Go Deeper: Soil Health / CEMA 216 Academy

Go Deeper. Learn to fulfil the duties of a Qualified Individual (QI) for NRCS CEMA 216 Soil Health Testing through an immersive three-day training combining field assessment, laboratory analysis, conservation planning, and environmental biophysics. Participants will gain the practical skills needed to complete soil health assessments while exploring next-generation approaches to monitoring soil function, water, and resilience.

Technical Audience (Districts, NRCS, TSPs)

Designed for Conservation District staff, NRCS employees, Technical Service Providers, Extension personnel, consultants, and agricultural professionals, this academy provides practical training in completing NRCS CEMA 216 Soil Health Testing projects. Participants will develop competency in soil health assessment, sampling design, laboratory interpretation, reporting, and monitoring while examining the strengths and limitations of current soil health indicators and exploring complementary tools including environmental biophysics, landscape hydrology, and root-zone assessment.

Why This Training Matters

As demand for soil health assessments continues to grow through USDA conservation programs, there is an increasing need for qualified professionals who can conduct high-quality soil health evaluations and help producers interpret and apply the results. This academy prepares participants not only to meet NRCS requirements for CEMA 216, but also to think critically about soil health monitoring and develop a deeper understanding of how soils function as living systems.

Learning Focus

Over three days, participants will:

• Become familiar with the complete CEMA 216 workflow, from planning and field assessment through laboratory analysis, interpretation, reporting, and monitoring recommendations.
• Develop practical field skills in soil health assessment, landscape evaluation, soil sampling, georeferencing, and quality assurance.
• Gain hands-on experience processing and interpreting soil samples in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Laboratory.
• Learn how soil health indicators relate to infiltration, water holding capacity, aggregate stability, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, biological activity, crop productivity, and climate resilience.
• Explore environmental biophysics and whole-system approaches to understanding how soils function through the movement of water, energy, carbon, air, and living organisms across agricultural landscapes.
• Gain hands-on experience with advanced field assessment techniques, including four-foot soil coring, root-zone evaluation, soil profile interpretation, infiltration assessment, and deep soil observations that complement standard soil health testing.
• Learn how to connect field observations with laboratory data to develop more meaningful soil health assessments and management recommendations.
• Examine the strengths and limitations of current soil health testing protocols and explore complementary monitoring approaches, including deep soil assessment, landscape hydrology, soil moisture dynamics, root architecture, precision monitoring, and long-term monitoring strategies.
• Develop a systems-based understanding of soil health that integrates biology, physics, chemistry, hydrology, and management to support adaptive conservation planning and improve agricultural resilience.