Technical Abstract: Soil quality assessment can help land owners and managers appreciate the multiple functions that soils perform and thus improve the resource management decisions they make. Our objective is to show how the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) can complement the Soil Conditioning Index (SCI) and improve soil management. The SCI predicts whether a soil and crop management system will result in decreasing, stable, or increasing levels of soil organic matter (SOM). It is a good first step toward moving beyond T for conservation planning, but focusing on a single indicator (SOM) has raised concern among several groups including both scientists and producers. The SMAF offers a more comprehensive soil quality assessment by including biological, chemical, and physical indicators. One current limitation to using the SMAF for conservation planning is the requirement for measured data, but it is being adapted to interpret results of simulation models such as the Economic and Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC). Opportunities for collaboration and further improvement of the SMAF are discussed, so it can ultimately be used to help guide management or restoration and contribute to long-term sustainability of soil resources.