About the farming team

Get in touch

The Farming and Land Use team has specialist knowledge of all UK agricultural sectors, as well as in depth understanding of organic and agroecological food production systems.

The team works to:

improve organic practice, support our licensees
share knowledge of agroecological production and
increase the proportion of food which is produced from organic and agroecological systems

You can call our helpline on 0117 314 5100 or contact us. You can also download this pdf, introducing our advisor team.

If you require a derogation you should contact your Certification Officer.

The contact number for producers is 0117 914 2412 and for processors 0117 914 2411.

Cross section of carrots growing beneath the surface.

Meet the Organic Producer Board

Meet the elected organic producers who represent the sector and shape our priorities.

Adrian Steele

Organic Sector Development Advisor

Adrian has long been involved in the organic sector as a farmer and has helped develop marketing initiatives in livestock, seeds and cereals. His Worcestershire farm is predominantly arable and he works with local landowners through share‑farming and rental agreements. He has collaborated with processors and marketers for over 25 years. Adrian is also a qualified solicitor and a former Soil Association Trustee.

Alison Bond

Livestock Research & Data Manager (Farming and Land Use)

Alison rejoined the Soil Association to work on the animal welfare strand of the Ocado 'Farm to Fork' partnership. She helps develop and apply evidence based frameworks to assess and communicate positive welfare, focusing on animals’ freedoms, opportunities and natural behaviours. Alison also continues to support work on AssureWel, integrating welfare outcome assessment into certification. She holds a PhD from Bristol University on assessing pig welfare on farms and at abattoirs.

Ana Allamand

Knowledge Exchange Manager

Ana’s expertise in interactive agricultural innovation, farmer‑led trials and cross organisational and peer‑to‑peer knowledge exchange strategies has been key in our work in UK and EU projects like the ADOPT Support Hub, ATTRACTISS and dynADVICE. She supports and trains experts on the knowledge, skills, tools and competencies required to develop and implement farmer‑led, interactive agricultural innovation projects ‑ including on methodologies like farm trials and Living Labs.

Astrid Barrowman

Producer Outreach Programme and Membership Manager

Astrid manages producer membership and outreach, providing technical advice and running events from farm walks and seminars to national conferences like the Soil Symposium. She also coordinates the Duchy Future Farming field labs. Astrid grew up on her family’s dairy and horticultural farm in south Ireland and gained early experience in both production and markets. She holds an MA in Food, Nutrition and Welfare Studies and joined Soil Association after graduating.

Ben Raskin

Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry

Ben leads our work on agroforestry. He has 30+ years of farming, growing and supply chain experience and joined the Soil Association in 2006. In additional to integrating trees into farming, Ben has specialist knowledge in horticulture, Community Supported Agriculture and woodchip. His other roles, past and present, include running market gardens, managing agroforestry projects and writing books, including Silvohorticulture, and The Woodchip Handbook.

Clive Thomas

Senior Adviser, forestry, woodlands and agroforestry

Clive Thomas is the Soil Association’s senior forestry adviser, leading work on regenerative forestry, farm woodland management and integration of trees into farming (agroforestry). A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, he has over 30 years’ experience in private and state forestry plus 10 years with the Soil Association. Clive is also an experienced trainer, delivering courses in regenerative forestry, agroforestry, FSC® standards and responsible forest management.

Colleen McCulloch

Senior Farming Programmes Manager in Scotland

Colleen McCulloch has spent the last 10 years building, supporting and mobilising farmer‑led innovation groups and networks across Scotland and the UK. Colleen has a mixed background in organic farming, research and ecology, and combines these to support the transition towards more organic and agroecological food production.

Dan Iles

Farming programme communications lead

Dan leads the farming communications team and owns the communication delivery of Soil Association’s farming projects ‑ supporting the transition towards an agroecological food system in the UK. This includes managing the communications for the Innovative Farmers programme and EU funded international consortiums such as AI4SoilHealth. He previously worked for two years on organic market gardens in British Columbia in Canada and spent five years as a food justice campaigner in London.

Hannah Carr

Farming Communications Officer

Hannah joined the Soil Association in early 2025 and works across a number of projects that promote innovative and sustainable farming and land management. She brings over ten years' experience in marketing and communications across the third sector and private sector to the role. Hannah has an MA in History and a PGDip in Magazine Journalism.

Hugh Blogg

Horticultural Advisor

Hugh supports horticultural work at the Soil Association, focusing on small scale systems, supply chains and innovation. He has held roles in press, certification and grower focused research and advice. Hugh previously worked at Fungusloci, an urban mushroom microfarm. He now supports small scale growers, organic vineyards, Innovative Farmers Field Labs and sits on the UK Fruit and Veg Coalition and the Organic Growers Alliance boards. Outside work, he is also a freelance musician and teacher.

Jane Dingwall

Senior Farming Communications Officer

Jane leads communications for the Soil Association’s farming in Scotland, sharing knowledge and practical advice on nature‑friendly farming through digital, print and multimedia channels. She works with farmers, growers and partners across Scotland, contributing to UK and European projects and helping connect policy, practice and people to support a more resilient food and farming system.

