May 22, 2026
“Putting the Soil Health Principles to the Test in Iowa, USA” with Dr. Marshall McDaniel and Hillary Olson
Soil health principles can help guide farmers in best practices for long term soil health and improvement. However, it’s important to test these principles across locations and contexts to see how their implementation is actually shaping soil health. In this episode, Marshall and Hillary join me to discuss testing the soil health principles in Iowa and how this might be expanded into further regions.
Tune in to learn:
· What the soil health principles are
· Which soil health indicators are fast or slow movers
· Why it’s difficult to weight soil health principles
· What future research is yet to be done
If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20761
This paper is always freely available.
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.
If you would like to reach out to Marshall,
you can find him here:
marsh@iastate.edu
If you would like to reach out to Hillary, you
can find her here:
hillary.olson@usda.gov
Resources
Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/app/transcript/NmEwZWZmOWI2MGY5M2E0NzIxNzBhMzk0N3dEdVNTQTJSZlpW/o/VEMwNzE0NTg0MjI2
NRCS Soil Health website: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soil/soil-health
In field soil health assessment: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/soil/soil-health/soil-health-assessment
McDaniel lab: https://www.soil-plant.com
McDaniel lab X: https://x.com/Soil_Plant_IXNs
McDaniel lab Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/soil-plant.bsky.social
McDaniel Lab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soil-plant-ixns/
Soil Health Institute: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/
Soil Health Institute Slakes Test: https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/slakes/#overview
Maximum water holding capacity with a DIY method: A simple, affordable, do-it-yourself method for measuring soil maximum water holding capacity. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 55(8), 1190-1204.
Permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) study: Permanganate oxidizable carbon reflects a processed soil fraction that is sensitive to management. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0286
A Soil Owner’s Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health by John Stika: https://www.amazon.com/Soil-Owners-Manual-Restore-Maintain/dp/1530431263
Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis: https://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Organic-Gardeners-Revised/dp/1604691131
Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.