Let’s talk health – soil health that is. While we may worry about how much water we drink in a day, record how much protein and vegetables we eat, and know to get enough sleep and exercise, do we ever stop to think about the health of the ground beneath our feet?
 
 
The term ‘soil health’ is very broad and does not really give a good understanding of what we are actually talking about. What is the soil’s composition, moisture retention ability, and fungal and bacterial content? All of these components contribute to the overall health of the soil, the plant life it maintains, and the animal life the plants sustain. Soil health is unique to different places;  the soil on the northern East Coast and the Arizona Desert will vary vastly between each other and they will need different factors to thrive. On the range, soil is demanding more of a spotlight now than ever before because we are realizing just how important it is to maintain an overall functioning ecosystem, and that every component on the range is closely tied together! Who would have thought that looking beyond ground cover and rest periods into the substance that really is the cornerstone of production would perhaps be a key component to restoration and holistic management? 

 
Let’s relate it back to us for a moment:
 
Imagine going a whole day without water, how would you feel? Or imagine the opposite, being forced to drink a whole water bottle every 5 minutes. You would probably end up feeling the same from both scenarios: BAD. Soil is the same way. It is a complex system that requires certain ratios of components entering and leaving the system at certain rates to feel its best and when those ratios are off, the system feels BAD and does not perform at its optimal capacity.  Soils need the right amount of Nitrogen, Carbon, bacteria, water, and fungi just like we need appropriate amounts of water, food, sleep, and exercise. And each soil requires different amounts of each variable, for example an agricultural soil meant for growing grass to support cattle may need higher amounts of Carbon than say a sandy soil creating dunes on your favorite beach. 
   
If you never have, sit awhile on the ground. You could choose a sandy soil out by the lake, lush pastures on a rangeland, or even on the grass in your own backyard and think about what connects us. We are not so different as we are similar, and if we take care of the ground, it will in turn take care of us.   
 
– Kaelanne Quinonez
 
Kaelanne is a master’s student in the Department of Ranchland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management.