Our Vision
We envision vibrant and profitable organic and ecological farms that supply regional food systems with healthy and accessible food. We serve all producers and other professionals interested in organic and ecological agriculture with innovation and education.
Our Approach to Soil Health
Soil Health Defined:
The continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem to sustain life
The Continued Capacity…
Soil development is a long-term process that creates endless variety due to the interactions of climate, organisms, mineral composition, landscape position, and time.
Many interacting factors lead to a range of characteristics and capacity! These five soil profiles give a visual of the variety. Locations from left to right: Newport, Netarts, Corvallis, Philomath, Madras.
…To Function…
From creating plant available nutrients to water availability, when we manage land to support the microbial herd, the soil does work for us.
…As a Vital Living Organism…
Consider your whole town on one bit of sand, that is a soil microbial community. They poop, make new babies, and share info just like you.
…To Sustain Life
“…we owe our existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.” ~Paul Harvey
“Out of the long list of nature’s gifts to man, none is perhaps so utterly essential to human life as soil.” ~Hugh Hammond Bennett
Soil Health Measurements
Consistency, Comparisons, Indicators, Context
Soil Health Assessments
In most soil health assessments there is a comparison. Aim to make that fair and useful.
Be consistent with sampling:
- Depth (0-6 in is normal for SH)
- Timing (typically spring)
- Methods (in the lab and the field)
- Only compare among soils with similar texture and drainage.
Bookend Sampling
The goal of bookend sampling is to find the lowest and highest values you can expect for a given soil.
Low bookend: Area where the soil has not been nurtured with any soil health practices. Paler in color, hard to get a shovel in, probably low in organisms and roots present.
High bookend: Area that has long term grass or a mix of perennial plants covering the soil. Dark soil, soft to the touch, smells rich, is teaming with life, and has had minimal disturbance
Test more soils and fewer indicators. Focus on the “Essential Suite of Soil Health Indicators”
Within your own specific climate and soil you see the range of essential indicator values so you know where you are and where you are trying to go.
Soil Health Map
This map is component of our efforts to build a soil health interpretation database that uses six textural classes, four drainage classes, and ecoregion to account for the primary drivers of the soils ability to store carbon. Through analysis of the data, we have identified that this drops our number of sites needed to interpret 85% of agricultural soils in Oregon from 2000 series to 39 soil health sampling group (SHSGs). Through other grant funding, we are building this interpretation framework with bookend samples that demonstrate the upper and lower potential of each SHSG so that each of these systems can be evaluated relative to the particular soil’s dynamic capacity to function. Using this interpretation framework, we will be able to focus on how the cropping system and management practices influence a soil’s capacity. This information allows us to provide contextualized soil health suggestions to producers across the entirety of Oregon whilst still recognizing the importance of localized assessment.
Search for your address to view the most current research on local soil health status, along with key environmental factors that influence it, all drawn from up-to-date scientific data. This is a large dataset, so it may take a moment to load when you zoom in or utilize the search bar.Don’t see your location? This information is constantly updating, and so it may not be captured within the database yet but you are welcome to reach out if you have a specific area of concern that we can help address. Please note however, the program will not accept shortened prefixes or placenames. For example, you must write ‘Northwest’ not ‘NW’, and it must be an address not the name of a company or institution.
Legend
Hover over a code to see the full category name
Our Strategy
Over the past year, we have synthesized conversations and input from producers, technical assistants, researchers, industry stakeholders, soil and water conservation districts, nonprofit groups, agricultural businesses, OSU Extension faculty and others across Oregon into a structured needs assessment. From this, we have outlined a coordinated Extension Strategy for the SHES-OR lab and the wider Organic Agriculture Program centered on five connected efforts, click on each or scroll to learn more:
Soil health outcomes cooperative database
A long-term plan to link management practices with measurable outcomes such as profit, yield stability, plant disease, water dynamics, nutrient cycling, pest management and decreased inputs, using coordinated data, sampling protocols and interpretation tools.
Trusted AI tools for agriculture
Curated digital tools that help producers find reliable OSU Extension information without wading through multiple documents or unverified online results.
Cover Crop Variety Trials
Multi-location trials intended to improve characterization of cover crop varieties across Oregon conditions and increase producer confidence in adopting cover crops.
Translating information from publications on soils (TIPS)
A publication and media series designed to answer the questions producers ask most often through Extension articles, fact sheets, recorded presentations, podcasts and webinars.
Coordinated agricultural case studies
Systems-based case studies that document how producers are making soil health practices work in real operations, including economic outcomes that matter to farm decision-making.
Soil Health Outcomes Cooperative Database
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
Trusted AI Tools for Agriculture
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
Cover Crop Variety Trials
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
Translating information from publications on soils (TIPS)
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
Coordinating Agricultural Case Studies
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
SHES-OR: Future Directions in Soil Health
We are expanding long-term soil health trials across Oregon, integrating producer-led questions with rigorous science. Future work will refine region-specific soil health indicators, quantify economic returns, and co-create adaptive management tools with producers and stakeholders. Areas for growth include:
- Expanding SHOCD bookend sampling sites across Oregon’s diverse ecoregions.
- Refining the SHOCD minimum indicator suite (SOC, CO₂ Burst, Aggregate Stability) with region-specific interpretation benchmarks
- Scaling GrowIT into a producer-facing platform that connects individual farm records to the broader SHOCD database for field-level decision support
- Developing multi-location cover crop variety trials across additional Oregon climates.
- Growing the TIPS publication series to address high-priority, interdisciplinary producer questions
- Co-producing agricultural case studies with growers documenting real-world management transitions and soil health outcomes
