Soil health as a multidimensional concept to support resilience and viability of working lands in the Great Plains

Soil health is an evolving concept in agricultural sciences, with a current emphasis on the metrics and properties used to measure the soil quality and its role in ecosystem health and farm and ranch production. While soil health indicators often reflect the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the soil, soil health colloquially can mean much more to producers than what can be measured in the soil profile itself. Two studies conducted with ranchers and farmers across the Great Plains region of the United States explored the multidimensionality of the concept of soil health and how producers perceive and manage for improved soil quality and associated soil health outcomes. We synthesize qualitative data from these two studies to explore how the concepts of soil health described by producers include but are not limited to biophysical properties of soil. Our results show that participants consider soil health to be both a specific goal of monitoring and a characteristic of resilient and viable operations. The results suggest that approaching soil health as a multidimensional concept aligns with producer priorities, local knowledge, and sustainability goals to better support the future of agriculture in the Great Plains. Technical assistance providers and market actors may benefit from approaching soil health from not only the measurable or physical properties of the soil but also the economic and social benefits, as well as the biological. Centering soil health in concepts such as resilience in a changing climate and long-term economic viability can help bridge the science-industry gap and appeal to the more immediate needs of producers.