ORGANIC SOIL IMPROVER: Providing a full nutritional profile for you soil to make it healthier and more productive
In this episode, we hear from Regen Ben, our host for recording day, at his farm near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire.
With some powerful messages, Ben is a passionate advocate for regenerative farming, and you can listen to his thoughts on soil improvers and how he uses Sea2Soil and other practices on his farm across his cropping in a profitable way, which has significantly improved soil health and biodiversity.
Ben explains how SeaSoil is being successfully utilised right across the farm rotation in multiple crops, including cereals, potatoes and in agroforestry, and how it complements all the other regenerative practices used on the farm.
Watch on Youtube or listen on Spotify.
Healthy soil equals healthy crops. That’s the core message of The Sea2Soil Podcast – and it’s never more relevant than when we talk about soil cultivation. In Episode 1, host Grant James speaks with Steve Townsend of Soil First Farming about why excessive soil movement is one of the most damaging – and costly – practices in modern agriculture.
In this companion blog, we dig deeper into the points Steve raised and explore why reducing cultivation could be the most profitable decision a farmer makes.
Cultivation, or soil movement, has long been a cornerstone of conventional farming. It includes ploughing, harrowing, discing – all designed to prepare seedbeds, manage weeds, and “refresh” the soil.
But while these techniques might give short-term gains, they often come with long-term costs that aren’t always obvious. As Steve puts it: “Cultivations are the things that damage our soil. If you damage the soil, you damage the biology – and then you spend more money on inputs like fertiliser.”
Soil isn’t just the ground we walk upon – it’s alive. Beneath our feet lies a complex food web of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other microscopic life forms. These organisms recycle nutrients, build soil structure, and support plant health.
Frequent cultivation disrupts this balance:
Over time, this biological decline forces farmers to rely more heavily on synthetic fertilisers and chemicals, increasing costs and reducing soil’s natural productivity.
Disturbed soil is fragile soil. Once aggregates are broken, they’re more prone to erosion – washed away by rain or blown away by wind. And it’s often the most fertile topsoil that goes first. As Steve points out: “We are letting too much of our soil go down the river. And it’s not the worst bit of soil that goes – it’s the best bit of soil that goes.”
Cultivation can also lead to compaction. Repeated passes with heavy machinery press soils into hard layers, reducing water infiltration and root growth. This creates a vicious cycle where fields become harder to manage and require even more energy to work.
The biological and physical damage caused by cultivation leads to direct economic costs:
Reducing soil movement flips this on its head: healthier soils mean fewer inputs, lower costs, and more resilient yields.
Conservation agriculture – the approach Steve champions – is built around three key principles:
This shift won’t happen overnight. Farmers need to plan rotations, consider new equipment, and learn to “trust” the soil biology they’re building. But as more UK farmers join networks like BASE UK, they’re proving that profitability and sustainability can go hand-in-hand.
Products like Sea2Soil can support this transition. By adding readily digestible proteins and carbohydrates, Sea2Soil feeds soil microbes at key stages of regeneration, helping rebuild biology faster and strengthen the soil food web.
Ongoing trials – including research with Nottingham University – aim to quantify this boost, but the logic is simple: feed the biology, and it will feed your crops.
Thinking about moving towards less soil disturbance? Here are some first steps:
Steve Townsend’s conversation with Grant James in Episode 1 of The Sea2Soil Podcast brings these ideas to life, with practical insights from decades of on-farm experience.
Listen to Episode 1: Why chemistry, physics, and biology must all work together for healthier soils, with Steve Townsend.
Want updates on future episodes, trial results, and practical soil health tips? Sign up for the Sea2Soil newsletter and join the journey towards healthier soils and healthier crops.
In this first episode, Grant James talks with soil consultant and tillage expert and Director of Soil First Farming, Steve Townsend, about how building carbon and soil biology is the key for good conservation agriculture. Steve also gives a useful insight into some of the main issues with soils in the UK at this time in terms of their overall health for supporting crops, and discusses some of the tests and assessments farmers should be looking to do more routinely with their soils.
