Report Soil Health

Overview and History

As agricultural producers adapt to changing conditions, there is a growing interest in understanding and maximizing soil health to reduce water consumption and help soil recover from processes that might diminish its productivity. Cover crops, crop rotation, manure amendments and composting are just a few of the practices that can be used to filter out pollutants and reduce runoff.

Since 1910, both the federal government and the states have taken an active role in addressing soil health. The federal focus gained traction under the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service, was established in 1935 within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to manage soil and water resources on agricultural, grazing and forestry lands. The NRCS is responsible for a number of soil health innovations, including the creation in 1937 of soil conservation districts and an ongoing focus on providing and administering financial assistance for conservation programs. The agency’s mission is to “deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world.”

Defining Soil Health

The Natural Resources Conservation Service defines soil health as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans” and considers soil to be a living natural resource. Healthy soil provides five essential functions: regulating water, sustaining plant and animal life, filtering and buffering potential pollutants, cycling nutrients, and providing physical stability and support. The NRCS says a number of indicators can be used to measure soil health, including water and nutrient retention, structure, soil depth, relative carbon and stability. The agency also identifies the four main principles for managing soil health as maximizing the presence of living roots, minimizing disturbances, maximizing soil cover and maximizing biodiversity.

More information about soil health and its management can be found on the agency’s Soil Health webpage.

Federal Programs 

Agricultural producers have access to a number of federal agencies, programs and resources to help address soil health in their agricultural operations. The USDA, which provides a number of conservation programs and educational resources, addresses soil health through the NRCS and the agency’s Soil Health Division. The division collaborates with states and other partners to provide training and technical leadership to ensure the USDA can provide effective support on the use of soil health assessments and the development and implementation of soil health management systems.  

Federally, soil health is addressed mainly through conservation programs, which are largely administered by the USDA. An overview of the department’s most relevant programs:  

• The Environmental Quality Incentive Program assists agricultural producers, including farmers, ranchers, and foresters, by providing financial and one-on-one, free technical assistance with integrating conservation practices on agricultural lands. Activities can include improving soil health and reducing soil erosion, among others. Under the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the program received $8.45 billion in additional funding. 
• The Conservation Stewardship Program provides financial aid and free technical assistance to agricultural producers to increase conservation efforts on their lands. The program uses one-on-one communication to identify specific natural resources issues and develop conservation plans to meet producer goals. The program encourages producers to implement certain agricultural practices in their operations by paying them an annual financial incentive. The program recently received $3.5 billion in additional federal funding. 
• The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program has been split into two subprograms: Agriculture Land Easements (ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE). Both ACEP programs are intended to help private and tribal landowners and certain other entities protect their eligible agricultural and grazing lands by limiting nonagricultural uses. Additionally, ACEP works to conserve, protect, restore and enhance grazing land and wetlands. The program recently received $1.4 billion in additional federal funding. 
• The Regional Conservation Partnership Program uses a partner-driven approach to apply conservation funding solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Conservation-focused activities can include land management, land improvement and land restoration, among others. The program recently received $4.95 billion in additional federal funding. 
• The Conservation Technical Assistance Program provides technical assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. Program activities can include resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. The program recently received $1 billion in additional federal funding. 
• Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. According to the USDA, climate-smart commodities are produced using agricultural practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This program offers financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers who voluntarily implement climate-smart production practices; develop markets for and promote the use of climate-smart commodities; and develop innovative and cost-effective methods for addressing GHG reduction. The program delivered $3.1 billion to 141 projects in 2022. Some of these projects address soil health.  
• Highly Erodible Lands and Wetlands provisions. The USDA mandates that all entities participating in or receiving a grant from one of its programs must abide by the department’s Highly Erodible Lands and Wetlands provisions. These provisions prevent agricultural producers from farming on converted wetlands, producing an agricultural commodity on highly erodible land without an adequate conservation system, or converting a wetland for farming. 

In addition to the above programs, agricultural producers can use other USDA resources to address soil health: 

• National Resources Inventory. This statistical survey tracks land use, natural resource conditions and other trends on U.S. non-federal lands. The NRI is intended to help protect, restore and enhance lands, which it does by publishing collected information on the status, condition and trends of land, soil, water and other resources.  
• Web Soil Survey. This survey provides important soil information and other data to assist entities with land-use and management decisions.  

• Healthy Soils, Healthy Food, Healthy People Initiative. This initiative studies and evaluates which soils and soil qualities produce the best nutritional yield to improve food production systems.  
• Western Water and Working Lands Framework for Conservation Action. This initiative identifies agricultural areas with threatened water supplies and provides strategies and guidance for NRCS investments in those communities. Strategies include addressing soil moisture and wetland restoration. Grants include Conservation Innovation grants; Competitive, Special and Facilities research grants; and Competitive (AFRI and Non-AFRI) grants; among others. 

Soil Health in the Community 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers opportunities for communities to access federal support for local soil health assessments. Soil Screening, Health, Outreach, and Partnership (soilSHOP) events provide community members with free lead screening of soil gathered from local gardens and outdoor play spaces. SoilSHOP events aim to increase community health awareness with testing results and strategies to reduce exposure to harmful contaminants. CDC support on contaminants can be a helpful resource, given the continued interest in urban agriculture and community revitalization.  

