2021/07/26 by Jordon Wade, J. Wade, Margaret Beetstra +7
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Diverse Educational Innovations Studies #Rangeland and Wildlife Management #Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.2489/jswc.2021.02158
openalex publication_date 2021/07/26 · crossref created 2021/07/26 · crossref issued 2021/11/01 · crossref published 2021/11/01 · crossref published-online 2021/11/01 · crossref published-print 2021/11/01 · crossref deposited 2025/06/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Stakeholder conceptualizations of soil health inform agricultural decision-making. Currently, diverse sources of soil health knowledge have resulted in divergent conceptualizations of soil health across groups. Using a combination of mail and online surveys of corn (<i>Zea mays</i> L.), soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> [L.] Merr.), and wheat (<i>Tritcum aestivum</i> L.) farmers (<i>n</i> = 89); USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel (<i>n</i> = 134); and agricultural researchers (<i>n</i> = 42) in the Midwest; we (1) investigated how members of these groups perceived prioritization of soil health by farmers, (2) explored conceptual linkages with soil health, and (3) assessed the efficacy of soil testing methods. Farmers ranked soil health as a much higher priority (8.5/10) than NRCS personnel and researchers expected (4.9 and 5.7, respectively). While there were many areas of shared conceptualization, there were also key systematic differences across groups. Use of specific types of soil tests was positively associated with their valuation, with the exception of farmer use of soil health tests. Farmers ranked soil health tests as providing highly valued information but reported low use, suggesting barriers to adoption rather than a lack of interest. These findings have implications for both communication and research strategies for soil health.