SFI Shepherd
SFI26 Applications: Simplified
Looking to plan an SFI26 Application? Look no further!
Add SFI26 actions to individual fields and see the problems as you go: actions that clash with each other, actions that don't work on that field, the agreement cap, and anything that conflicts with a previous SFI or Countryside Stewardship agreement on the farm. Compare as many drafts as you like before you commit.
Stack actions on each field
Pick a field and add the SFI26 actions you're considering — stack more than one where the rules allow it. Payments and areas update as you go.
Clashes flagged as you build
Actions that conflict with each other, with the field, with the agreement cap, or with a previous SFI or Countryside Stewardship agreement are flagged straight away.
See value on the map, field by field
Colour every field by its payment value, so you can spot which fields are carrying the application and which aren't.
Compare drafts side by side
Build as many versions as you want, then compare them on area, payment and cap headroom before committing.
Export the finished application
Export a summary ready for review and upload to the RPA portal.
See SFI Shepherd in action!
Get started in 30 seconds
Create your account
Sign up with just an email address. No card details required - it's completely free to get started.
Add your farm
Use your SBI number to import field boundaries in England (or pick your fields in Wales or Scotland).
Fine tune your recs
Use templates and our automatic Liaison compliance alerts to finalise your recs.
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Soil Benchmark makes it quick and easy!
John Snow
Farm Hand, Winterfell
Hectares using Soil Benchmark
Farms using Soil Benchmark
Effortless
Risk maps and soil proposals come ready-made, spreadable areas auto- calculated, and compliance flagged live for RB209, NVZs & product labels.
Independent
We are completely independent. There's no need to worry about who your applications or costings data is shared with - the answer is nobody!
Trusted
Farms covering 1.3m ha have used the platform to get through thousands of inspections. Our team includes soil scientists and FACTS qualified coders!
Evolving
We build based on what users ask for, and release new features most weeks. Get in touch for live support from the actual people who make the platform.
Our happy customers
"Very easy piece of software to use. The team are all very helpful if you have a problem... and they are always asking us what we would like to see improved."
"Soil benchmark has been an absolute lifesaver... It really has been a huge asset to our business and the support from the team is outstanding."
"Easy to use, helps keep you compliant with industry standards and there are some brilliant features that allow you to get a more in-depth understanding of land! Highly recommend!"
Designed for
Farmers & Advisors
Whether you advise lots of farms or run your own, we fit the way you work.
For farmers
- Receive and manage recommendations from your advisor
- Inspection-ready reports and plans - clear and fully compliant
- Only pay for the farms and plans you use - simple, annual pricing
For advisors
- Professional, compliant plans and recs - easy to produce quickly for lots of farms
- Share straight with your clients and track what they've actually applied
- One subscription covers all your farms - no matter the hectarage
Quicker, smarter
farm management software
Soil Sage
Soil plans
SFI SAM1-compliant Soil Management Plans, with all your risk maps and field-by-field management proposals auto-populated. Plus map your soil samples with our AI-importer.
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Nutrient Nerd
Nutrient plans
RB209-compliant Nutrient Management plans for both SFI NUM1 and Red Tractor audits, with Farming Rules for Water and NVZ checks built in as you go. Plus clear, comprehensive reports ready for inspections.
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Crop Rex
Spray recommendations
Quickly and easily create Spray Recommendations for pesticide applications - check they're compliant and share them between agronomist and farmer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Still got questions? Email info@soilbenchmark.com or book a call with us via Calendly.
It's super quick:
- Click here to create an account - no card details required, just add your email and accept the T&Cs.
- Add an SBI number so we can extract your field boundaries. If you’re in Scotland or Wales simply upload a shapefile or select your fields from the map – no drawing round fields!
- Sit back and relax whilst the relevant soil and environmental data for your fields is scraped from our database.
Our platform uses your field boundaries (retrieved from your SBI number) to pre-populate your farm with nearly all of the information required to complete a Soil or Nutrient Management Plan or a Spray Rec. Whether it's risk maps or contours derived from the EA's LiDAR scans, water data from our partners at the Ordnance Survey, soil parent material maps from the British Geological Survey, LandIS soil maps from Cranfield, or Met Office rainfall data, we only use robust, high-quality data to pre-fill the details for your farm.
Yes! Please book a call to arrange a 30 minute demo.
Yes! If you are in Scotland or Wales the platform is also fully functional and works using the local rules in those nations.
SFI Shepherd mode is useable for farms in Scotland and Wales, but is not relevant to them given that the SFI scheme is only for farms in England.
If you are a farmer or agronomist outside of Great Britain and are interested in using our tools, please book a call and we can discuss expanding our coverage to your location.
It's completely free to start using Soil Benchmark.
Without paying a penny you can add as many farms as you like, and use almost all the features of the platform. That could be viewing and editing the pre-populated risk maps, soil maps, details of waterways and sensitive areas, and auto-suggested management actions in Soil Sage mode. Or getting RB209 nutrient recommendations, planning manure or fertiliser applications, and checking NVZ compliance in Nutrient Nerd mode. Or creating - and checking the legality of - pesticide spray recommendations in Crop Rex mode. Or drafting your SFI26 application in SFI Shepherd mode.
We only charge to export or share this information outside the platform (either via our reports, or via our map snapshot feature).
SB Farm Max unlocks all four modes on a farm for £475 per farm, per cropping year. Only need one mode? Any single mode is £200 per farm, per cropping year, or £150 where one of the users on that farm has an active SB Agronomist licence.
You only pay when you are ready, and you can choose to convert any number of the farms you have loaded onto the system, for only the plans you require.
Agronomists and advisors whose clients don't want SB Farm Max can use our SB Agronomist subscription to access some core features, such as sharing spray and fertiliser recommendations, and creating basic nutrient management reports. SB Agronomist is a £500 per user, per year licence covering every farm you have access to.
See the SB Farm Max and SB Agronomist pages for full details.