What it is
Cornell University's Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) is the standard framework for evaluating physical, chemical, and biological soil health in North America. The lab-based testing protocol measures 15+ indicators including aggregate stability, available water capacity, active carbon, protein content, and soil respiration, generating a scored report that identifies which aspects of soil health need management attention.
Why we picked this
Annual SOC change is approximately 0.01 percentage points against a detection limit of 0.05-0.1 percentage points. This means carbon measurements alone cannot track regenerative progress in the short term. CASH solves this by combining physical, chemical, and biological indicators, catching regenerative improvements that any single measurement would miss. It is the most comprehensive soil health assessment framework available.
Key takeaways
- CASH measures 15+ physical, chemical, and biological indicators, providing a multi-dimensional assessment that carbon measurements alone cannot achieve.
- Scoring functions compare your soil to regional benchmarks, identifying specific constraints (compaction, low biological activity, nutrient imbalances) that management should address.
- The framework is widely referenced in North American regenerative agriculture research, providing standardized data for cross-site comparison.