Get ready to apply
Thinking about applying to Top 50 Farmers?
This guide will help you understand what you will need for your application and what you can start preparing in advance.
We’re interested in understanding your farm, your journey so far, what you are learning, and what you are working towards. We are not looking for perfect farms or polished applications.
Is Top 50 Farmers for You?
We are looking for farmers who are working with nature to build healthy soils, increase biodiversity, grow healthy foods and strengthen the resilience of their farms and businesses.
You can apply if:
Your farm is located in the EU, Switzerland, EEA or UK.
You are actively putting regenerative management into practice on your farm.
The farm has been operating for at least 1 year
Your farm is an active, registered farming business and is not operated solely as a hobby or personal project.
Your crops spend most of their life in soil.
Top 50 Farmers is open to farmers producing food, flowers, fibre and other agricultural crops.
Photography by Regina Schwarzenbach
Photography by Mattias Plaetevoet
Currently transitioning?
We know that moving towards regenerative agriculture takes time. Each year, up to 10% of the Top 50 Farmers are farmers who are still transitioning towards regenerative management.
To be considered as a transitioning farm, you should already be taking meaningful steps towards regenerative management and have a clear commitment and timeline for phasing out agrochemicals and synthetic fertilisers.
We also highly recommend that you read our augment statement.
Want to get a head start?
Here are a few things you can start preparing before applications open.
This is at the heart of your application.
In around 1,000 words, and we ask you to tell us about your farm, where you are going and what you are working to change.
Think about:
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Your vision for the future of your farm and business.
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How you are working with nature and what this looks like in practice on your farm.
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What you are doing differently and why.
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What you have learned so far including what is working and what remains challenging.
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What you want to develop or achieve next.
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Why you want to join Top 50 Farmers.
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What you hope to gain from the community and what you could contribute to it.
You don’t need to have everything figured out. We’re interested in your direction, your experience and your willingness to keep learning and evolving.
Be specific and be yourself. We want to understand the farm and the people behind the application.
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Photos give us a better sense of you, your farm and the work you are doing - and, if selected, they become an important part of how we share your work with the world.
To apply, you will need:
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A profile photo of the representative farmer applying to Top 50 Farmers.
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Photos showing the farm, which could include your team, fields, crops, animals or landscape.
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Optional: product photos, events, projects or other images that give us a fuller picture of your work.
Your photos do not need to be professionally taken, but quality makes a big difference. Strong, high-resolution images give us more opportunities to showcase you and your farm across our website, social media, media outreach and partner communications.
For inspiration, take a look at the farmer profiles on the Top 50 Farmers website . Think about a mix of portraits, people at work, landscapes and details that give a genuine sense of your farm and what you do.
If you are selected as a Top 50 Farmer, the photos you submit will be used as part of your Top 50 Farmers profile and our wider communications. We work professionally with the materials submitted by each farmer to create and share your profile, so please choose your images carefully and upload the highest-quality versions available.
Image Rights & Permissions
By submitting your photos, you confirm that you have the necessary rights and permissions for Top 50 Farmers to use these materials if you are selected.
If a professional photographer took an image, please include the photographer’s name and make sure you have permission for Top 50 Farmers to use it.
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As part of your application, we ask you to make a short, 3-minute video introducing yourself and your farm.
You can film it on your phone or with a camera - whatever you have access to. What matters is hearing directly from you.
In your video:
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Introduce yourself and your farm.
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Show us around - your fields, animals, crops or projects.
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Tell us what you are working towards and why you would like to join Top 50 Farmers.
Speak in the language you feel most comfortable with. There is no need for a script or professional editing.
If you are selected, your submitted video will be used as part of Top 50 Farmers’ communications and storytelling.
Browse videos from previous applicants below for inspiration here.
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You can also include links to media features or other relevant projects and materials.
These are completely optional and are not required for your application to be considered.
Tip: Preparing these materials before applications open will make completing the application much easier.
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Take your time. You don’t need to complete your application all at once. You can save your progress and come back to it whenever you are ready, as long as you submit before the deadline.
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Gather your key points before you start.
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Be specific - examples help us understand what you are actually doing on your farm.
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Tell us about challenges as well as successes. We are interested in what you are learning, not just what has gone well.
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Don’t worry if your journey is still evolving. Regenerative farming is a process, not a finished state.
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Ask a friend, family member or fellow farmer to read your application before submitting it.
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Write in your own voice. We are not looking for marketing language or the most polished application.
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Video & Photo Inspiration
Your video and photos give the Selection Committee a chance to see the people and place behind the application.
If selected as a Top 50 Farmer, these materials will also become part of how we increase the visibility of you, your farm and your work.
Photography Inspiration
You will be asked to submit at least five good-quality photos, including:
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A photo of you.
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A photo of your team, if applicable.
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Several photos showing your farm, landscape, crops or livestock.
The most useful images are those that give us a genuine sense of you, your work and your farm.
For inspiration, explore the farmer profiles on the Top 50 Farmers website to see how photography is used to bring each farmer and farm to life.
I don’t know if I am a fit
Every year, Top 50 Farmers selects fifty pioneering farmers whose work, ideas and commitment can inspire others and contribute to the wider transition in agriculture.
Top 50 Farmers is not about identifying the “best” farmers. It is about building the collective power needed to accelerate regenerative farming.
There is no single type of Top 50 Farmer. We welcome different farm sizes, farming systems, countries, backgrounds and stages of the regenerative journey.
We are looking for pioneering farmers who are putting regenerative management into action, have a vision for where their farm is going, and are open to learning, sharing and contributing to a wider community.
You don’t need to have everything figured out. We learn along the way - and we can do that together.
Selection also reflects the community we are building each year. If you are not selected, it does not mean your work is less valuable or that you are not a fit.
If you recognise yourself here, we encourage you to apply - including if you have applied before.
Need Support?
Still have questions about applying? Please find our FAQ or get in touch with our program manager Ciara. We are ready to support you!
Ciara Whittaker