CSAM1: Assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter

What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rural Payments Agency
Published
21 May 2024
Last updated
15 August 2024 — See all updates
Land types:
Arable and Grassland
Areas of interest:
Flood risk, Soil, Water availability and storage and Water quality
Payment types:
Revenue

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£6 per hectare (ha) per year and £97 per SFI agreement per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that you:

  • understand the condition of your soil
  • effectively plan how to increase the long-term health, productivity, and resilience of your soil

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:

For land above the moorland line, you can do CMOR1 to complete a survey to identify, assess and record the soil, vegetation and historic and archaeological features.

Eligible land

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code
Arable land used to grow crops Arable land Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops
Temporary grassland Arable land TG01
Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01
Permanent grassland – improved and low input Permanent grassland PG01
Permanent crops – horticultural and non-horticultural Permanent crops Land use codes for permanent crops

Eligibility of protected land

Protected land Eligibility
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) Eligible – you do not need to get SSSI consent for this action
Historic and archaeological features Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)

Available area you can enter into this action

Total available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

What to do

You must:

  • assess the soil for all the land parcels entered into this action and produce a written soil management plan which covers that land
  • test the soil organic matter (SOM) on all the land parcels entered into this action within the last 5 years

You can use the following to get paid for this action:

  • an existing soil management plan that was written in the last 12 months, informed by a soil assessment
  • existing SOM test results that are not more than 5 years old

To test the SOM for small land parcels, you can combine them into a single sample area if the soil type and past management is similar. This means you can take soil from each land parcel and combine it into a single sample to test the SOM.

If you need to take soil samples on areas within a land parcel containing historic or archaeological features, including scheduled monuments, you must follow the requirements explained in section 5.6: ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information.

To help improve national data on the condition of England’s soils, Defra or the RPA may ask you to provide some information about your soil assessment and SOM testing results during this action’s 3-year duration.

This data is one of the public goods that this action is paying for and part of wider government measures in relation to our soils policy and strategy. We’ll publish guidance on GOV.UK about what information is needed and how to supply it.

When to do it

For the soil assessment and soil management plan, you must:

  • complete the soil assessment and produce the written soil management plan within 12 months of this action’s start date
  • review the soil management plan in each subsequent year of this action’s 3-year duration, adding any new soil analyses

For the SOM testing, each year of this action’s 3-year duration you must:

  • make sure you’ve tested the SOM on all the land parcels entered into this action within the last 5 years
  • retest that land if your existing SOM test results reach 5 years old

If the timing meets the requirements above, you can do the SOM testing at the same time as your other routine soil testing required in the farming rules for water.

If you enter land into this action which has not been tested for SOM within the last 5 years, you should try to do the SOM testing on that land during the first 12 months of your SFI agreement.

If the laboratory that tests your soil samples does not have capacity to do the tests during the first 12 months of this action’s duration, you must:

  • get the tests done as soon as possible
  • make sure you’ve tested the SOM on all of these land parcels within the last 5 years by the end of your SFI agreement
  • keep evidence of why it was not possible to complete the tests in the first 12 months, so you can provide it to us if we ask for it

How to do it

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

  • follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
  • do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep:

  • the written record of your soil management plan, including your soil assessment
  • the SOM test results

You must supply this evidence when we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme Action or option codes
SFI 2024 actions CSAM2, CSAM3, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3, SOH4, CAHL1, CAHL2, CAHL3, AHW1, AHW3, AHW4, AHW5, AHW6, AHW7, AHW8, AHW9, AHW10, AHW11, AHW12, CIGL1, CIGL2, CIGL3, GRH1, GRH6, HEF5, HEF6, CAHL4, CLIG3, BFS1, BFS2, BFS3, BFS4, BFS5, BFS6, OFC1, OFC2, OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM1, OFM2, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, OFA1, OFA6, WBD3, WBD4, WBD5, WBD6, WBD7, WBD8, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, CIPM1, CIPM2, CIPM3, CIPM4, CNUM1, CNUM2, CNUM3, SCR1, SCR2
SFI 2023 actions AHL1, AHL2, AHL3, AHL4, IGL1, IGL2, IGL3, IPM1, IPM2, IPM3, IPM4, LIG1, LIG2, NUM1, NUM2, NUM3, SAM2, SAM3
CS options AB1, AB2, AB3, AB5, AB6, AB7, AB8, AB9, AB10, AB11, AB13, AB14, AB15, AB16, BE1, BE2, BE4, BE5, GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4, GS5, GS6, GS7, GS8, GS9, GS10, GS11, GS12, GS13, GS14, HS3, HS4, HS7, HS9, CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, CT7, LH1, LH2, LH3, WT6, WT7, WT8, WT9, WT10, OP1, OP2, OP4, OP5, OR1, OR2, OR3, OR4, OR5, OT1, OT2, OT3, OT4, OT5, SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW8, SW9, SW10, SW12, SW13, SW15, SW16, SW17, SW18, WT1, WT2, UP2 (if located below the moorland line)
ES options All ES revenue options
SFI pilot standards SFI pilot arable and horticultural land standard – all levels

SFI pilot improved grassland standard – all levels

SFI pilot low and no input grassland standard – all levels

SFI pilot water body buffering standard – all levels

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6. ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

  • SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
  • SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
  • CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
  • all levels of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.  

