New York Soil Health

New York State’s hub for soil health-related networking, research, education, and outreach

New York Soil Health for Healthy Food, Profitable Farms, and Protection of Natural Resources

Interest in soil health practices such as reducing tillage, planting cover crops, and using organic amendments has expanded greatly in recent years, yet barriers to adoption persist. Our project facilitates collaboration among the many ongoing efforts across the state to implement research, outreach, and policy solutions to address these barriers to adoption.

What is soil health?

Soil health refers to the ongoing ability of soil to function as a vital, living ecosystem that supports plants, animals, and people. As we work to restore degraded soils and track our progress, defining and measuring soil health has become increasingly important. We follow the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) definition, which emphasizes the soil’s role in sustaining life and ecological balance.

Featured Video

How to Test Soil Health

In this four-part video series, developed in collaboration between the New York Soil Health initiative and the Cornell Small Farms Program, you’ll see four simple yet powerful demonstrations that show both the profound impacts management decisions can have on soil health and how to test your soil’s health.

View Videos



Project Members

Meet the project coordinators and collaborators



Featured Resource

Overview of biochar, resources, and information targeted towards ag applications for NYS producers.



Policy Briefs

Browse policy briefs that provide evidence-based recommendations.

I

Videos

A selection of videos covering soil health principles, soil health economics, cover crops, and more.

NY Soil Health News

View all news

Cover Cropping for Soil Health: Field Day at FoodLink Community Farm and New Zine for Urban Gardens

11/07/2025

Community gardeners, educators, and agency partners gathered Sept. 16 at the FoodLink Community Farm in Rochester for a hands-on field day focused on cover cropping and urban soil health.

Animal Mortality Composting Demonstration Scheduled for Nov. 6th in Erie County

11/04/2025

Cornell Cooperative Extension is partnering with the Cornell Waste Management Institute, Western NY Crop Management, local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and Pro-Dairy to bring an interactive learning tour of an on-farm mortality composting demonstration to farmers and farm service providers.

Governor Hochul Announces Two Grant Opportunities to Help Address Impacts of Climate Change and Protect Water Quality

10/09/2025

The State is making $24 million available to support soil health and on-farm projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve water quality through the Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program. In addition, $2 million is available through the State’s Ecosystem Based Management Program.