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Soil Health Institute and Cargill Partner to Advance Water Stewardship Through Improved Soil Health

Posted on 09/14/202309/15/2023 by Soil Health Institute

Morrisville, North Carolina – September 14, 2023

The Soil Health Institute (SHI) and Cargill are coming together to advance implementation of regenerative agriculture practices through the promotion of water stewardship within agricultural supply chains. This 3-year, $3 million partnership will equip farmers, conservation planners, and sustainability experts across North America with innovative tools to enhance drought resilience, improve soil health, and encourage sustainable water use.

“Climate change-induced extreme weather events, including drought, heavy precipitation, and elevated temperatures, have dramatically intensified operational risks for farmers and the broader food, fiber, fuel, and beverage sector,” said Wayne Honeycutt, president and CEO of SHI.

“Through this partnership, we’re expediting adoption of regenerative systems by offering stakeholders practical insights to assess improvements in water storage and availability resulting from changes in on-farm practices.”

Recent SHI research has demonstrated that increases in available water holding capacity (AWHC) associated with soil organic carbon gains from soil health practice implementation can lead to twice as much water storage in the topsoil compared to previous estimates. This important finding, currently available as a set of mathematical equations, provides a scientifically robust framework to measure the impact of soil health management on water storage. Continuing efforts supported by this partnership will make this data more accessible to farmers and sustainability experts, enabling farmers to estimate how many more inches of water their soil can capture during the growing season due to improved soil health.

Ashley McKeon, director of regenerative agriculture at Cargill, affirmed, “We strongly believe that regenerative agricultural practices can play a pivotal role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and water stress on our agricultural systems, which is why we are committed to advancing regenerative agriculture across 10 million acres of agricultural land in North America by 2030. Building on more than five years of partnering with the Soil Health Institute, we are empowering farmers and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain with the tools they need to make informed decisions that contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.”

This partnership between SHI and Cargill will enable farmers, businesses, researchers, governments, and other sustainability experts to assess their progress toward water stewardship objectives and build industry convergence around the value of soil health in enhancing drought resilience and sustainable water management. Both partners are committed to ensuring free, fair, and equitable access to project tools and resources, facilitating widespread adoption and benefits. Learn more about SHI’s research here.

The collaboration will also support Cargill’s global sustainability priorities, including the company’s goal to advance regenerative agriculture across 10 million acres of agricultural land in North America by 2030. Learn more about Cargill’s commitments here.

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. Accordingly, the Institute brings together leaders in soil health science and the industry to conduct research and empower farmers and other landowners with the knowledge to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. The Institute’s scientific team holds doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, with specialties in carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, water cycling, nutrient management, soil microbiome, farmer/adviser education, ecosystem services, soil-plant relationships, on-farm economics, and others. The team follows a comprehensive strategy for advancing adoption of regenerative soil health systems, as briefly described in this 5-minute video.

Healthy soils are the foundation for restoring our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help farmers and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. Visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more, and follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About Cargill

Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials — from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 160,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way.

From the feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 158 years — and how we’ll do so for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

Nationwide Study on 30 U.S. Farms Shows Positive Economic Impact of Soil Health Management Systems

Posted on 08/09/202308/09/2023 by Soil Health Institute

MORRISVILLE, N.C., August 9, 2023 – Today, the Soil Health Institute and National Association of Conservation Districts announced the results of a nationwide study that demonstrates how improving soil health can help farmers build resilience and improve profitability across a diversity of soil types, geographies, and cropping systems.

“We know practices like cover crops and no-till benefit the environment by storing soil carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving water quality,” said Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, President and CEO of the Soil Health Institute. “However, investing in soil health is also a business decision. This project provides farmers with the economic information they need to feel confident when making that decision.”

