The Soil Health Nexus team is dedicated to increasing regional access to soil health research, knowledge, extension, and resources. This webpage serves as a hub for research-based soil health resources throughout the region.
Check back often, as we continue to build out our resources!
All Resources
Soil Health and Well-Being
This April edition of the Digital Café features Claire Friedrichsen, a research social scientist with the USDA. This session explores how well‑being functions as both a motivator and an outcome of soil health management. Claire will share findings from two qualitative studies showing how producers connect soil health practices to their own well‑being through competence, […]
Applying Soil Health Management To Reduce Weather Risks
Find out what really happens to different management systems when heavy rain hits. In this talk, Bailey Tangen, from the University of Minnesota, will share what she and her collaborators found when they compared tillage and cover crop systems in research plots and long-term on-farm sites in Minnesota, measuring soil moisture and aggregates before and […]
Synthesis of Short- and Long-term Studies Reporting Soil Quality Metrics under Agricultural and Municipal Biosolid Applications
This 2016 Manure and Soil Health Working Group Report provides a quick overview of how manure and biosolids influence soil health, showing where they improve soil structure, carbon, and biology, where over‑application creates risks, and where research gaps remain.
Manure Land Application and Soil Health Indicators 2016 Manure and Soil Health Working Group Report
This report examines 2016 Missouri soil health data to evaluate how manure applications relate to indicators such as organic carbon, active carbon, phosphorus, mineralizable nitrogen, bulk density, and aggregate stability. Statewide results showed limited differences due to small sample size and high variability, but county-level and long‑term experimental plot data demonstrated clearer increases in soil […]
Winter Manure Application: Management Practices and Environmental Impact
This 2016 Manure and Soil Health Working Group Report reviews the environmental risks and management considerations of winter manure application, drawing on decades of field studies, nutrient-loss research, and state-level policies. It summarizes contaminants of concern, factors influencing runoff, best management practices, and the range of regulatory approaches across northern U.S. states. The document provides […]
Winter Manure Application: Research Needs and Future Direction
This 2017 Soil Health Nexus report identifies major research gaps in winter manure application, highlighting uncertainties around nutrient losses, pathogens, emerging contaminants, policy impacts, and climate change. It outlines where more evidence is needed to guide safer, more effective manure management.
Winter Manure Literature Review: Document Summaries
This literature review, compiled by Extension experts, summarizes key peer‑reviewed studies from 2008 to 2017 on winter manure application, summarizing how timing, soil conditions, and weather influence nutrient losses. It offers quick, evidence‑based insights to help practitioners understand risks and inform better manure management decisions.
How do Soil Health and Regenerative Agriculture Align?
This edition of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Café discusses regenerative agriculture and soil health. What resources are needed to help farmers transition to regenerative agriculture? What resources are needed to support farmers’ soil health? Do these align? How does organic agriculture fit in? Don’t miss this engaging conversation with fellow soil health and agriculture […]
WCCDN: Reflections on 5 years of building a participatory data engagement and visualization platform
This December edition of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Café, spotlighted the Wisconsin Cover Crop Data Network (WCCDN)! The WCCDN began in 2020 with just 15 farmers and the goal of addressing a gap in real-world local data about cover crop performance across Wisconsin. In 2025, they have 50-60 farmers participating each year, representing farms […]
Soil Health Matrix Decision Tool
Welcome to the Soil Health Matrix Decision Tool. This tool was designed by the Soil Health Nexus with assistance from extension colleagues from the across the region and with financial support from North Central SARE.