Launched at last year’s Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Festival, the Soil Acoustic Meter (SAM) by Soil Acoustics is a groundbreaking handheld probe that captures the sounds produced by soil organisms. When inserted into the ground, this device records vibrations from various invertebrates, including earthworms, beetle larvae, and ants, then uploads the data for analysis on a cloud platform.

Each recording is GPS-tagged and compared against an expanding global reference database containing over 5,000 soil sound samples. This innovative system results in a rapid soil analysis termed the Soil Acoustics Quality Index (SAQI), offering a stark contrast to traditional methods that can take up to 20 minutes.

Understanding Soil Through Sound

“A healthy soil is noisy because it has lots of invertebrates moving around,” explains ecologist and founder Andrew Baker. “We measure this biological diversity using sound as a proxy for soil health.” This concept is rooted in decades of eco-acoustics research originally designed to monitor wildlife, adapted for agricultural applications by posing a simple question: What happens if you place a microphone in the ground? The answer: a novel method for tracking soil life.

Efficiency and Scalability Redefined

Traditional soil testing methods often involve sending samples to labs, resulting in costly and time-consuming processes. Alternatively, digging worm pits offers limited insights and can take 20 minutes. SAM changes this paradigm by delivering a comprehensive analysis in just three minutes, equipping farmers with actionable data on-site.

“Farmers need information faster than sending it off to labs,” says co-founder Saffron Johnston. SAM establishes a baseline for soil biological activity, allowing farmers to monitor changes before and after interventions such as tilling or cover cropping. “A noisy soil indicates that all the soil metrics are in balance, meaning the microcosms, fungi, and bacteria are functioning effectively together.”

Transitioning from Research to Service

Developed in partnership with the University of Warwick under DEFRA’s Farm Improvement Programme, Soil Acoustics operates as a sister company to Baker Consultants. They now offer subscription-based data services that help farmers, land managers, consultants, and conservation projects monitor soil biology, inform decisions regarding regenerative agriculture, and provide evidence for programs like the UK Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Early adopters including Wildfarmed, Jojo’s Vineyard, and Affinity Water are using SAM to advance regenerative practices and monitor soil health effectively, particularly in areas critical for drinking water supply.

A Growing Demand for Soil Monitoring

Soil Acoustics was among the start-ups showcased at REAP 2025, an annual conference connecting stakeholders in agriculture. As EU policies push for healthier soils by 2050, and global brands increasingly seek proof of regenerative practices, the demand for scalable soil monitoring tools continues to rise. Future applications may extend to pest detection and species-specific acoustic tracking.

With a UK patent secured for SAM and international patents pending, Soil Acoustics is operational in 13 countries and is actively seeking investment for technological scaling and database expansion. “The technology itself is straightforward,” explains Johnston, “but the innovation lies in the analysis, data cleaning, and model development for effective interpretation.”

As regenerative agriculture transitions from niche to mainstream, Soil Acoustics’ SAM could become indispensable for documenting soil health, guiding decision-making in farming, and achieving sustainability goals. The company believes that by listening underground, they can help farmers demonstrate that healthy soils truly do make a noise.