“Soil Quality: the Foundation for Natural Resource Quality”
Held in conjunction with the 2007 Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida, the soil quality workshop highlighted the mechanisms and importance of soil quality to sustain and improve air quality, water quality and quantity, biodiversity, and farm productivity.
The workshop was co-sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Southeastern Chapter, Soil Science Society of America’s S-3 Soil Quality Working Group, and USDA NRCS National Soil Quality Technology Development Team. Co-leaders for the workshop were Susan S. Andrews, Soil Quality National Technology Development Team Leader, USDA NRCS and Dory Franklin, Geographer, USDA-ARS.
Workshop Agenda, Abstracts, Speaker Bios and Presentations
| Presentation | Speaker |
| Statement of Intent | Susan S. Andrews, USDA NRCS |
| The Foundation Resource – General Session | |
| Why Soil Quality? | Bill Puckett, USDA NRCS |
| Soil Quality and Water Quality | Dory Franklin, USDA-ARS |
| Linking Soil and Air Quality | Alan Franzluebbers, USDA-ARS |
| Soil Quality, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services | Cindy Cambardella, USDA-ARS |
| Soil Quality Assessment: Past Present and Future | Doug Karlen, USDA-ARS |
| The Need for Soil Policy in the United States | Craig Cox, SWCS |
| The Role of Soil Quality in Current Environmental Issues | |
| Energy Biomass Production and Soil Quality – Breakout | |
| Biomass Production and Soil Carbon | Jane Johnson, USDA-ARS |
| Residue Feedstock: Soil and Air Quality Trade-offs | John Hickman, John Deere Co. |
| Soil Quality and Water Conservation – Breakout | |
| Runoff and Herbicide Transport under Conservation Systems | Martin Shipitalo, USDA-ARS |
| Conservation Tillage for Water Conservation | Francisco Arriaga, USDA-ARS |
| Meeting Needs for Protecting Soil Quality – General Session | |
| The EU’s Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection | Dick Thompson, National Soil Research Institute, UK |
| Dynamic Soil Properties in Soil Survey | Arlene Tugel, USDA NRCS |
| Management Techniques for Better Soil Quality | |
| Soil Quality for Water Management – Breakout | |
| Managing Saline or Sodic Soils | Ray Archuleta, USDA NRCS |
| Drought Mitigation and Soil Quality Enhancement | Merle Vigil, USDA-ARS |
| Impact of Conservation Tillage on Water Conservation | D.G. Sullivan, USDA-ARS |
| Soil Management Techniques to Improve Water Quality | Miguel Cabrera, University of Georgia |
| Quality Soil Management on Croplands – Breakout | |
| Building Soil Quality for Organic Production Systems | Michelle Wander, University of Illinois |
| Conservation Tillage in the Central Valley, CA | Jeff Mitchell, University of California |
| Profitable Long-term Conservation Tillage for Soil Quality | George Naderman, North Carolina State University (retired) |
| Conservation Management in Cropping Systems | Norm Widman, USDA NRCS |
| Soil Quality in Grazinglands and Working Forests – Breakout | |
| Pasture Management for Soil Quality | Dan Wallace, USDA NRCS |
| Soil Quality in Working Forests: Healthy Forest Soils | Lyn Townsend, USDA NRCS |
| Managing Soils in Rangelands | Jerry Daigle, USDA NRCS |
| Assessing Soil Quality | |
| Field & Laboratory Assessment – Breakout | |
| Soil Quality Field Assessment | Mike Sucik, USDA NRCS |
| Cornell Soil Health Assessment | John Idowu, Cornell University |
| Soil Quality Estimation Using Models – Breakout | |
| Soil Conditioning Index: A West Texas Case Study | Ted Zobeck, USDA-ARS |
| The Conservation Effects Assessment Project and Soil Quality | Lee Norfleet, USDA NRCS |
| US Policy and Soil Quality Assessment – Breakout | |
| Soil Quality in the Proposed 2007 Farm Bill | Carole Jett, USDA NRCS |
| Soil Quality in US Policy | Craig Cox, SWCS |
| Where Do We Go From Here? |