Soil Quality Resources & Publications

Visit the Soil Quality Publications page for a comprehensive listing of technical, educational and outreach documents.

Soil Quality Thunderbook

A Soil Quality Thunderbook is a personalized collection of the soils materials you decide are most important to you and your customers. Download and print the Thunderbook skeleton, including the cover and spine, the body of the Thunderbook, and the divider tabs, then download, print and file the materials most useful to you.

Soil Quality Thunderbook Cover and Spine (PDF, 74KB)
Soil Quality Thunderbook Body (PDF, 244KB)
Soil Quality Thunderbook Divider tabs (PDF, 70KB)

Glossary of Terms

Visit the Glossary for an understanding of Soil Quality terms.

NRCS Training Opportunities

Soil Quality: Assessment and Applications for Field Staff - This training is designed to provide field personnel with an overall understanding of soil quality. Participants, upon completion of this course, will be able to recognize soil quality concerns, communicate those concerns to land managers and users, and provide alternatives to remedy those concerns in a manner that meets all requirements of the agency and the land manager and user. Go to the course description at the National Employee Development Center Web site for more information.

Farmer Workshops for Locally Developed Conservation Tools (Soil Quality Cards) - Prepares NRCS staff and partners to conduct farmer/conservationist participatory workshops and to develop local soil quality/health cards. The basic principles of farmer participatory action and learning are presented. Participants practice a step-wise approach to lead farmers in identifying soil quality indicators, developing a rating system, and designing a local soil quality/health card. Included are activities to enhance facilitation skills for farmer meetings and locally led conservation. Take-home strategies to market and develop local soil health cards are developed. (Available on request. Contact the NRCS Soil Quality Webmaster.)

NRCS Web Pages

• Science and Technology Consortium
• Ecological Sciences Division
• Land Degradation and Desertification
• State of the Land
• Urban Soils
• Phosphorus Index
• Conquest of the Land Through 7,000 Years

University Web Sites

• Illinois Soil Quality Initiative (ISQI)
• Sustainable Practices For Vegetable Production in the South
• Sustainable Farming Connection
• UC-SAREP Soil Quality Information
• Minnesota Soil Management Series  
• Southern Conservation Tillage Conference and Proceedings
• Sustaining the Global Farm

Other Web Sites

• Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)
• Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS)
• National Soil Tilth Laboratory (NSTL)
• Central Great Plains Research Station (CGPRS)
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
• National Association of Conservation Districts
• International Erosion Control Association
• Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection
• Landcare Research
• MicroLEIS