Soil health collaborative: evaluating use of soil health practices -- objective 1. Develop opportunities and remedies to support greater use of those practices

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Central Program Planning Coordination and Support awarded a $645,433.80 cooperative agreement to Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Inc. on September 24, 2025, under the Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research program (CFDA 10.001).

The award funds the Soil Health Collaborative, which develops opportunities and remedies to support greater use of soil health practices; identifies and communicates benefits and outcomes of those practices; develops an assessment framework for soil health metrics and identifies soil health-building practices for both short- and long-term farm and ecosystem resilience; and facilitates demonstration efforts related to soil health. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, delivers sustainable agriculture technical assistance and farmer support services across the Upper Midwest. Work is performed at East Troy, Wisconsin. The period of performance runs from September 24, 2025, through September 23, 2027.

Objective 2: identify and communicate benefits and outcomes of soil health practices. Objective 3: develop an assessment framework for soil health metrics and identify soil health building practices for both short- and long-term farm and ecosystem resilience. Objective 4: facilitate demonstration efforts related to soil health.