Federal Legislation  

While federal programs help agriculture producers address soil health directly, federal legislation authorizes and provides the funding for these programs and can often be used to supplement existing programs. Outlined below are some recent federal measures addressing soil health:  

The farm bill, first enacted in the 1930s as a part of the New Deal, is omnibus legislation that typically is revised and renewed by Congress and signed by the president every five years. In modern history, the farm bill has been the primary source of soil health legislation. The 2018 Farm Bill (Public Law (P.L.) 115-334) contained several provisions that addressed soil health, including increasing incentives for conservation practices and improving access to soil health support for beginning and socially disadvantaged producers. Although draft language has not yet been released for the 2023 Farm Bill, it is likely that soil health will be addressed, especially given the expected increased focus on and expansion of conservation and climate efforts. For more information about the farm bill generally, see NCSL’s Field to Table: A Farm Bill Primer. 

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-169) was a significant piece of legislation that addressed a number of key domestic issues through federal investments. Notably, the act encouraged energy investments in rural areas, provided funding to incentivize federally supported farming practices, and helped make communities more resilient to extreme weather. These investments included an increase in funding for several USDA conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and Conservation Technical Assistance Program, all of which indirectly address soil health. The act specifically addressed soil health by authorizing $300 million for actions that improve soil carbon, reduce nitrogen losses or address agriculture-related greenhouse gases. Overall, the act provided approximately $19.5 billion in additional investments. 

The 118th Congress has introduced a number of bills that address soil health, including the Agriculture Innovation Act of 2023 in the Senate (S 98) and the Water Quality and Environmental Innovation Act in the House (HR 873). Neither of these bills, nor the other relevant legislation introduced during this session, has been voted on by either chamber. A complete list of soil health legislation introduced this session can be found here. 

State Soil Health Program Initiatives 

Many states administer soil health programs within their borders, allowing them to implement strategies unique to their circumstances, such as agricultural demand, weather patterns and disaster risks. The programs are often managed by state departments of agriculture or environment, or by public university programs and extensions. Support can include education programs, financial resources, technical assistance and more.  

• California’s Healthy Soils Program promotes the development of healthy soil on the state’s farm and ranch lands and offers financial assistance opportunities such as: 

• • Financial incentives to implement conservation management practices, reduce greenhouse gases and improve soil health. In 2021, the state Department of Food and Agriculture awarded 940 projects, totaling over $66 million. In addition, the program provides free technical assistance to applicants and awardees. 
  • Demonstration project funding allows farms to use conservation management practices, collect data and promote healthy soil management. 
  • Regional block grants.  

• The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources offers a noncompetitive grant that provides cost-share dollars for practices focused on soil health. The Minnesota Office of Soil Health (MOSH) was established through a partnership between the board and the University of Minnesota, aiming to promote soil health and conservation. MOSH initiatives include: 

• • Educational resources such as the Soil Health Transition guide, workshops for local farmers and technical training. 
  • Research on soil health, including the Minnesota Cover Crop Guide and the Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Grant. 

• The goal of the Nebraska Soil Health Initiative is to increase awareness of soil health and the related resources and programs available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The initiative leads a citizen science project, recruiting urban farmers to implement new soil health management practices, providing data to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The participants receive a free annual soil health test and supplies to implement new soil health management practices. 
• North Dakota’s Soil Health Cover Crop Grant program protects and enhances soil statewide, targeting cropland areas impacted with alkaline soils. The state Department of Agriculture provides $25 per acre to successful applicants.  

• North Dakota State University has an active Soil Health Team that works alongside the community, providing several resources. For example, the “Soil Sense” podcast allows farmers and agricultural stakeholders to collaborate and discuss healthier soils. In addition, the university offers educational blog posts, Cover Crop workshops and webinars available to the public. 

• New York’s Soil Health program collaborates with Cornell University on soil health initiatives in education, outreach and research. Some resources include: 

• • Events and webinars, including the Soil Health Resiliency field day and the Advanced Soil Health Training course. 
  • Educational soil health videos on topics including soil health principles, economics of soil health, and no-till or reduced-till. 
  • Guides, reports and policy briefs, including the organic no-till soybean guide, NYS Soil Health Characterization and New York Soil Health Roadmap. 
  • Cornell University has multiple resources, including Soil Health Training, Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health, Cover Crop Guide for vegetable growers, and the Climate Smart Farming Program. 
  • Small farm resources include reduced tillage, cover crops and tarping. 

• Oklahoma has multiple programs supporting soil health, including: 

• • Oklahoma’s Conservation Districts host soil health field days and partner for on-farm demonstrations to spread knowledge with local agriculture producers and the public. 
  • Oklahoma’s Conservation Commission leads the Soil Health Education program to train conservation district employees. The program’s in-person workshops teach techniques for understanding, assessing and restoring soil health. 
  • Oklahoma State University partners with agriculture producers, conducting field trials to evaluate cover crops and no-till cropping systems. 

• Utah’s Soil Health program promotes healthy soil practices throughout the state. The program resources and benefits include: 

• • Soil health equipment grants allowing farmers and ranchers to implement soil health practices such as cover crops and no-till.  
  • A free-soil health assessment that uses a set of simple tests and observations to estimate the health of the soil in a field.  
  • On-farm health demonstration projects to collect data across the state’s various farming systems to develop and implement better soil practices. 

Recent State Action 

Soil health continues to be a robust policy area in state legislatures. Recently enacted legislation addresses areas such as education, technical assistance and resilience to extreme weather.