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Soil Quality  Assessment and Applications for Field Staff (000050)

Overview
This training is designed to provide field level conservationists and soil scientists with an overall understanding of soil quality and dynamic soil properties. The training can be tailored by landuse or specialty emphasis area using modules for cropland, pasture, range, eastern forests, sod and nursery crops, organic specialty crops, and/or salinity and sodicity. Upon completion of this course participants will be able to evaluate soil quality, dynamic soil properties and their relationship to onsite/offsite effects of management; communicate soil quality concerns to employees, partners and land managers through conservation technical assistance and planning that complies with national policy; and apply soil quality, ecological principles and conservation technology holistically to supply safe, healthy and abundant food and fiber and sustain ecosystem functions on all land types


Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  1. define or describe soil quality terms or concepts to develop an understanding of the soil ecosystem and soil functions
  2. explain the differences between soil survey comparison studies, inventory and assessment, and monitoring
  3. define soil change and explain its relationship to soil quality and soil function
  4. describe causes and types of soil degradation in order to identify broad resource management needs
  5. discuss soil chemical, physical, and biological properties and the soil functions they affect
  6. evaluate and compare management practices for limiting physical and chemical disturbance
  7. apply agroecology technologies that build or degrade soil function
  8. be knowledgeable of soil features that indicate good soil health using field observations
  9. use farmer input (goals) and background data to initiate inventory and assessment of soil resources
  10. analyze collected data to identify problems and priorities for improvements
  11. understand how improving soil quality improves productivity and profitability
  12. understand the costs of poor soil quality on air and water quality
  13. use soil quality demonstrations to promote conservation
  14. list and describe solutions to overcoming management barriers
     

Prerequisites
Background knowledge of soils

Duration
2.5 – 3 days, depending on the selection of an optional module

Target Audience
NRCS staff in the 400 & 800 Series and Partners, particularly those involved in resource inventory and conservation planning with land managers or assessment of dynamic soil properties for soil survey.

NEDC Contact
Tony Lovell
817/509-3248

Technical Specialist
Holli Kuykendall 

Enrollment

Go to AgLearn to request enrollment in Soil Quality Assessment and Applications for Field Staff (000050).