Soil and Soil Health - Colorado

The monitoring and improvement of our nation’s soil and soil health is a monumental task. It requires collaboration among federal, state and local institutions, organization’s and entities. This official collaboration is referred to as the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). NRCS is one of the many partners that make up the NCSS, and through their cooperative efforts, the partnership works together to investigate, inventory, document, classify, interpret, disseminate, and publish information about soils within the United States, its territories and commonwealths.  NRCS is responsible for the leadership of soil survey activities within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Colorado's land stewards, as well as environmental, natural resource, agricultural organizations and Agency's have made managing for healthy soil a top priority. The NRCS provides both technical and financial incentives to ag landowners and managers to help them implement conservation measures that help promote good soil health. The NRCS also partners with other organizations and entities to further explore and promote the benefits of healthy soil. 

NRCS delivers science-based soil information to help farmers, ranchers, foresters, and other land managers effectively manage, conserve, and appraise their most valuable investment — the soil.

Soil is not an inert growing medium – it is a living and life-giving natural resource. It is teaming with billions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that are the foundation of an elegant symbiotic ecosystem.