A Field of Dreams.

For over two decades, soil testing has been advancing toward a more holistic approach by including soil physical and biological tests along with standard chemical tests to evaluate a soil's condition. In addition, many innovative techniques have been developed in recent years to test soils in real time, in the field, in the company of land managers. These tests, often referred to as 'soil quality indicators', are meant to help increase the managers' understanding of their soil's constraints and help them to evaluate their progress toward their soil sustainability and crop productivity goals. The goal of this session is to share knowledge about reliable, benchmarked techniques used to assess soil quality in the field. We will present a brief history of the soil quality concept, illustrate techniques and indices developed over the years and demonstrate several techniques for in field soil assessment that can be used to enhance discussions between extension personnel and land managers. Soil assessments are subsequently used to help practitioners choose management practices that will help to ameliorate soil constraints that are also economically, environmentally, socially and ethically sound.