Metrics, Management, and Monitoring: An Investigation of Pasture and Rangeland Soil Health and its Drivers

More than 40% of US land is used for pasture and grazing.

Deliberate management of rangelands can improve soil and overall ecosystem health, as well as the social and economic well-being of agricultural producers. This collaborative research, led by the Noble Research Institute, Michigan State University and Colorado State University, and at CSU by Drs. M. Francesca Cotrufo, Keith Paustian, Megan Machmuller, Yao Zhang, and Dale Manning, aims to provide farmers and ranchers with the best tools to measure soil health outcomes and guide management decisions, benefitting the sustainability of their operations.