The Soil Health Alliance | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Scientifically-grounded, farmer-engaged strategies to build soil health.

The Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement (SHARE) Collaborative brings together scientists, farmers, and partners to advance practical, profitable soil health solutions through research and outreach in Wisconsin and beyond.

Mission

At SHARE, we lead interdisciplinary, farmer-engaged research and outreach that supports resilient agricultural landscapes. By investigating and promoting practical, profitable, and community-supporting strategies for building soil health, SHARE addresses critical challenges including climate variability, soil erosion and compaction, nutrient loss, water pollution, biodiversity decline, and the long-term economic and social sustainability of agriculture.

Through outcome-oriented research and collaborative outreach, SHARE works to accelerate innovation and adoption of soil health practices across agricultural systems and scales of production in Wisconsin and beyond.

Program Goals

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Identify & Reduce Barriers to the Adoptions of Soil Health Practices

We aim to identify the barriers farmers face in adopting soil health practices and communicate the societal, economic, and human health benefits and outcomes of soil health practices.

Develop Soil Health Assessment Tools

We are working to develop an assessment framework for soil health metrics and to identify soil health building practices for both short- and long-term farm and ecosystem resilience

Facilitate Participatory Processes and Network Building

We develop and facilitate participatory processes, including diverse farmers and other transdisciplinary stakeholders/partners, to advance soil health research, outreach, and network-building opportunities.

Midwest Ag Education Calendar

Explore the calendar below and join a Soil Health and Agriculture Education event virtually or at a site near you. Learn more about how different practices can keep nutrients on the land, protect clean water, restore biodiversity, and support thriving agricultural communities.

SHARE Partners

SHARE is a collaborative effort between the following partners.

We believe that through inter-disciplinary, inter-institutional, and farmer-engaged research and outreach, positive landscape transformation is possible.

USDA ARS US Dairy Forage Research Center

The U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center is one of about 90 locations in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Its strength lies in a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to research that includes soil, forage crops, forage management, ruminant nutrition, manure management, and environmental sustainability.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) is a sustainable agriculture and food systems research center in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CIAS brings together university faculty, students, staff, farmers, policy makers and other practitioners to study relationships between farming practices and profitability, the structure of the food system, the environment, and rural vitality.

Michael Fields
Agricultural Institute

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization addressing the challenges of soil fertility, water quality, climate resilience, racial equity, food security, and farm success through research, policy, and education. MFAI is based in East Troy, WI, and serves diverse farmers and communities in the Upper Midwest and beyond.