Farmers Weekly Awards 2026: Environmental Champion of the Year

Lincolnshire arable farmer Colin Chappell is Farmers Weekly’s Environmental Champion of the Year 2026.

Colin’s award recognises his success in cutting the farm’s carbon footprint, regenerating soils and dedicating one-quarter to stewardship. He is seeing greater biodiversity, such as fish, back in the ditches. 

See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2026 Environmental Champion finalists

His proudest achievement over the past five years is the large reduction in his carbon footprint, with the farm now sequestering 100t/ha CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) each year.

This reduction is partly down to an improved nitrogen use efficiency brought about by applying urea with carbon, along with reduced fuel use resulting from less intensive cultivations and a streamlined machinery fleet.

Any soil movement is accompanied by applications of fish hydroslate, potassium humate and nurture carbon to minimise the impact on microbes. He sees it as an investment on his heavy clay soils.

Cover and companion cropping has also been introduced at Gander Farm to improve soil health.

More than 25% of the farm, the more challenging areas to crop, is in environmental measures including margins which also have a role in helping to protect water quality along with adoption of pesticide stewardship such as bentazone. Insecticides haven’t been used for six years.

Colin’s dedication to helping sees him using specific seed mixes aimed at bird species such as grey partridge and yellow hammer by encouraging insects that birds use to feed chicks.

Renewable energy crops also play a role, with miscanthus grown on the poorest areas supplying a local power station while forage barley and maize are grown for a nearby anaerobic digestion plant. These crop help widen the rotation and have blackgrass control benefits.

Soil health is improving. Biodiversity has returned and he is seeing eels back in the ditches and greater bird numbers. In two hours, one birdwatcher saw 36 species of birds, including six species of warbler (including a Cetti’s warbler), lots of skylarks and a marsh harrier.

In conclusion, Colin has not only created a net-zero farm producing human-quality food, it is also bringing big environmental benefits in terms of carbon, water quality and wildlife.

Above all, he has a more  resilient business, as demonstrated in 2024 when, in mid-April, 80% of the farm had no cropping due to wet soils and flooding. Yet Colin managed to fulfil his 350t milling contract and crops still made a profit.