Frontier Agriculture has published its first Harvest Impact Report, revealing that more than £4 million was delivered to farming businesses through its sustainability partnership programmes during the 2025 season.

Bringing together the collective outcomes from nine programmes, the report highlights how growers supplying wheat, malting barley and oilseed rape into leading food and drink supply chains were rewarded for delivering verified sustainability actions. These included measures to support climate resilience and mitigation, improve input efficiency and enhance biodiversity.

The programmes were delivered in partnership with leading brands: Allied Mills, Allinson’s, Boortmalt, PepsiCo, pladis, Warburtons, Whitworths, Cargill SeaFurther Sustainability, and Unilever with international sustainable agriculture investment fund, Livelihoods - engaging more than 800 farm businesses across the UK's principal arable regions.

Delivering measurable environmental outcomes

Spanning over 373,900 tonnes of footprinted grain across more than 57,000 hectares – or 223 square miles, which is equivalent to the land mass of the Isle of Man – the 2025 Harvest Impact Report demonstrates how practical, evidence-based sustainability initiatives can help growers strengthen farm resilience while delivering measurable outcomes for food and drink supply chains.

Insights into on-farm carbon emissions

The report draws on one of the largest datasets of its kind in UK agriculture, with the 2025 tonnage taking the total volume footprinted through Frontier’s programmes since harvest 2020 to more than one million tonnes, with actions to date covering more than 110,000 hectares – equivalent to the size of Northumberland National Park.

To ensure programme outcomes are measured consistently and transparently, Frontier works with specialist partners YAGRO, Downforce and the Cool Farm Tool. Their expertise helps transform farm-level data into robust information, enabling growers and supply chain partners to better understand and track environmental performance.

Rob explains, "One of the clearest insights from this year's data is the significant role nitrogen fertiliser plays in the carbon footprint of wheat production.

“While nitrogen remains essential for producing high-yielding crops that meet quality requirements, the report highlights the opportunities we have today – and those emerging in the future - to reduce emissions through improved nutrient efficiency and low-carbon fertiliser technologies. The challenge is finding ways to lower emissions without compromising productivity, and that's where some of our programmes are increasingly focused."

Carbon reductions and removals for the 2025 crops were attributed to a combination of improved nutrient management and regenerative farming practices, including:

• Variable rate nitrogen applications

• Reduced tillage systems

• Cover and catch crops

• Companion cropping

• The use of innovative fertilisers such as low carbon products, inhibitors to reduce emissions and biostimulants.

Rob introduces the impact report and talks through some of the findings during a supply chain event held at Frontier’s Haywold trials site.

Rewarding regenerative and sustainable practices

The report also explores the role of regenerative agriculture in helping to future-proof arable production. Recognising that different farms, soils and cropping systems require different approaches, Frontier's programmes focus on practices aligned with four key principles: reducing soil disturbance, keeping soils covered, maintaining living roots and increasing the diversity of rotations within farming systems.

Many of these practices are already being adopted by growers, with the programmes designed to encourage wider uptake and build on existing good practice.

The report highlights that while some benefits can be realised quickly, others take time to develop, underlining the importance of recognising and rewarding actions that contribute to long-term improvements in productivity, environmental performance and climate adaptation.

Rob continues: "One of the most encouraging insights from the report is the commitment growers are already showing to supporting biodiversity alongside productive farming.

“Many are dedicating land to habitats that provide food and shelter for wildlife, while managing other areas specifically for environmental benefit. These actions play an important role in creating more resilient farming systems, but they also highlight why long-term support and investment are essential for maintaining and enhancing these benefits into the future."

For the 2025 season, Frontier reports that over 68% of growers in the sustainability programmes have over 4% of their land in seed-and-flower-rich habitats; considered a key threshold for supporting farmland wildlife. More than half of farmers were found to manage over 7% of their farmland for environmental benefits too.

Building on the success: harvest 2026 and beyond

Off the back of its 2025 programmes, Frontier has expanded its harvest 2026 sustainability portfolio to support 850 growers across 64,000 hectares; covering approximately 425,000 tonnes of wheat, barley and oilseed rape. More than £4.5 million has been made available to growers through participating supply chains.

As sustainability requirements continue to evolve, Rob notes that Frontier remains focused on helping growers and supply chain partners deliver practical, measurable outcomes that strengthen both environmental performance and long-term business resilience.

He concludes: "The insights in this report are helping us shape the next generation of our sustainability programmes. Alongside rewarding sustainable farming practices, we're increasing our focus on reducing emissions in the areas where we know we can help growers make the biggest difference, including through the adoption of lower-carbon fertiliser technologies."

"We're also expanding our approach beyond individual crops and practices to look at the whole farm. By working with our customers and partners to support change across multiple parts of the farming system at the same time, we believe there's an opportunity to deliver even greater benefits for growers, supply chains and the environment."

Click here to view the report in full.