This multi-year and data-driven collaboration among the Soil Health Institute (SHI), the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assessed the economics of soil health management systems (SHMS) for a range of crops including canola, chickpea, corn, cotton, dried bean, grain sorghum, millet, pea, peanut, rye, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and wheat. Some of the operations also raised dairy cows, beef cattle, chickens, and hogs. SHI and NACD conducted extensive interviews with 30 farmers with an established history of successful implementation of a wide range of SHMS, including cover crops, no-till, reduced till, strip till, planting green, rotational grazing, livestock integration, and manure incorporation across 20 states. Interviews were designed to learn about farmers’ experiences with adopting those systems and to evaluate their economics by comparing the costs and benefits before and after practice adoption.

“Increasing the efficiency as well as resilience of farms and farm communities has never been more important,” said Jeremy Peters, NACD Chief Executive Officer. “We recognize that farmers must weigh the costs, risks, and overall benefits when introducing new practices into their operations. This project shows that soil health management systems are both feasible and profitable. Conservation Districts can provide hands-on technical assistance to producers to design a system of practices that make sense for their land, while helping enroll producers into programs that offer financial incentives that fit their business model.”

Key findings include:

Across 29 farms, SHMS increased net farm income by an average of $65/acre (1 organic farm was excluded due to high revenue from price premiums).
On average, when implementing SHMS, it cost producers $14/acre less to grow corn, $7/acre less to grow soybean and $16/acre less to grow all other crops.
Yield increases due to SHMS were reported for 42% of farms growing corn, 32% of farms growing soybean, and 35% of farms growing other crops.
Farmers also reported additional benefits of adopting SHMS, such as decreased erosion and soil compaction, earlier access to fields in wet years, and increased resilience to extreme weather.

“Soil health management practices help producers increase profits, reduce costs, and limit risks while conserving our nation’s resources,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “The results experienced by these 30 diverse farmers from across the country show the financial benefits of implementing soil health management systems across many different production systems, and highlight how critical voluntary conservation programs are to the viability of U.S. agriculture.”

Individual farmer videos, 2-page economic factsheets, and 1-page narratives have been created for each of the 30 farmers interviewed to support soil health education and outreach. Results from the wide range of farms, production systems, and geographies included in this national study indicate that many more farmers may also benefit economically from adopting SHMS, thereby expanding the associated on-farm and environmental benefits for farmers and society.

For more information about the economic case studies, including videos, producer narratives and fact sheets, please visit: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/economics-of-soil-health-systems-on-30-u-s-farms/

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soil through scientific research and advancement. We bring together leaders in soil health science and industry to help farmers, ranchers, and landowners adopt soil health systems that build drought resilience, stabilize yield, and benefit their bottom line. The Institute’s team of scientists, holding doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, has developed highly effective soil health targets and standardized measurements to quantify progress at achieving regenerative and sustainable agricultural systems, and leads the cutting-edge fields of carbon sequestration and decoding the soil microbiome. Healthy soils are the foundation for rejuvenating our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help agriculture and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale. Learn more at www.soilhealthinstitute.org.

About the National Association of Conservation Districts

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nearly 3,000 conservation districts across the United States, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 75 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit www.nacdnet.org.

About the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides one-on-one, personalized advice on the best solutions to meet the unique conservation and business goals of those who grow our nation’s food. NRCS helps landowners make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the health of our air, water, and soil. NRCS also generates, manages, and shares the data, research and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. In simpler terms, NRCS’s focus is “Helping People Help the Land.” For more information, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

An Evaluation of Nitrogen Indicators for Soil Health in Long-Term Agricultural Experiments

Posted on 06/27/202308/09/2023 by Soil Health Institute

Interpretive Summary of the Technical Paper:

“An evaluation of nitrogen indicators for soil health in long-term agricultural experiments”

Cycling of nitrogen (N) in soil is vital to maintaining soil health and agricultural productivity. While N research related to optimal fertilization rates and nutrient management has been conducted for decades, traditional soil fertility tests only provide a snapshot of a soil’s N content and may not provide a comprehensive understanding of the capacity of a soil to supply N over the long term. In the context of soil health, nitrogen indicators focus on the biological processes that determine a soil’s ability to cycle and supply N over time, rather than measuring the nitrogen available to plants in a given soil at a single time point. Many indicators have been proposed to measure organic N pools, N processes, or proxies for N pools/processes, but limited information is available on how these indicators are related to each other, to soil properties, or to management practices.

