PPT Slide
Three important ways that an index of key soil quality parameters could be useful are in evaluating the success of conservation programs, identifying limits to agricultural productivity, and analyzing the sustainability of different farming systems. For example, a number of USDA research projects used various measurements on soil properties to determine the effects of CRP (the Conservation Reserve Program). CRP had some measurable, positive effects on soil quality, most frequently aggregation and soil biological properties, but in several studies just one year of tillage and row-crop production erased all of the benefits.