Completing a soil assessment

To help you understand the condition of your soil, you’ll usually need to assess:

Spring or autumn are often the best time to assess your land parcels (fields) and take soil samples, when the soil is not too dry or too wet.

Where possible, avoid taking soil samples on any area of land with historic or archaeological features identified on your  SFI  HEFER. If you need to take soil samples, read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information before doing so.

You can find out more about assessing your soil in the following guidance:

How to assess soil structure

Soil structure affects how well crops and grass can grow and how water and air moves in the soil.

To assess the structure of your soil, you can:

How to assess soil biology

Soil biology affects:

  • the structure and health of your soil
  • the growth of your crops and grass
  • water infiltration and water-holding capacity of your soil

You can read the AHDB’s guidance on ‘The functions of soil biology’ for more information.

To assess soil biology, you can take soil samples from your fields to:

  • count the number of earthworms and other visible creatures (such as millipedes and spiders) – read AHDB’s factsheet on how to count earthworms (and use the earthworm recording sheet
  • test the soil organic matter (SOM) – read ‘Testing soil organic matter’
  • assess microorganisms (such as fungi and bacteria) – these can be quite difficult to assess yourself, but you can ask a commercial laboratory to test soil samples for this (read AHDB’s factsheet on biological tests for soil health for more information)

How to assess the risk of surface runoff and soil erosion

Surface water runoff occurs when there is more rainfall than your soil can absorb, so the water drains away directly over the surface of land. This can cause soil erosion.

Runoff can wash soil from your fields:

  • into waterbodies, such as ponds, lakes, ditches, streams and rivers – this can cause pollution, which can harm animals and plants that live in waterbodies
  • across yards
  • along tracks or roads
  • into field drains

To assess the risk of surface runoff and soil erosion caused by water, you can look at factors such as:

  • soil type – sandy and light silty soils in arable fields have a higher risk of runoff and erosion
  • soil texture – this affects whether rain soaks into the soil or runs over the surface, and how easily soil particles will be washed away
  • soil structure, including any compaction caused by machinery or livestock – this can reduce the movement of water through the soil, which increases the risk of runoff
  • the steepness of slopes – steeper slopes have a higher risk of runoff and soil erosion as water runs more quickly over the surface (read ‘How to calculate the slope of a field’)
  • the length of slopes – long, unbroken slopes of around 150 metres or more will carry runoff more easily
  • topography - land features such as valleys, and gateways, tend to concentrate the flow of water
  • how often the land floods – it’s more susceptible to runoff and erosion if it floods frequently (at least once every 3 years)
  • how close the land is to a waterbody – land parcels which are close to a waterbody have a higher risk of runoff causing pollution
  • past and present visible signs of runoff or ponding of water on the surface – if this happens in most years during wet periods, there’s a higher risk of runoff
  • visible signs of soil erosion – such as rills (small streams) and gullies
  • field drainage – poorly maintained or blocked drains may increase the risk of runoff
  • your use of the land – how and when you cultivate the land, and which crops you plant, will affect the risk of runoff and soil erosion

Soil erosion can also be caused by the wind. There’s a higher risk of this occurring on fine sandy soils and light peaty soils. It’ll be worse in dry conditions or where there’s drainage, bare land or fine dry seedbeds.

If your soil suffers from wind erosion, you may see:

  • drifting soil or buried seedlings
  • soil blown into hedgerows, ditches and onto nearby roads

You may find it helpful to read the Environment Agency’s ‘think soils’ practical guide to soil assessment for more information on factors that influence erosion and runoff.

How to calculate the slope of a field

To calculate the slope of a field, you can use equipment such as a clinometer. The risk of surface runoff is:

  • high for steep slopes – these usually have an angle of 7 degrees or more (12%+ gradient)
  • moderate for moderate slopes – these usually have an angle of 3-7 degrees (5-12% gradient)
  • low for gentle slopes – these usually have an angle of 2-3 degrees (3-5% gradient)

Producing a written soil management plan

To produce the written soil management plan required by this action, you’ll need to use the information from your soil assessment. This will help you to plan how to manage your land to improve your soil’s health.

