Farming in a soil health system is a different way of farming for many. It is important for soil health advocates like me to remember this when working with everyone.

I spend lots of time working with farmers who have established advanced soil health systems. However, many of you are just beginning your soil health journey or haven’t started yet. I run the risk of scaring you away from soil health if I get too advanced in soil health discussions and possible management changes.

Let’s start at the beginning and make sure we’re all on the same playing field. That starts with a good, solid definition.

The soil is much more than a physical medium for growing crops; it is a living biological ecosystem. As definitions go, this one is straightforward: “Soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital, living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans.”

Closer look at definition

There is a lot to unpack here. Let’s break it down together:

Health. This term is usually used in the context of a living organism. Before we used the phrase “soil health,” soil scientists used the phrase “soil quality.” Quality is something that can be used to measure one thing against another. “Health” defines a state of well-being. It is the normalcy of being able to function. So, health is for the living, and because soil is a vital living ecosystem, we evaluate its state of well-being.

Continued capacity. This phrase indicates we want health to be long-lasting without interruption; deal with a stressor and resume working after that interruption occurs. A healthy soil will recover from disturbances, rejuvenate and then sustain itself at that high capacity. If soils didn’t have continued capacity, there would be no hope of ever coming back from a degraded state.

Ability to function. Our soils must provide the functions of food, fiber and fuel production, whether that is for us or for the other organisms in the ecosystem. Soil’s primary functions are to infiltrate, store and filter water, cycle nutrients, provide a physically stable platform on which to farm, and be a home for soil life. There are so may actions in the soil that fall under these broad functional categories, including residue breakdown, building soil aggregates and water availability.

Vital living ecosystem. Everyone should recognize that the ground beneath our feet is alive. While land uses and ecosystems may differ across the landscape, it’s a living system, nonetheless.

Sustains plants, animals and humans. This phrase points out that we, and everything around us, are a part of and benefit from that ecosystem. It is our job to find ways to manage soils for optimum health because this ensures soils are sustainable for future generations.

Ultimately, soils, much like humans, need to be healthy to function properly. When they are out of whack, the entire system suffers and cannot function properly, much less sustain itself in the present or for the future. Start thinking now about what soil health means to you and why it is important to your soil, your farm and future generations.

McLain is the Indiana soil health specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She writes on behalf of the Indiana Conservation Partnership.