To identify the most suitable indicators for characterizing N cycling at a continental scale, the Soil Health Institute collaborated with approximately 100 partners to assess soil health measurements for a range of management practices at 124 research sites across North America. We evaluated several measurements that quantify different types of N or the potential of soil microbes to cycle N, including five indicators related to organic N pools and microbial activity (soil organic N, potential N mineralization, water extractable organic N, autoclavable citrate extraction protein, and N-acetyl glucosaminidase enzyme activity), and two commonly used fertility measurements (extractable nitrate and ammonium). We focused our evaluation on three aspects: the relationship of each N indicator to soil properties and climate variables, their response to management practices, and their correlation with other indicators and carbon measurements.

We found that across North America, N indicators of soil health were most consistently related to temperature, with higher indicator values observed at colder sites. The N indicators generally responded to the soil health practices investigated, including reduced tillage, cover cropping, organic nutrient application, and crop residue retention, but did not show a response to changes in cropping system diversity. In contrast, the commonly used fertility measures of extractable inorganic N were not related to the soil health management practices investigated. The N indicators evaluated in this study were strongly correlated with each other and with carbon indicators previously evaluated by SHI, with both C and N indicators being sensitive to management practices that increased organic matter inputs to the soil. Given these findings, we propose that the carbon indicators previously recommended by SHI (24-hour carbon mineralization potential and soil organic carbon) can also be used to capture N cycling.

Learn more about this study by reading the peer-reviewed manuscript here: https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20558

‘Living Soil’ Documentary Reaches Over 4 Million Views Worldwide

Posted on 05/18/202305/18/2023 by Soil Health Institute

FOR RELEASE Thursday, May 18, 2023

MORRISVILLE, N.C., May 18, 2023/PRNewswire/ — “Living Soil” – a groundbreaking film produced by the Soil Health Institute in 2018 – has reached a milestone of over 4 million views. The documentary has been watched in over 130 countries and has won numerous awards, including “Outstanding Excellence in Direction, Editing, and Cinematography” at the Women’s International Film Festival (2021) and “Best of Show for Environmental Films” by the Docs Without Borders Film Festival (2022). It was made possible through the generous support of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

“We are thrilled that ‘Living Soil’ has been so well-received,” said Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, president and CEO of the Soil Health Institute. “We believe the documentary’s success demonstrates the growing awareness of the importance of soil health and the need for regenerative soil management.”

“Living Soil” tells the story of how enriching the soil enhances life on our planet. Directed by Chelsea Myers of Tiny Attic Productions, the film takes viewers on a journey across the United States, showcasing the collaborative work of farmers, scientists and policymakers to protect one of Earth’s most vital resources: soil. The locales featured range from the lush landscapes of Oregon, to the sunbaked fields of California and the vast green acres of the Midwest, to the waterfront farming and fishing communities in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

“Soil is a living and dynamic system that supports 95 percent of all food production. It filters our water, sequesters carbon and is the foundation for biodiversity,” Dr. Honeycutt said. “However, in the last 150 years, we’ve lost half of the organic matter that makes soil productive. The societal and environmental costs of soil loss and degradation in the United States alone are estimated to be as high as $85 billion every year.”

As we face the challenges of feeding an ever-growing population while mitigating and adapting to climate change, humanity is depending on our soils to provide as much food by 2060 as has been consumed in the past 500 years. “Living Soil” is a call to action to improve soil health, thereby improving farmer livelihoods, water quality and the environment.

The Soil Health Institute encourages everyone to watch the documentary and join the movement to safeguard the health of our soils.

