whether you’re working heavy clay in Yorkshire or lighter land in East Anglia, soil health impacts your bottom line.
• Highlights issues that lead to reduced yields, inefficient fertiliser use, or drainage problems.
• More importantly, improvements can often be achieved through sensible practices like reduced tillage, cover cropping, or improved organic matter management.
• It can provide a diversified income with increasing uptake in niche markets such as carbon credits. Andersons can help identify options to improve your bottom line whilst improving soil health.

Get in Touch

If you want to improve nutrient efficiency, reduce costs, and stay compliant, we are here to help. To arrange a meeting with one of our consultants, please contact us.