Why is Healthy Soil Important?

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Last updated on June 3rd, 2026 at 11:43 am

If you've ever wondered why healthy soil is actually important for your farm or ranch, you're not alone. Many farmers and ranchers don't realize the multitude of benefits that come with improving soil health. The truth is, healthier soils can mean healthier plants, increased yields, and ultimately, an improved bottom line.

Hear Ashley discuss how soil health impacts every aspect of your farm or ranch, even your family.

what role does soil play?

Soil is primarily made up of water, oxygen, organic matter, mineral particles, and living organisms. But the single biggest impactor of healthy soils is organic matter.

The more organic matter your soil contains, the healthier it will be. Healthier soils means...

Increased water retention
Better ability to convert nutrients for plants to uptake

Soil is what helps deliver essential nutrients, water, and oxygen to the plant itself. Additionally, soil is the foundation of root structures and plant production.

Building the health of our soils really means building life in our soils and increasing the capacity for plant production.

soil aggregates & water infiltration

The healthier your soil is, the better it can infiltrate water. As they say, it's not about how much rain you get, it's about what you do with the rain when it comes.

When you're building soil health, you're building aggregates, which are essentially little clumps around the roots. Some people compare them to the texture of cottage cheese. Soil aggregates help with...

Oxygen flow
Water retention
Building underground highways for biology
Converting nutrients faster
Getting nutrients into the root zone

According to the Food & Agriculture Organization, healthy soils and high organic matter can help store 20 times its weight in water!

how healthy soils affect plants

In the bigger picture, aggregates in the soil help plants become more resilient to drought, water erosion from water runoff, and even disease.

When plants are able to access and uptake more nutrients, it's obvious that the plant will become more nutrient-dense. Whether you have pastures for livestock grazing or row crops for human consumption, increasing nutrient density is hugely beneficial.

Equally as important, healthier soils promote an increase in production and yield. In fact, the Food & Agriculture Organization also states that healthier soils and higher organic matter can increase yields by up to 58%!

cutting back on fertilizers

When the soil biology is more active and converting more nutrients and available to plant, that will eventually allow you to cut back on commercial fertilizer.

As we're all aware, fertilizer prices are trending up and aren't showing any sign of slowing down. Even being able to cut back just slightly on these expensive inputs will have a direct impact on your bottom line, without interfering with the production of your plants or yields.

does soil affect livestock?

We've talked about healthy soils creating stronger, healthier, more resilient plants. But did you know that increasing your soil health can also impact livestock?

Think about it. If healthy soil causes healthier plants, and livestock consume those plants... it's a no-brainer! They're getting more nutrients in every mouthful they take!

The more nutrients an animal gets, the healthier it will be and the more productive it will be! It's a full circle system that results in less animal sickness, better milk production, higher ability to maintain body weight, increased feed conversion, and more!

healthy soils = healthy families