# Citizen Science Soil Health Project

> The Citizen Science Soil Health Project helps Colorado Front Range growers prove they are improving their soil by providing Haney and PLFA soil tests and information sharing.

## Pages
- [Citizen Science Soil Health Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/)
- [About the Citizen Science Soil Health Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/about-the-project): The Citizen Science Soil Health Project's goals and leadership team.
- [About the Citizen Science Soil Health Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/about-the-project1): The Citizen Science Soil Health Project's goals and leadership team.
- [The Forms We Use](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/forms-we-use): Examples of our soil sampling form, soil results report, year-end questionnaire, and individualized progress report. Please contact us if you want templates to build your own soil health project.
- [How we test soil in the Citizen Science Soil Health Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/how-we-test): The Citizen Science Soil Health Project uses the Haney and PLFA soil tests from Regen Ag Lab to assess soil health.
- [News and Articles from the Citizen Science Soil Health Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/news--articles): Articles, websites, and a podcast discuss our project, findings, and useful information for growers.
- [Our FIndings](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/our-findings): Each winter we analyze soil test results and publish our findings here. Graphs illustrate our results.
- [Our Growers](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/our-growers): Our diverse growers commit to improving their soil health in whatever way works best for their operation. They say, "The most useful soil health information comes from other growers."
- [Outreach](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/outreach): The Citizen Science Soil Health Project's video's, forms and articles
- [Our Supporting Partners](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/supporting-partners): The Citizen Science Soil Health Project is supported with grants from Western SARE of the USDA and our generous local sponsors. We are modeled on the Soil Health Benchmark Study from PASA.
- [Videos from the Citizen Science Soil Health Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/videos): Soil health information from our annual classes is included in these videos.

