What is Soil Health? Soil health refers to the ability of the soil to achieve its full potential and be productive under the intended land use. Healthy soils have favourable physical, chemical and biological properties that promote plant health and maintain environmental quality. The three characteristics of soil health are: • physical • chemcial • biological Physical soil health refers to the friability and hardness of the soil. A physically healthy soil does not have hard pans or hard setting surfaces. It holds water well, drains well and does not restrict root growth. You can assess physical health in the field using a spade; there also are a range of measurements that can be taken in the field or laboratory. Chemical soil health means that nutrients are in balance and available to the crop, the acidity/alkalinity is in the desired range and there are no problems with salinity or sodicity. Chemical soil health can be measured by conducting a soil test. Biological soil health refers to soil life. A healthy soil has more soil organisms than an unhealthy soil of the same type. Crop residues break down more easily and the chemical and physical health is better. You can assess biological health in the field by checking for organisms and comparing the smell and feel of the soil. A high organic matter or carbon content for your soil type usually means a healthy soil