“More questions than answers”: Ohio farmers’ perceptions of novel soil health data and their utility for on-farm management

ABSTRACTSoil health has become an emergent focus of contemporary agricultural research, yet little work has addressed how soil health data – and biological indicators in particular – are interpreted by farmers and potentially incorporated into their decision-making. To address this gap, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 Ohio farmers after sharing a soil health report that detailed physical, chemical, and biological indicators from at least two sampled fields from their farms. Research findings demonstrate that while farmers expressed strong interest in soil biological health indicators specifically, the data often raised more questions than answers for participants. Specifically, three main themes emerged in the interviews: 1) uncertainties in interpreting the soil health indicators, 2) questions regarding translation of soil health data into management, and 3) affirmation of existing management choices. The first two response themes point to a need for scientists to develop greater access and exposure to soil health data to facilitate interpretation. Furthermore, researchers and extension agents can play a critical role in guiding recommendations for potential application of soil health data in on-farm management. While research on soil health has widely expanded in recent years, this study highlights the need for greater attention to its translational science and the co-production of knowledge.KEYWORDS: Soil healthsoil biologyagroecologyfarmer interestsfarmer decision-making AcknowledgmentsWe thank participant farmers for engaging in this study. We also thank Steve W. Culman for initial input on early drafts of manuscript. Lastly, we’d like to thank the internal funding sources at The Ohio State University for supporting this work.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Supplementary materialSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2023.2270928