Watch the film for free at https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/living-soil-documentary/

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soil through scientific research and advancement. We bring together leaders in soil health science and the industry to help farmers, ranchers and landowners adopt soil health systems that build drought resilience, stabilize yield and benefit their bottom line. The Institute’s team of scientists, holding doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, has developed highly effective soil health targets and standardized measurements to quantify progress at achieving regenerative and sustainable agricultural systems. Additionally, they lead the cutting-edge fields of carbon sequestration and decoding the soil microbiome. Healthy soils are the foundation for rejuvenating our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change and help agriculture and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale.

Visit our website to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

For media inquiries, contact Byron Rath at brath@soilhealthinstitute.org

AIM for Climate Summit: Driving Transformative Action in Agriculture and Food Systems Innovation

Posted on 05/16/202305/16/2023 by Soil Health Institute

The United States recently hosted the AIM for Climate Summit in Washington, D.C. from May 8th to May 10th, 2023. This premier global event, supported by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, including policymakers, industry leaders, producers, civil society groups, scientists, and researchers from around the world. The Summit focused on accelerating investment in and support for agriculture and food systems innovation to combat climate change.

It was a momentous week for the Soil Health Institute to amplify the impact of soil health initiatives that play a crucial role in ensuring a resilient future for our food systems. Here are some highlights from our week in DC:

Tuesday, May 9

SHI’s Chief Scientific Officer, Cristine Morgan, Ph.D., participated in a panel discussion with Devon Leahy, Global Sustainability Officer at Ralph Lauren, Jesse Daystar, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cotton Incorporated, and Byron Rath, SHI’s Chief Impact Officer, to discuss the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF).

The breakout session, entitled “Measuring Soil Health: The Foundation of Regenerative Agriculture” addressed the strategies SHI is employing to quantify achievable levels of soil organic carbon concentration, carbon mineralization potential, aggregate stability, and available water holding capacity for different soil types across more than 11 million acres representing 85% of U.S. cotton production.

The USRCF is made possible with support from the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, the Walmart Foundation, the VF Foundation, Levi Strauss & Co, Cotton Incorporated, and the Hearst Foundations.

Learn more about USRCF.

SHI’s Chief Scientific Officer, Cristine Morgan, Ph.D., participated in a panel discussion with Devon Leahy, Global Sustainability Officer at Ralph Lauren, Jesse Daystar, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cotton Incorporated, and Byron Rath, SHI’s Chief Impact Officer, to discuss the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF).

Wednesday, May 10

The Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Project (DSWR), led by Dairy Management Incorporated (DMI), was announced as an Innovation Sprint by the Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate. The U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative aims to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality in the dairy industry while improving water use and quality. The DSWR project will collect data over six years to assess the greenhouse gas footprint and soil health of dairy farms in response to soil health management practices and innovative manure-based products.

SHI Project Manager and Research Soil Scientist, Dr. Mara Cloutier (featured below right alongside Dr. Tim Kurt, Senior Vice President of Environmental Research for DMI and SHI’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Cristine Morgan), works with dozens of dairies across the major production regions of the U.S. to baseline their soil health and carbon storage as part of this effort. DSWR is being implemented with generous support from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research with matching contributions from Nestlé, the dairy industry, and Newtrient.

Learn more about the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Initiative.

SHI’s Chief Scientific Officer, Cristine Morgan, Ph.D., was excited to join the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) Team’s AIM for Climate Panel “Scaling Healthy Soil Practices through Innovative Partnerships, Financing & Policy.” She was joined by colleagues from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), CIFOR-ICRAF, Clim-Eat, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Bayer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ohio State University, and Sustainable Harvest. Together, they highlighted on-the-ground advancements in accurate monitoring of soil health, opportunities for a soil health resolution in upcoming climate negotiations, and opportunities for equitable finance. SHI is excited to be linked with CA4SH in its efforts to improve soil health across the globe by addressing barriers that farmers face when adopting and scaling soil health management systems.