Steve also talks briefly about his involvement with BASE-UK, a farmer-led knowledge exchange organisation for growers interested in regenerative agriculture and the sustainability of soil health. Steve’s interest is in advising and helping growers throughout the UK improve their soils to produce better crops, using the crucial principles of getting soil chemistry, soil physics and soil biology correct and working to complement each other for good soil management.
Watch on Youtube or listen on Spotify.
Healthy soil equals healthy crops. That’s the simple truth at the heart of Sea2Soil’s mission – and it’s the focus of our brand-new podcast series, The Sea2Soil Podcast. Hosted by Sea2Soil’s Grant James, the series dives deep into soil biology, soil health, and the regenerative practices that are transforming agriculture around the globe.
In our very first episode, Grant sits down with Steve Townsend of Soil First Farming, a leading consultancy helping farmers reduce costs and boost profitability through conservation agriculture and improved soil management. Steve brings decades of hands-on experience, guiding farmers through the transition from conventional methods to regenerative systems that put soil biology at the centre of farm success.
What you’ll hear in Episode 1
Steve also shares insights from farmer-to-farmer knowledge networks like BASE UK, highlighting the power of community learning when adopting new approaches.
Why start listening to this podcast?
Grant James explains: “At the end of the day, if we don’t have healthy soil, we don’t have healthy crops. Through these conversations, I want to help farmers and growers understand their soil biology – and show that small changes can have huge benefits for productivity and sustainability.”
Listen to the Episode
Listen to Episode 1: Rethinking Soil for a More Profitable Future
At Sea2Soil, we know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to improving soil health or building a resilient farm system. Every field is different, every farm is different, every grower faces unique challenges - but one thing remains constant: the power of shared knowledge and practical insight.
That’s why we’ve launched The Sea2Soil Podcast - a brand-new series of honest, expert-led conversations diving deep into the world of soil health, regenerative farming, and sustainable agriculture.
Hosted by Grant James, Sea2Soil’s Business Development Manager and trusted voice in the farming community, the podcast brings together leading figures from soil consultancy, agronomy, regenerative farming, and more.
Each episode is designed to give you:
Sea2Soil is about more than just producing effective soil improvers - we're on a mission to support the transition toward healthier soils and better farm resilience. That means putting the right voices in the spotlight and creating space for conversations that matter.
We’ve been out in the field, not in the studio, recording episodes that speak to the real challenges and big opportunities in soil management today.
Each episode is packed with scientific knowledge, on-farm experiences, and practical tools to help you adapt, improve, and future-proof your soil health strategies.
Here’s a sneak peek at the first season lineup:
Episode 1: Steve Townsend - Why chemistry, physics, and biology must all work together for healthier soils
Episode 2: Regen Ben - Regenerative farming in action on a Herefordshire farm
Episode 3: James Warne - Feeding the ‘underground livestock’ and boosting microbial activity
Episode 4: Joel Williams - A masterclass on using amino acids to improve soil health
Episode 5: Simon Revell - What two years of trial work reveal about Sea2Soil and the Claydon System
Episode 6: Marian Dichevski - The future of regenerative farming across Europe
The Sea2Soil Podcast will be launching very soon across all major platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear new episodes and get behind-the-scenes updates delivered straight to your inbox.
Whether you’re knee-deep in your regen journey or just starting to explore new soil strategies, this podcast is here to support you. It’s time to hear from the people shaping the future of farming, with honest conversations that cut through the noise.
The Sea2Soil Podcast.
Expert insight, in your pocket.
In this episode, Marian, gives an insightful, detailed look into farming in Bulgaria, covering the market size, the changing needs of farmers in terms of adopting more regenerative farming practices – and why that is happening against a backdrop of a changing climate, growing crops in drought conditions and the need to protect and enhance soil health techniques.
Marian talks about the real need to have products like Sea2Soil available to use in Bulgaria and other markets around Europe.