Soil Health in Nebraska: Exploring Practitioners' Needs and Insights from a Long-term Organic Farm

Authors

Ingrids Isabel Mata Vigil, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Andrea D. Basche

Second Advisor

Carolina Córdova

Committee Members

Amanda Easterly

Date of this Version

7-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Major: Agronomy

Under the supervision of Professors Andrea D. Basche and Carolina Córdova

Lincoln, Nebraska, July 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Ingrids Isabel Mata Vigil. Used by permission

Abstract

Soil health is foundational to sustainable agriculture, environmental resilience, and long-term food security. Yet, the adoption of soil health assessments remains limited, often perceived as too technical, costly, or difficult to implement in real-world contexts. To better understand these challenges, the first chapter presents findings from a statewide survey of 41 soil health practitioners in Nebraska, including farmers, extension educators, NRCS staff, and conservation professionals. Respondents highlighted the need for simpler, more accessible, and context-specific tools for soil health assessment that help practitioners make informed decisions aligned with their management goals. Complementing these insights, the second chapter includes an independent, comprehensive soil health assessment conducted on a nine-year organic crop rotation at The Grain Place Foods Organic Farm in Central Nebraska. Physical, chemical, and biological soil health indicators were evaluated in 2021 across four crop phases: soybean, corn, popcorn, and pasture, and three benchmark systems: a conventionally managed cornfield, an unplowed pasture, and a 35-year-old tree line. Results showed that systems with perennial cover and reduced disturbance, such as the unplowed pasture benchmark and the soybean crop phase, performed better in terms of soil structure, nutrient cycling, and microbial activity compared to systems that are annually managed and conventionally tilled. These two chapters offer practical insights to improve soil health assessment in Nebraska. By combining practitioner perspectives with detailed field data, this work highlights ways to make soil health indicators more accessible, easier to interpret, and more useful across farms and diverse agroecosystems.

Advisors: Andrea D. Basche and Carolina Córdova