This document summarizes a project to assess soil health across agricultural research sites in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The project will create a database of long-term research sites, collect standardized soil samples from selected sites, analyze the samples for a tiered set of chemical, biological, and physical indicators of soil health, and analyze the data to understand relationships between management practices, indicators, and outcomes. The goals are to advance understanding of how soil health is influenced by location and management, and to provide recommendations on using indicators in different production systems. Over 120 long-term research sites have already been entered into the project's database from 34 US states, 4 Canadian provinces, and 9 Mexican states.

1. Assessing and Expanding Soil Health
for Productivity, Economic, and Environmental Benefits
A project funded in part by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture
leveraging matching funds and the missions and capacities of
Photo credit: erieconserves.org
Safeguard and enhance
the vitality and
productivity of soil
through scientific
research and
advancement.
Conserve the lands and
waters on which all life
depends.
Measure and
communicate the
economic and
environmental
benefits of different
soil management
strategies.
2018 Soil and Water Conservation Society 2018 Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Paul W. Tracy – SHI Project Manager

2. Actions in the project
• Create a database of long-term (> 10
years) agricultural research sites in the
U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
• Establish collaborations with key long-
term agricultural experiment field sites.
• Convene an expert panel to establish
standard operating procedures (with
QA/QC plans) for soil sampling and
analyses for indicators.
• Collect soil samples from the research
network and have them analyzed at a
single laboratory.
• Tier 1 indicators at all sites.
• Tier 2 & 3 indicators at a subset.
• Assemble a database of indicator data
and location-specific metadata for
access by all participating locations.
• Analyze data to develop inferences
about how soil health indicators are
influenced by pedogenesis, location,
management history.
• Reach conclusions about relationships
among management practices, soil
health indicators, ecosystem services,
and other desired outcomes.
• Publish recommendations for use of
soil health indicators in different
production systems, soil types,
environments, at different scales.

3. Tier 1 Soil Health Indicators
Chemical/Biological Lab
pH
Electrical Conductivity
Cation Exchange Capacity
Total Nitrogen
Extractable Phosphorus
Extractable Potassium
Percent Base Saturation
Second./Micro. (Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn)
Organic Carbon (SOC)
Short-Term C Mineralization
Nitrogen Mineralization
Physical Lab/Field
Soil Texture
Bulk Density
Water Stable Aggregation (3
procedures)
Available Water Holding Capacity
Crop Yield
Erosion Rating
Soil Penetration Resistance
Water Infiltration Rate ?
Procedures can be found at:
https://soilhealthinstitute.org/soil-health-research

4. Tier 2 & 3 Soil Health Indicators
Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR)
EA’s: B-Glucosidase, B-Glucosaminidase
Phosphatase, Arylsulfatase
Soil Protein Index – Autoclave Citrate Extractable
Active Carbon – Permanganate Oxidizable C (POXC)
Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) (small subset?)
Ester-Linked Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (EL-FAME) (small subset?)
Genomics (all samples or large subset)
Reflectance
Others (indicators from frameworks/index programs)
Procedures can be found at: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/soil-health-research

5. Soil Health Index programs
Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF)
Cornell Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health
(CASH)
Haney Soil Test

6. Long-term agricultural research sites entered into the Web-GIS
program to date (July 20, 2018)
• 121 sites total
• 34 U.S. States (92 sites)
• 4 Canadian Provinces (19 sites)
• 9 Mexican States (10 sites)
• AB, AGU, AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, HID, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MB,
MEX, MI, MIC, MN, MO, MOR, MT, NC, ND, NE, NY, OAX, OH, OK,
ON, OR, PA, QTO, SC, SD, SK, SLP, SON,TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV
• USDA LTAR/GRACEnet/CEAP (currently being added)

7. SHI Web-GIS: 121 sites entered (July 20, 2018)

8. SHI Web-GIS – S. Great Plains N/S transect
(similar rainfall across latitude)
Knorr-Holden Plots – Scottsbluff, Nebraska
HPAL Long-Term Soil Management Tillage
Study – Sidney, Nebraska
Sterling Dryland Agroecosystem Project –
Sterling, Colorado
Byers Colorado Long-Term Fertilizer/Biosolids
Site - Byers, Colorado
Stratton Dryland Agroecosystem Project –
Stratton, Colorado
Large scale cropping systems; Long-term
irrigated corn fertility; Long-term irrigated
grain sorghum fertility; Tillage Intensity Study
sites at Tribune, Kansas
Walsh Dryland Agroecosystem Project –
Walsh, Colorado
Graded Terraces – Soil and Water
Conservation Study – Bushland, Texas

9. Using the SHI WEB-GIS program to evaluate individual sites

10. Sorting by treatment attribute:
Tillage Treatment Sites - 62 Cover Crop Sites - 42

11. Sorting by multiple treatment attributes:
tillage x cover crop
treatment sites –26

12. Soil health influencing prioritizations for intensive
sampling sites or treatments within sites
1) Soil disturbance
2) Soil cover (amount, active)
3) Species diversity
4) Soil nutrition
5) Others (irrigation, drainage, etc.)

13. Targeted timelines
• Make final site selections Sept., 2018
• Laboratory selections Sept., 2018
• Principle Investigator workshops Oct. 2018 – Jan. 2019
• Sample all selected sites Feb. 2019 – June 2019
• Finish laboratory analysis Fall of 2019
• Data interpretation Fall of 2019 – Dec. 2020

14. Thank You