Healthy soils are the foundation of productive, resilient farming systems.
Promoting soil health to sustain the long-term productivity of Nebraska’s working lands supports USDA’s 2026 research and development priorities, including regenerative agriculture, resource conservation and resilient production systems.
To help advance those priorities, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and the Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partnered July 13–16 to provide four days of soil health training for 12 professionals representing NRCS and an NRD. This partnership is essential to strengthening regenerative agriculture efforts statewide by ensuring the professionals who advise Nebraska producers have the latest science, training and tools to support on-the-ground decision-making.
This event marked the second collaborative soil health training hosted by UNL and Nebraska NRCS. Carolina Córdova, UNL soil health specialist, and Miranda Mueller, Córdova’s lab program coordinator, coordinated the training on behalf of UNL.
The training fulfills requirements for NRCS employees seeking Conservation Planner Certification, aiming to enhance their expertise in supporting Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
Given the critical role soil health plays in agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability, this training is vital for advancing both economic and environmental outcomes.
A critical component of this training was connecting NRCS field staff with the latest technology for sampling and monitoring soil, water, plants and animals. By understanding advanced management strategies, field staff are better prepared to help Nebraska producers become more efficient and profitable, all while protecting vital soil and water resources and meeting conservation program goals.
Throughout the week, participants moved between classroom instruction at the NRCS facilities in Lincoln and hands-on field experiences at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC), near Mead and Rogers Memorial Farm in Lincoln. Presenters included UNL and NRCS specialists who shared practical tools and research-based strategies for improving soil function with direct application to working farms and ranches. Specific modules included deep dives into precision agriculture, such as irrigation and in-season nitrogen application, as well as grazing principles and crop-livestock integration.
Participants also received specialized training on rethinking management paradigms through ecological nutrient management, water quality and quantity monitoring, and utilizing platforms like Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS).
Additionally, the agenda included a networking session where participants met with NRCS partners such as the Nebraska Corn Board, Center for Rural Affairs, Nebraska Extension, The Nature Conservancy, and the Nebraska Department of Water, Environment and Energy.
The importance of this intensive, multi-day training cannot be overstated. By combining classroom learning with field-based demonstrations, staff were able to translate theory into practice and evaluate outcomes under real-world conditions.
Participants engaged in tabletop rainfall simulator demonstrations and traveled to the long-term tillage plots at Rogers Memorial Farm to conduct an In-Field Soil Health Assessment (IFSHA), along with learning about the application and importance of Conservation Evaluation Monitoring Activity (CEMA) 216: Soil Health Testing and soil health scoring frameworks used in conservation planning and program delivery.
The training culminated in collaborative group project planning, where teams worked to strategize and implement Soil Health Management Systems (SHMS) and deliver final soil health plan presentations. These projects mirrored the types of recommendations provided to producers.
A major goal of the training was to enhance the expertise of conservation professionals so they can better support Nebraska producers in making informed soil health decisions. By combining science, field observation and collaborative planning, the training reinforced the idea that building healthy soils is a shared effort between producers, technical service providers and conservation partners. The knowledge and partnerships developed during the event will directly translate to better support for producers’ long-term soil health, conservation and profitability efforts across Nebraska's working landscapes, while aligning with state and federal conservation priorities.
To get an inside look at this training and hear from the organizers, presenters and participants, watch the Market Journal news segment covering the event.
If you have questions or want to learn more about soil health (practices, monitoring tools, lab tests, and scoring frameworks), contact Caro Córdova.