For each field, or area within the field where the soils or slopes differ, you can record information in your soil management plan such as:

  • soil type, structure and texture
  • how you currently manage the area
  • any historic or archaeological features (as identified in your SFI HEFER), so you can plan how to manage land above or around these features
  • risks of surface runoff and soil erosion which you’ve identified in your soil assessment
  • proposed future management activities, including how you plan to reduce the risks of surface runoff and soil erosion which you’ve identified in your soil assessment

When you review your soil management plan each year (as required by this action), you can update it to take account of:

  • new soil analysis you carry out, including SOM testing
  • new risks or continuing issues you have identified in your fields
  • changes to proposed management activities for the next year

CFE has produced UK Soil Health Initiative guides which may help with your proposed soil health improvement management activities.

How to record your soil management plan

You can choose how to record the written soil management plan. There’s no standard format. It can be on paper or digital. For example, you could use a map or spreadsheet to record the information.

This table is an example of how you could choose to record your soil management plan.

Field or part field reference Field details Risks and problems identified in the soil assessment Proposed management actions
Field 1, part 1 ST0000 0000 Medium textured well-drained stable soil in combinable crop rotation. Slopes under 3 degrees. Soil structure good, no signs of runoff or erosion. Lower risk of runoff and erosion. None identified Maintain current management. Reconsider if cropping changes.
Field 2, SY0000 0000 Erodible light sandy soil in combinable crop rotation. Slopes over 7 degrees. Buried remains of Roman Villa. Next to road and watercourse. High runoff and erosion risk. Soil/sediment deposition. Risk of compaction increasing runoff and erosion Include cover crop in rotation to improve soil organic matter content.

Testing soil organic matter 

Soil organic matter (SOM) provides many benefits to your soil’s health, including improving soil structure. You can read AHDB’s guidance on ‘What soil organic matter is and what it does’ for more information.

To test your soil for SOM, you need to:

  • select ‘sample areas’ which have a similar soil type and have been managed in a similar way in the past
  • take multiple soil samples from each sample area – it’s up to you how many soil samples to take, but to take enough to gain a good understanding of the SOM across each sample area
  • combine the soil samples into a single sample that represents the soil across each sample area

You can take account of the field size when you’re selecting sample areas. This means you can:

  • select one sample area in each field if you consider your fields to be an average size
  • select a number of smaller sample areas in a large field
  • combine a number of small fields into one sample area, so you take a soil sample from each field and combine it into a single soil sample – try to avoid the combined area being too large as this will reduce the soil testing analysis accuracy

If you combine a number of small fields into a single sample, you can decide what size field is a ‘small field’. There are no precise area requirements.

When to take soil samples for SOM testing

It’s advisable to avoid taking soil samples if:

  • the soil is waterlogged or very dry, because it may reduce the quality of the soil analysis
  • manure or slurry has been applied within around the last 3 months, as it may affect the soil organic matter levels and give you a false result

If you’re taking soil samples on arable or horticultural land, you may find it easier to take soil samples in the spring or autumn:

  • before you cultivate land
  • to avoid damaging the crop

How to take soil samples across a sample area

To take soil samples across a sample area, you can:

  • walk a ‘W’ pattern across the area and make 5-7 stops along each leg of the ‘W’ – this will give you around 25 soil samples
  • at each stop, aim to take cores up to a depth of around 15 centimetres (6 inches)
  • combine the soil samples in a clean plastic bag to form one bulk sample of around 0.5 kilograms

Where possible, avoid taking soil samples on any area of land with historic or archaeological features identified on your SFI  HEFER. If you need to take soil samples, read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information before doing so.

It’s also advisable to avoid taking soil samples near to features that can distort the soil analysis results, such as:

  • manure heaps
  • pylons
  • gateways
  • headlands
  • around trees

When you walk the ‘W’ pattern, as part of doing this action’s soil assessment, you can also assess the:

  • topsoil structure and count earthworms at 5-10 stops across the whole ‘W’
  • subsoil structure at 3 of the stops, with one of these stops on a headland

You may find it helpful to read the AHDB guidance about how to collect a soil sample.

How to test the soil samples 

If you have the right equipment and expertise, you can test the soil samples yourself. However, sending your soil samples to a commercial laboratory will usually give more accurate results. You can find a list of laboratories where you can send your soil samples on the AHDB website.

Try to use the same laboratory and method of testing if you’re repeating the tests over a number of years. Having a consistent approach will help you see how the SOM is increasing or decreasing over time.

If you use a laboratory, you can ask them to test organic matter content by using the:

  • loss on ignition test (as a minimum level of analysis)
  • Dumas test, which uses dry combustion to burn the samples

Updates to this page

Published 21 May 2024
Last updated 15 August 2024 + show all updates

  1. AHW4, AHW12, CIGL3, GRH6, BFS6, SCR1 and SCR2 added to SFI 2024 actions.

  2. Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.

  3. First published.

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