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The requirements of agricultural and environmental sustainability have dramatically redefined soil quality. The traditional view of soil quality as measured by soil performance and productivity, is now considered inadequate for what it does not and cannot reveal. Accordingly, the emerging definition of soil quality extends beyond crop production to issues of food safety, human and animal health, and water quality (Doran and Parkin; Parr et al.).
Concern for soil quality is not limited to agricultural scientists, natural resource managers, and policymakers. Farmers also have a vested interest in soil quality; its stewardship and maintenance have always rested with them. Farmer interest in soil health, a term some farmers prefer to soil quality, may have been encouraged by their desire to examine and validate the management practices they use on their own farm. Evidence of farmer interest shows in the increased attention to soil health in alternative farming publications like New Farm and Acres USA.
Over the last decade, farmers in traditional farming systems have been credited for their sophisticated knowledge of agroecosystems (Alcorn; Bentley; Thrupp). The working knowledge possessed by these farmers accumulates through experiences in the material world and is attuned to the ecological and social realities of the local environment (Harper; Kloppenburg; Orr; Weinstock). Researchers have articulated that those close to the land have complex folk soil taxonomies (Bellon and Taylor; Williams and Ortiz-Solorio), possess a variety of practical solutions to conserve agricultural resources (Pawluk et al.; Zimmerer), and employ intricate methods to manage soils (Bocco; Hecht; Perrot-Maitre and Weaver; Wilken).
In the context of soil quality, farmers primarily attend to the local peculiarities of how best to maintain a soil's health. Alternatively, scientific inquiry is concerned with the definition of soil quality and establishing criteria to quantify its parameters (Doran and Parkin; Larson and Pierce). These different concerns and interests theoretically complement one another, as both parties work toward he goals of productivity and sustainability (Kloppenburg). Chambers promotes farmer and scientist partnership, asserting that, "Combined they may achieve what neither would alone."
To this end, the Wisconsin Soil Health Program has consulted he knowledge and experience of more than 100 Wisconsin producers in order to understand their perspective on soil health and quality. The program has progressed from informal dialogues with farmers...