Whatever your research question, I can assure you it is *NOT* answered by a combination of linear mixed models, random forest, and structural equation models.

A few years back I used Google NGram to put together this graph to show how certain soil-centric terms d’jour have changed over time. Terms come in and out of usage but the theme is consistent: taking care of our soil is important. We can and should do better.

There’s much to be gleaned from nature, but not necessarily mimicked. This books helps to shift from blind mimicry to ask question “which wisdom can we keep and which can we leave?” It uses an evolutionary perspective to point to areas with higher likelihood of success. Highly recommended reading

When I hear/see navel gazing on definitions of “soil health” I think of this passage from a 2002 paper. Has a definition or an indicator enabled us to better leverage soil health to make a better world? I fear the answer is often “no”.