(Ankeny, Iowa – January 8, 2026) Soil health is based on a complex interaction of physical, chemical, and biological components that can enhance agricultural productivity, strengthen soil ecosystems, and reduce the environmental impacts of farming. A special issue of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (JSWC) brings together cutting-edge research that assesses how various conservation practices promote soil health as well as how producers view their adoption.
Healthy soils are the foundation for food, clean water, and thriving ecosystems. In this comprehensive issue, organizers Jerry L. Hatfield (formerly of USDA Agriculture Research Service National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment), Humberto Blanco-Canqui (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Cristine L.S. Morgan (Soil Health Institute), and Adam Reimer (National Wildlife Federation) trace the evolution of the concept of soil health—from soil tilth to soil health to regenerative agriculture—and argue for the necessity of investing in our understanding of and management practices for soil health now.
“We often focus on applying more irrigation water and more inorganic fertilizers to produce crops rather than equally focusing on improving the capacity of the soil to retain water and nutrients, resist abrupt changes, and return to predisturbance levels after stresses, known as resilience,” says co-organizer Humberto Blanco-Canqui. He adds that another key factor is understanding what motivates agricultural producers to plan for and implement these practices: “Boosting the adoption of soil conservation practices should be our goal to safeguard soils.”
Research Highlights: Refining Soil Health Practices
Articles in the special issue illustrate what soil health progress looks like in practice, with various tools, and across different environments and US regions. Studies include findings on
- prairie strips in Iowa, which enhanced 8 out of 12 soil health indicators on actively farmed landscapes within a decade (Dutter et al. 2025);
- compost and cropping intensity in water-limited systems, which showed that aggregate stability and microbial activity are positively linked, underscoring the need for management-sensitive indicators of soil water dynamics in these regions (Noble Strohm et al. 2025);
- performance and cost analysis of cover crop mixes and seeding rates, which found an inconsistent effect on soil health parameters across four years and five US states (Starr et al. 2025); and
- different compost application rates, with a recommendation for higher application rates on older, more developed soil on similar degraded rangelands (Wilson et al. 2025).
Understanding the People Behind the Practices
The special issue also explores how agricultural producers perceive soil health and what drives—or limits—their adoption of soil health practices. Interviews with producers reveal that
- ranchers and farmers perceive soil health in terms of economic and social goals, not only technical ones (Grinnell et al. 2025);
- social networks, regionally tailored outreach, and visible on-farm evidence are significant motivators for Kansas agricultural producers in adopting soil health practices (Hill-Sullins et al. 2025); and
- Michigan row crop farmers understand key properties and outcomes of healthy soils but are less certain of how on-farm management translates to improved soil health (Ulbrich et al. 2025).
Collectively, the findings in this special issue equip agricultural producers with tested practices and recommendations while providing conservation professionals with strategies to strengthen outreach, policy design, education, and communication around soil health management.
“At its core, soil health is grounded in optimism—the belief that degraded soils can regenerate,” says co-organizer Cristine L.S. Morgan. “The articles in this special issue reflect a shared commitment to exploring the many dimensions of that hopeful vision.”
JSWC, the multidisciplinary journal of the Soil and Water Conservation Society published by Taylor & Francis, focuses on natural resource conservation research, practice, policy, and perspectives. For more information on the special issue, visit https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uswc20/80/4.
###
About SWCS
For eighty years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has been the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society. The Soil and Water Conservation Society is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, with chapters across the United States and internationally.
For More Information:
For more information about the special issue or the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, reach out to pubs@swcs.org.