At our Farm...Behind the Scenes

Visual Soil Assessment & Aggregate Stability

Healthy soil is the foundation of productive farming, and one important indicator of soil health is aggregate stability — basically, how well soil particles stick together to form crumbs that remain intact when exposed to water.

Why does aggregate stability matter?
Stable aggregates improve water infiltration, reduce erosion, and promote healthy root growth. Biologically active soils normally show good aggregate stability while excessive tillage and leaving the soil bare have the opposite effect.

Visual Soil Assessment: What We Look For?
In our case, we're farming loamy soils. When healthy, these have a loose, granular structure with rounded and porous crumbs, rather than coherent chunks that will show sharp edges when they break.