## Blog Posts
- [Soil health scores vary widely across Colorado’s Front Range.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/soil-health-scores-vary-widely-across-colorados-front-range): Soil health scores vary widely across Colorado’s Front Range.
- [Soil pH is high (alkaline) on the Front Range.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/soil-ph-is-high-alkaline-on-the-front-range): Soil pH is high (alkaline) on the Front Range.
- [Sites with higher pH (alkaline soil) tend to have lower soil health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/sites-with-higher-ph-alkaline-soil-tend-to-have-lower-soil-health)
- [Organic and Conventional growers have the same median soil health score.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/organic-and-conventional-growers-have-the-same-median-soil-health-score): Organic and Conventional growers have the same median soil health score.
- [Tillage Intensity has a clear effect on soil health scores](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/tillage-intensity-has-a-clear-effect-on-soil-health-scores): Tillage Intensity has a clear effect on soil health scores
- [More intense tillage decreases several measurements of a soil’s health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/more-intense-tillage-decreases-several-measurements-of-a-soils-health): More intense tillage decreases several measurements of a soil’s health.
- [Supplemental irrigation water improves our semi-arid lands’ soil health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/supplemental-irrigation-water-improves-our-semi-arid-lands-soil-health): Supplemental irrigation water improves our semi-arid lands’ soil health.
- [MORE irrigation water increases soil health scores more.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/more-irrigation-water-increases-soil-health-scores-more): MORE irrigation water increases soil health scores more.
- [Soil texture has a large effect on soil health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/soil-texture-has-a-large-effect-on-soil-health): Soil texture has a large effect on soil health.
- [Many Front Range growers face a soil texture handicap.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/many-front-range-growers-face-a-soil-texture-handicap): Many Front Range growers face a soil texture handicap.
- [Some (mostly organic) growers have very high phosphorus levels.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/some-mostly-organic-growers-have-very-high-phosphorus-levels): Some (mostly organic) growers have very high phosphorus levels.
- [Sites with excessive phosphorus have good soil health scores, and applied manure or compost to the field.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/sites-with-excessive-phosphorus-have-good-soil-health-scores-and-applied-manure-or-compost-to-the-field): Sites with excessive phosphorus applied manure or compost and have very good soil health scores.
- [More days of living cover  improves soil health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/more-days-of-living-cover-improves-soil-health): More days of living cover improves soil health
- [Organic matter added to tilled fields improves soil health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/organic-matter-added-to-tilled-fields-improves-soil-health): Organic matter added to tilled fields improves soil health.
- [Grazing animals in fields increases several measurements of a soil’s health.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/grazing-animals-in-fields-increases-several-measurements-of-a-soils-health): Grazing animals improve soil health
- [After 3 years, we cannot show progress in improving soil health at individual sites.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/after-3-years-we-cannot-show-progress-in-improving-soil-health-at-individual-sites): we cannot show progress in improving soil health at individual sites after 3 years.
- [Grazing animals on site increase the variability in our data.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/grazing-animals-on-site-increase-the-variability-in-our-data): Grazing animals on site increase the variability in our data.
- [Our project has had mixed success in reaching its original objectives so far.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/our-project-has-had-mixed-success-in-reaching-its-original-objectives-so-far): Our project has had mixed success in reaching its original objectives so far.
- [Almost half our growers had not tested their soil recently or at all, prior to involvement in our project.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/almost-half-our-growers-had-not-tested-their-soil-recently-or-at-all-prior-to-involvement-in-our-project): Almost half our growers had not tested their soil recently or at all, prior to involvement in our project.
- [Our growers identified 3 things to make our project more useful.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/our-growers-identified-3-things-to-make-our-project-more-useful): 3 things to make our project more useful to our growers
- [After 3 years in the project, a third of our growers still do not understand their soil testing results.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/after-3-years-in-the-project-a-third-of-our-growers-still-do-not-understand-their-soil-testing-results): After 3 years in the project, a third of our growers still do not understand their soil testing results.
- [Soil samples collected in the spring have lower scores than samples collected in the fall.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/soil-samples-collected-in-the-spring-have-lower-scores-than-samples-collected-in-the-fall): Soil samples collected in the spring have lower scores than samples collected in the fall.
- [Our growers are changing their practices.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/our-growers-are-changing-their-practices): Our growers are changing their practices.
- [All our growers were familiar with soil health principles before enrolling in the project.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/all-our-growers-were-familiar-with-soil-health-principles-before-enrolling-in-the-project): All our growers were familiar with soil health principles before enrolling in the project.
- [Variability with 2 Consecutive Years of Grazing or Organic Matter Inputs](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/variability-with-2-consecutive-years-of-grazing-or-organic-matter-inputs): Groups which grazed animals or added organic matter to their sites for 2 consecutive years have approximately three times as much variability in their lab results as the group with NO grazing animals and NO organic matter inputs.
- [Characteristics of Highly Variable Sites](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/characteristics-of-highly-variable-sites): It seems that one result of adopting good soil health practices may be a great deal of variability in soil health lab results. If you see your Haney test results bouncing around a lot, year-to-year, it does not necessarily mean that you are doing anythin
- [Variability due to Grazing Animals & Organic Matter Inputs](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/variability-due-to-grazing-animals-organic-matter-inputs): We are seeing large swings in individual sites’ Soil Organic Matter (SOM) data, especially when grazing animals are present or organic matter is imported to the site.
- [Predicting the Soil Health of our 3 Main Crop Groups, PART 2](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/predicting-the-soil-health-of-our-3-main-crop-groups-part-2): The Pasture group has the highest average soil health scores. The Commodity Row Crop group has the lowest average scores. The Commercial Vegetable, Flower and Fruit group falls in the middle.
- [Predicting the Soil Health of our 3 Main Crop Groups ; PART 1](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/predicting-the-soil-health-of-our-3-main-crop-groups-part-1): Most of the sites in the CSSHP fall into 3 main crop categories: Perennial Hay/Alfalfa/Pasture, Commodity Row Crops and Commercial Veg/Flower/Fruit. See if you can predict their relative soil health scores just by looking at their soil health practices.
- [Predicting the Soil Health of 7 Different Crop Groups: PART 2](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/predicting-the-soil-health-of-7-different-crop-groups-part-2)
- [Predicting the Soil Health of 7 Different Crop Groups: PART 1](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/predicting-the-soil-health-of-7-different-crop-groups-part-1): See if you can predict which crop groups will have the best and worst soil health scores, just by looking at their relative rankings on soil health practices. Remember that you are looking for HIGH water days, HIGH days of living cover, HIGH organic matt
- [Average pH and Location of 7 Different Crop Groups](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/average-ph-and-location-of-7-different-crop-groups): Some crop groups face more of a disadvantage than others when it comes to soil health, since their location can determine their soil pH, which in turn can make improving their soil’s health more difficult.
- [7 Crop Groups in our Project](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/7-crop-groups-in-our-project): All the sites in our project fall into one of seven crop groups. Most groups include both organic and conventional fields.
- [EAST-WEST Location Affects Soil pH.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/east-west-location-affects-soil-ph): Sites further east out on the plains tend to have higher pH than sites closer to the Front Range foothills and up in the mountains.
- [Differences between the most and least variable sites.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/differences-between-the-most-and-least-variable-sites): There are significant differences between sites with the most variable soil health scores (our Swingers) and sites with the least variable scores (our Parked sites).
- [Past Practices can explain some variability.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/past-practices-can-explain-some-variability): An examination of past practices can often explain some of the exceptionally big jumps in variability which we see.
- [Variability is highest in Home Gardens and Pastures](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/variability-is-highest-in-home-gardens-and-pastures): Home Gardens and Perennial Hay/Alfalfa/Pastures experience the greatest variability in Soil Health Scores.
- [Organic Matter Input use has decreased.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/organic-matter-input-use-has-decreased): Organic Matter Input use has decreased by 13T/acre on average since 2019, among CSSHP growers.
- [Most CSSHP growers have used Organic Matter Inputs.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/most-csshp-growers-have-used-organic-matter-inputs): A majority of all CSSHP growers have used organic matter inputs (manure, compost, mulches) on their sites in the last 5 years, with home gardeners leading the way.
- [Average Tillage Intensity has decreased, part 2.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/average-tillage-intensity-has-decreased-part-2): 4 crop groups have made very good progress in reducing their Tillage Intensity, with Commercial Veg/Flower/Fruit sites and Dryland Grains making the most progress.
- [Average Tillage Intensity has decreased, part 1.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/average-tillage-intensity-has-decreased-part-1): CSSHP growers have decreased their Tillage Intensity by 17 points over the last 5 years.
- [Most CSSHP growers have tried Cover Crops.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/most-csshp-growers-have-tried-cover-crops): Two thirds of all our growers have planted cover crops in the last 5 years, with Commercial Vegetable and Commodity growers leading the way.
- [Average Days of Cover Cropping has increased.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/average-days-of-cover-cropping-has-increased): CSSHP growers have increased their days of cover crops on average by 25 days/site since 2019.
- [Average Days of Living Cover has increased.](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/average-days-of-living-cover-has-increased): The average Days of Living Cover on CSSHP sites has increased by 20 days since 2019. Our growers have increased their Days of Living Cover by increasing their use of cover crops, converting annual crops to perennial systems, and incorporating more fall-p
- [Our Growers have made progress!!](https://www.soilhealthproject.org/p/our-growers-have-made-progress): CSSHP growers have made excellent progress incorporating 3 out of 4 soil health practices in the last 5 years.