Competition returns for third year to provide evidence‑based case study of how cover cropping can benefit the environment in commercial potato production
Albert Bartlett’s Jersey Royal Company is launching its 2026 Cover Crop Competition to demonstrate how regenerative farming can be delivered at scale.
This is the third year of the competition, which recognises Jersey’s potato growers for cover crop mixes that enhance soil health, increase biodiversity, and support pollinators and birds between maincrop seasons.
Jersey Royal Company said it wants to offer a clear, evidence‑based case study of how cover cropping can fit into commercial potato production, while delivering measurable environmental benefits and providing an example for UK farms that do not currently use cover crops.
By routinely planting cover crops between main growing seasons, Jersey Royal Company said its growers are reducing erosion, building soil structure, and providing food and habitat for wildlife, all while supporting long‑term crop productivity.
The 2026 competition
The third edition of the competition will again focus on four categories – Best Bird Cover Crop, Best Visual Cover Crop, Best Pollinator Cover Crop and Best Soil Health Cover Crop – with early judging in August 2026, late judging in October, and winners announced at the Jersey Farmers Conference in November 2026.
The 2026 judging panel of Cris Sellares, Dawn Venton, Tina Hull and Paul Gibbs brings together practical and scientific expertise, Jersey Royal Company said.
Alongside long‑standing sponsors and partners, the panel will provide a fresh set of examples and data points for UK farmers, policymakers and environmental organisations interested in regenerative agriculture.
The Jersey Royal Company and Albert Bartlett are inviting environmental journalists, NGOs, advisers and farmers to follow the 2026 Cover Crop Competition as a practical illustration of regenerative farming in action, backed by independent research and multi‑year field experience.
Biodiversity and pollination benefits
For the 2025 edition of the competition, a research project led by ecologist Jess Sandle‑Brownlie assessed pollinator abundance and diversity in 35 fields planted with four cover crop mixes – Bird, Pollinator, Soil Health and Mixed – compared with traditional grass control fields.
Across 106 sample sites, cover crop fields showed both higher pollinator abundance and higher diversity than control grass fields, with diversity significantly higher in the cover crop mixes
The mixed pollinator–soil health crop showed the highest levels of pollinator abundance and diversity, demonstrating that diverse floral resources, rather than a single “best” species, are key to supporting a wide range of pollinator groups.
The 2025 study found:
- Far higher pollinator numbers and diversity in cover crop fields than in control grass fields, highlighting the impact of introducing flowering cover crops after harvest.
- The Bird, Pollinator and Soil Health mixes all delivered positive effects on pollinator populations, indicating that any native, flowering cover crop can contribute to ecosystem health.
- Bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies and other groups showed distinct preferences for different target flowers and traits, reinforcing the importance of diverse mixes tailored to local conditions.
The research concluded that cover crops enrich the landscape by increasing both the number and mix of pollinators, and that any native floral cover crop, regardless of its primary purpose, can boost pollinator wellbeing and soil regeneration.
