Across Oregon, agricultural producers want to improve soil health to strengthen productivity, reduce risk and build resilience. But many still lack practical, trusted guidance to interpret soil health and fertility results and connect management choices to real-world agronomic and economic outcomes.
By grounding future programming in a statewide needs assessment, OSU Extension is building soil health resources that are more useful, accessible and responsive to Oregon producers.
Through conversations with producers, technical assistants, researchers and other agricultural stakeholders, Shannon Cappellazzi, soil health Extension specialist with Oregon State University’s Organic Agriculture Program in the Center for Resilient Agriculture and Food Systems, found recurring needs.
Producers want better interpretation of soil test and soil health results for biologically focused systems, stronger evidence for the short- and long-term business case for soil health practices, and information they could access in formats that fit their workdays, such as videos, podcasts and other audio-friendly resources.
Cappellazzi, an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Crop and Soil Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences, also found that valuable OSU research and Extension information already exist across publications, lab data and past projects, but producers often find it cumbersome to locate the right resource for a specific question.
That fragmentation makes it harder for growers to use research-based guidance as quickly and confidently as they need to.
Outlining priority needs
To better understand those needs, Cappellazzi synthesized conversations and stakeholder input gathered over the past year into a structured needs assessment. Her outreach included producers, technical assistants, researchers, industry stakeholders, soil and water conservation districts, nonprofit groups, agricultural businesses, Extension faculty and others across Oregon.
The assessment identified several major program areas to guide future Extension work. Cappellazzi outlined a coordinated Extension strategy centered on several connected efforts:
- Soil health outcomes cooperative database: A long-term plan to link management practices with measurable outcomes such as profit, yield stability, plant disease, water dynamics, nutrient cycling, pest management and decreased inputs, using coordinated data, sampling protocols and interpretation tools.
- Translating information from publications on soils: A publication and media series designed to answer the questions producers ask most often through Extension articles, fact sheets, recorded presentations, podcasts and webinars.
- Trusted AI tools for agriculture: Curated digital tools that help producers find reliable OSU Extension information without wading through multiple documents or unverified online results.
- Coordinated agricultural case studies: Systems-based case studies that document how producers are making soil health practices work in real operations, including economic outcomes that matter to farm decision-making.
- Cover Crop Variety Trials: Multi-location trials intended to improve characterization of cover crop varieties across Oregon conditions and increase producer confidence in adopting cover crops.
The strategy also includes workshops, clinics and train-the-trainer efforts so trusted local partners can help share soil health information with producers statewide.
Creating a direction
Cappellazzi’s needs assessment gives OSU Extension a clear roadmap for building a more coordinated, producer-centered soil health program. It translates many individual conversations into a focused strategy for improving access to information, strengthening decision support and aligning future research and outreach with what producers say they need most.
The assessment highlights strong interest in collaboration, demand for long-term outcome-centered research, and support for tools that connect soil health practices to practical questions about profitability, water, nutrients, pests and resilience. It also helps define a path for Extension programming that combines publications, digital tools, case studies, trials and partnerships rather than relying on one-off resources.
Public value
By grounding future programming in a statewide needs assessment, OSU Extension is building soil health resources that are more useful, accessible and responsive to Oregon producers.
Better decision tools and coordinated outreach can help producers reduce uncertainty, improve profitability, strengthen environmental stewardship and support the long-term resilience of Oregon agriculture.