Learn more about CA4SH.

Learn more about SHI’s Recommended Measurements for Scaling Soil Health Assessment.

Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) Team’s AIM for Climate Panel “Scaling Healthy Soil Practices through Innovative Partnerships, Financing & Policy.”

The AIM for Climate Summit provided a platform for AIM for Climate partners to raise ambition and amplify their work in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation. Through our participation in various panels and discussions, SHI made a significant impact on this global audience and showcased our commitment to safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement.

A Minimum Suite of Soil Health Indicators for North American Agriculture

Posted on 02/22/202303/07/2023 by Soil Health Institute

Interpretive Summary of the Technical Paper:

“A minimum suite of soil health indicators for North American agriculture”

The concept of soil health is appropriately receiving increased attention from farmers, ranchers, corporations, governments, and others because of the many ways that healthy soils benefit farmers and the environment. Soil scientists use many types of measurements to assess how agricultural management impacts soil health; however, a uniform set of effective measurements is needed that can be widely used across different soils, climates, cropping systems, and management practices.

To address this need, the Soil Health Institute partnered with approximately 100 scientists to evaluate over 30 soil health measurements at 124 long-term agricultural research sites across North America. We found that many indicators are effective for assessing soil health from a research perspective. While this is good news for the science, we also wanted to identify a minimum suite of measurements that is practical and affordable for all land managers. Therefore, we also evaluated each measurement through additional filters, namely, that the indicator 1) primarily reflects soil health rather than inherent soil properties or fertility, 2) responds to agricultural management practices that exemplify soil health principles, 3) is conducive to measuring soil health at scale in terms of cost and availability, and 4) is not redundant with other measurements.

As a result of these assessments, the following minimum suite of soil health indicators is recommended for agricultural soils across North America: 1) soil organic carbon concentration, 2) carbon mineralization potential, 3) aggregate stability, and 4) predicted available water holding capacity. This minimum suite of soil health indicators is expected to increase the number of stakeholders capable of quantitatively testing their soil, which may increase adoption of management practices that result in healthier soils. Greater adoption of soil health-improving management systems will benefit farmers and the environment. Learn more about this project by reading the peer-reviewed manuscript here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667006223000011#bib0013

Soil Health Institute Receives Grant From Wells Fargo To Establish Soil Health Targets in Iowa

Posted on 02/09/202302/09/2023 by Soil Health Institute

MORRISVILLE, N.C., Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Soil Health Institute (SHI), a global non-profit with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soils, announced a $300,000 grant today from Wells Fargo to establish achievable levels of soil health and soil carbon (“Soil Health Targets”) for the Des Moines Lobe Region in Iowa. The agriculturally important region spans 7.75 million acres, including approximately 3.4 million acres in corn and 2.6 million acres in soybean production.

Scales for different Management Systems — Example application of Soil Health Targets by the Soil Health Institute. Pictures are of the same soil on the same day but under different management systems separated by a fence.

“Supporting soil health is critically important for our customers and communities as we continue to work toward a resilient, equitable, and sustainable future,” said Robyn Luhning, Chief Sustainability Officer at Wells Fargo. “Wells Fargo is pleased to support the Soil Health Institute’s work to deliver locally-relevant, actionable, and practical soil health information for growers and landowners in Iowa.”

“Soil health benefits growers, the environment, and society in many ways,” said Dr. Minerva Dorantes, Project Soil Scientist at SHI. “These include improved nutrient use efficiency, drought resilience, downstream water quality, greenhouse gas mitigation, carbon sequestration, and ultimately, profitability. At SHI, we are advancing the science and application of soil health. Determining achievable levels of soil organic carbon concentration, carbon mineralization potential, aggregate stability, and available water holding capacity for different soil types is foundational to our efforts and those of growers and landowners who manage this precious resource.”

