PRESS RELEASE, 30 JUNE 2026
NEW FARMER-LED ‘CENTRE FOR DYNAMIC SOILS’ LAUNCHES TO ACCELERATE SOIL SCIENCE FOR NATURE POSITIVE AGRICULTURE
● Yeo Valley, Waitrose and Wildfarmed unite as founding partners.
● By collaborating, the founding partners aim to create a field research platform of unprecedented scale in the UK.
● New lean, agile research model aims to deliver trusted, real-world evidence directly to the field.
UK, June 2026 – A new independent research initiative, the Centre for Dynamic Soils, has officially launched to transform how soil science is conducted and applied across the UK food and farming sectors.
Formed from within the progressive nature-based farming community, the Centre bridges gaps between rigorous scientific inquiry and the practical realities of working farms. It launches with the backing of three founding commercial partners - Yeo Valley, Wildfarmed, and Waitrose - bringing together diverse nature-positive organic and nature-positive non-organic farms, progressive agroecological farming practices and associated soil research and data to establish a foundation for research into the benefits of nature-positive farming.
While the case for progressive nature-positive agriculture is widely accepted as vital for national food security, economic stability, and climate resilience, uncertainties remain regarding which specific management choices deliver reliable, impactful and profitable outcomes at scale. The Centre for Dynamic Soils has been established to answer these questions rapidly and cost-effectively.
The Centre operates as a lean, agile, farmer-led organisation. The research, led by Director of Research Professor Andrew Neal, will be curiosity-driven, fundamental in nature and place a strong emphasis upon soils as living, integrated systems. It will be inspired by direct conversation with the farmers and supply chains who can put the findings to immediate use, with a passion for collective learning and knowledge sharing.
A Dynamic Collaboration Built on Independence: Crucially, while the Centre represents a continuous, collaborative dialogue between commercial partners and researchers, it maintains absolute scientific independence.
Looking to the Future: With an ultimate ambition to expand nationwide, the Centre aims to become the definitive, trusted source of knowledge on soil processes within nature-positive farming systems.
Speaking on the launch, Wildfarmed’s Andy Cato said “A year ago, Andy Neal and I met at Groundswell to discuss how to build on the research he and the Wildfarmed team were doing, to become a broader coalition of farmer-focused science. A farming system based on biology rather than chemistry will be better for farmers, resilience, nature and crop quality. Part of getting there is practical, in-field science to identify how best to steward soils back to health. I’m delighted that a year after Andy and I first talked about this as an idea, we’re back at Groundswell to announce its launch.”
Director Andy Gray, said: “The Centre for Dynamic Soils exists because of a shared conviction that effective soil science is worth investing in. By opening up world-class research to direct partnership with the farmers and businesses managing land, we can ensure our scientific research is focussed on the urgent challenges facing soil management, food security and environmental resilience.”
Tim Mead, Yeo Valley adds: “At Yeo Valley we’ve always believed that it’s possible to produce natural, heathy, affordable food whilst also generating positive outcomes for nature, climate and health. All of this starts with healthy soil, rather than a reliance on oil.
Research into nature-based solutions remains under-funded so we’re excited to see the launch of the Centre for Dynamic Soils, and the opportunity to build stronger evidence for progressive, nature-based farming. We hope the Centre will help demonstrate the full value of agroecological farming and its role in sustainable, healthy and affordable food”.
Andrew Hoad, Director of Leckford, Waitrose says: "As co-founders of the Centre for Dynamic Soils, we are proud to share a common interest in the vital importance of soil for building resilience, aiding biodiversity recovery, and mitigating the effects of more extreme weather. The centre's main aim—to conduct scientific research that advances practical action—aligns with our goal at Waitrose to support British farmers and growers in adopting more resilient regenerative farming practices."
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