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Mark A. Liebig, Dennis Chessman, Jonathan J. Halvorson, and Roberto Luciano

Sampling approaches for soil health assessments will vary considerably depending upon the purpose for which an evaluation is undertaken. Decisions regarding sampling location, timing, and frequency will ultimately determine the quality and usefulness of collected data. Tradeoffs associated with balancing the quantity and quality of information obtained with the investment of time and resources must be addressed when selecting a sampling method. This chapter is intended to provide general guidelines for collecting samples and conducting select field evaluations for soil health assessments.

Soil health sampling approaches will vary considerably depending upon the evaluator’s goals which may range from a qualitative understanding of near‐surface soil conditions at a single point in time to detailed analytical characterizations of a suite of soil properties across broad landscapes to evaluate long‐term change. Whether a land manager, consultant, conservationist, or scientist, each evaluator will need to balance the desire for useful information about a soil’s status with the investment of time and resources to obtain that information (Dick et al., 1996).