Colleges and organisations that provide courses and events about soil

SMI - Soil Management Initiative  www.smi.org.uk
FWAG - Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group  www.fwag.org.uk
NSRI - National Soil Resources Institute  www.silsoe.cranfield.ac.uk/nsri
SAC - Scottish Agricultural College - www.sac.ac.uk
Elm Farm Research Centre - www.efrc.co.uk
Harper Adams College - http://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/shortcourses/
Cranfield University  http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/sas/shortcourses/page10744.jsp
SOWAP http://www.sowap.org/
Macaulay Land Institute -  www.macaulay.ac.uk
Environment Sensitive Farming http://www.environmentsensitivefarming.co.uk/
LEAF  http://www.leafuk.org/
ADAS  http://www.adas.co.uk/
TAG - The Arable Group - Cultivation selection training courses (E. England) http://www.thearablegroup.com/
Lantra - Lantra's teams work with employers, government and key strategic partners to boost skills and business development within the environmental and land-based industries. 
http://www.lantra.co.uk

Courses

BASIS Soil & Water Management Certificate - Harper Adams University College, Cranfield University or NSRI 
For details of all BASIS courses click http://www.basis-reg.com/training/courses_list.asp

Agricultural awareness, short course - Harper Adams University College

Soil and land assessment methods, short course - Cranfield University

Soil tillage traction and compaction, short course - Cranfield University

Erosion control, short course - Cranfield University

For a full list of current short courses at Cranfield:   http://wwwlegacy.cranfield.ac.uk/short/subjects.cfm?id=10

Cultivation selection training courses (E. England) - The Arable Group

Grassland management, 1 day course - The Netherfield Centre for Sustainable Food and Farming  www.thenetherfieldcentre.co.uk

Horticulture FACTS training courses (S. East) - ADAS

IGER - Grassland Development Farms http://www.iger.bbsrc.ac.uk/

Link to Training Module for Cross Compliance, Defra

More general information

National Soil Resources Institute
NSRI was established in August 2001 in order to create a unified Institute with the necessary scientific expertise and the research capability to focus on the long-term development of the sustainable management of soil and land resources both in the UK and around the world.
http://www.silsoe.cranfield.ac.uk/nsri/
To subscribe to their quarterly e-zine, send an e-mail to nsri.ezine@cranfield.ac.uk

HGCA Soil-to-Crop Initiative
The soil2crop initiative aimed to help growers improve farm profitability, by increasing their knowledge of soil management and identifying cultivation practices more appropriate to varying conditions.
http://www.hgca.com/soil2crop/

Soil Management Initiative (SMI)
SMI is an independent organisation that aims to promote the adoption of cultivation systems designed to protect and enhance soil quality, and to minimise soil erosion and water pollution, whilst maintaining or enhancing farm economic returns.
http://www.smi.org.uk/index.html

Environment Sensitive Farming - practical advice for land managers
Presentations for farmers from ADAS/Defra RDS
http://www.environmentsensitivefarming.co.uk/presentations/soil.html?view_all+true

The Soil Association
Technical information on soil and compost
http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/psweb.nsf/B2/soil_compost.html

SAC - Crops and Soil Systems
Description of the Crop and Soils Systems research programme
http://www.sac.ac.uk/research/cropandsoil/

Macaulay Research Institute
Description of soils research programme
http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/soilquality/