Jerry Alford

Arable and Soils Advisor

Jerry had 25 years’ experience running his family’s organic mixed farm in Devon, moving it from dairy to beef, sheep and arable. He also developed holiday cottages, chaired a farmer‑owned grain store and worked in the national grain supply chain. Now a farming advisor, he takes a whole‑farm systems approach. He is interested in reducing cultivations, supporting organic and agroecology uptake in all farm types and supporting profitable change in whole farm systems.

Jon Haines

Agroforestry Advisor

Jon Haines helps farmers and land managers build resilient, profitable businesses through the successful integration of trees. He combines expertise in agriculture and arboriculture to support farmers in designing, establishing, and managing agroforestry systems that deliver long‑term business and environmental benefits. His work focuses on helping farmers understand the practical and economic value of trees, from improving resilience and diversifying income to adapting to climate change.

Josiah Judson

Senior Farming Advisor

Josiah joined the Farming and Land Use team in 2025 and leads two EU Soil Health Mission programmes – NBSoil and AI4SoilHealth – while advising broadly on agroforestry, soil science and agroecological research. He completed a PhD in soil science at the University of Leeds, having originally trained in geology and sustainable development at Cambridge. His interest lies in how soil science and agroecology can regenerate rural economies.

Karen Fisher

Farming Adviser

Karen supports farmers to deliver resilient farming systems that work alongside nature. She has over 25 years' experience across the agricultural sector, providing environmental, agronomic and soil advice. Karen holds agriculture degrees from Aberystwyth and Harper Adams, several BASIS qualifications, and an MSc in Food Security, where she researched barriers to agroecological farming in the UK. She is the Soil Association's Wales Lead and is passionate about helping farmers.

Kate Still

Head of Farming

Kate heads up the farming advice and programmatic activity. She leads on farming projects, focusing on transitioning farmers to agroecology, improving animal welfare, delivery of farmer led research through Innovative Farmers and ADOPT and ongoing advice support for organic farmers. Kate leads the farmer advice on livestock health and welfare and is a specialist in the implementation and training of welfare assessment. Her background includes practical farming and farm business consultancy.

Katrin Hochberg

Director of Farming and Land Use

Katrin leads the farming and land use team, overseeing the Soil Association’s programmes in this area. She rejoined in 2022 after seven years developing support and training for organic farmers. She has worked in organic meat marketing, local food consulting, and ran an international organic beauty standards charity. Katrin grew up on a smallholding, has wide farm experience across Europe, and holds a BSc in sustainable land use.

Katy Jo Stanton

Senior Farming Advisor (Soil Health)

Katy Jo has led on two EU Soil Health Mission programmes, NBSoil and AI4SoilHealth, and is now focused on developing evidence for the environmental and financial impact of agroecological and regenerative farming across UK agriculture. She supports Soil Association Exchange, advises farmers, growers, policy makers and government on soil and agroecological practices, and coordinates field labs for Innovative Farmers.

Laura Gude

Project manager for farmer-led research

Laura is the project manager for farmer‑led research. Through the Innovative Farmers programme she works with farmers and researchers to launch and support practical on farm trials and share their results and learnings. She has worked on the IF programme since 2012. She first trained as a land agent and later worked as a farming advisor in Devon on projects including pollution reduction and energy use. Laura has an MSc in Sustainable Rural Development.

Lucy Gatward

Senior Farming Communications Officer

Lucy shares the work of the Producer Support team with farmers and growers interested in regenerative farming, using social media, newsletters and the website. She is also food‑sector lead for Bristol Going for Gold and a trustee of Bristol Fair Trade Network. Previously, she was marketing manager at Better Food and has over 15 years’ experience in organic food and supply chains.

Madeleine Silberberg

Project Co-Ordinator

Maddy coordinates two EU Soil Health Mission programmes: NBSoil and AI4SoilHealth, and supports events within the Farming and Land Use team. She has an interdisciplinary background, starting as a mechanical engineer in the vertical‑farming sector before completing an MSc in Global Environmental Challenges, focusing on the political ecology of urban agriculture. She also did a Research and Development Fellowship at Defra, providing scientific evidence for Environmental Land Management schemes.

Rachael Gerrie

Project Data Officer

Rachael joined the team in 2024 and is responsible for the management and reporting of various project data. She has experience working on environmental projects around the world and brings expertise in monitoring, evaluation, and data visualisation. She is passionate about getting people engaged with data and using it to drive positive change.

Simone Osborn

Head of Programmes, Farming and Land Use Team

Simone leads the Programmes team which works across Farming, Horticulture and Agroforestry, to support with delivery elements such as farmer‑led research and events. She has a background in project management, account management and event management. She is also a member of local Community Supported Agriculture project, Sims Hill Shared Harvest, where she served on the board for 12 years.

Need more info?