“Because soils vary across a landscape in terms of their functional capacity to cycle water, nutrients, and carbon, SHI is grouping soils across the United States based on their inherent soil properties. Then, within those groups, SHI is sampling baseline production systems, soil health systems, and perennial reference systems to determine the effect of management on soil health status. By comparing their current soil health status to reference values, growers and their advisors can set achievable Soil Health Targets,” said Dr. Dorantes. “Our goal is to provide a standardized, science-based framework to measure and monitor soil health: the foundation of regenerative agriculture.”

About the Soil Health Institute

The Soil Health Institute is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to safeguard and enhance the vitality and productivity of soil through scientific research and advancement. We bring together leaders in soil health science and the industry to help farmers, ranchers, and landowners adopt soil health systems that build drought resilience, stabilize yield, and benefit their bottom line. The Institute’s team of scientists, holding doctorates in various soil science and related disciplines, has developed highly effective soil health targets and standardized measurements to quantify progress at achieving regenerative and sustainable agricultural systems, and leads the cutting-edge fields of carbon sequestration and decoding the soil microbiome. Healthy soils are the foundation for rejuvenating our land. Together, we can create a secure future for all, mitigate the effects of climate change, and help agriculture and organizations meet production and environmental goals at scale.

Visit www.soilhealthinstitute.org to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.

NAPESHM Intro Interpretive Summary

Posted on 10/26/2022 by Soil Health Institute

Interpretive Summary of the Technical Paper:

“Introducing the North American project to evaluate soil health measurements”

Soils play an essential role in provisioning ecosystem services including food, fiber, and fuel, being an integral part of water and nutrient cycles, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and supporting biodiversity. Ensuring the continued and enhanced delivery of these ecosystem services requires stewardship of our soil resource through the promotion and maintenance of soil health.

The North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements (NAPESHM) was initiated and led by the Soil Health Institute to identify widely applicable soil health measurements for assessing soil health. To address this objective, we evaluated over 30 soil health indicators at 124 long-term agricultural research sites across North America where conventional systems were compared with regenerative soil health systems. Sites were selected to enable statistical assessment of each soil measurement across a continental range in climates, soils, cropping systems, and management practices. A summary of the study design and approach are below.

Soil health measurements for evaluation were identified via a committee of scientists from public and private sectors, farmers, field conservationists, and soil test laboratories based on the criteria that the measurement could (a) be applied both regionally and continentally; (b) have a clear range of responses based on desired agricultural goals; and (c) be responsive to varying management practices. Based upon these criteria, measures of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties were selected along with three existing soil health evaluation programs.

SHI partnered with over 100 investigators at long-term agricultural field experiments across North America to identify sampling sites under continuous, monitored, replicated management for 10 years or more. Sites were selected to provide a range in soil health due to differences in: (a) physical disturbance (e.g., tillage, erosion, or grazing); (b) cover crops (e.g., grains, legumes, or combinations); (c) crop diversity (e.g., crop rotation or pasture species diversity); (d) nutrient management (e.g., addition of different amendments); (e) water management; and (f) geographical location and diversity.

At each site, plots were selected based on alignment with project criteria, regional relevance, and resource constraints. Avoidance of tillage, fertilization, seeding, or any other plot level disturbance directly before sampling was a priority in collection of all samples which drove timely sample collection between spring thaw and summer planting at northern sites and during the dormant period between crops at southern sites.

The NAPESHM soil archive is comprised of 2029 soil samples from long-term experimental sites which captured a range of climates, management practices, and inherent soil properties. Sampling sites were spread across a large geographic area representing spatially diverse growing conditions with mean annual temperature ranging from 5.8-17.5 °C and mean annual precipitation ranging from 384- 827 mm. This unique dataset has allowed SHI to identify and recommend a minimal suite of soil health measurements that can be widely applied across North America and likely beyond. The peer-reviewed publication summarizing the NAPESHM study design can be found here.