Data, code, and outputs for: holistic systems thinking underpins Vermont soil health practitioners’ preferences and beliefs. Ag Data Commons.

Authors: Hammond Wagner, Courtney; WHITE, ALYSSA - University Of Vermont; DARBY, HEATHER - University Of Vermont; Ewing, Patrick; FAULKNER, JOSHUA - University Of Vermont; FISHER, BRENDAN - University Of Vermont; GALFORD, GILLIAN - University Of Vermont; HORNER, CATHERINE - University Of Vermont; Jones, William; NEHER, DEBORAH - University Of Vermont; VON WETTBERG, ERIC - University Of Vermont; ZERAATPISHEH, MOJTABA - University Of Vermont

Submitted to: Ag Data Commons
Publication Type: Database / Dataset
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/2025
Publication Date: 6/25/2025
Citation: Hammond Wagner, C.R., White, A., Darby, H., Ewing, P.M., Faulkner, J., Fisher, B., Galford, G., Horner, C., Jones, W.D., Neher, D., Von Wettberg, E., Zeraatpisheh, M. 2025. Data, code, and outputs for: holistic systems thinking underpins Vermont soil health practitioners’ preferences and beliefs. Ag Data Commons.. Ag Data Commons. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/28723664.v1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/28723664.v1

Interpretive Summary: Problem: The impact of the concept of soil health on mobilizing change in agricultural management depends on how farmers understand the concept. However, there is very little data from New England and from small and medium producers on soil health perceptions and beliefs. Accomplishment: We produced two datasets from surveys of soil health practitioners, those that manage and influence soil management, to examine soil health preferences and beliefs. Both surveys are from Vermont, USA, a region consisting mostly of small-to-medium scale farms: survey one queried Vermont soil health practitioners in the fall of 2020 (n = 62) and survey two queried just Vermont farmers in the spring of 2022 (n = 179). Contribution of accomplishment to solving the problem: These two datasets fill a gap in the availability of data on farmers, and more broadly soil health practitioners’ preferences and beliefs about soil health. This data can be utilized by researchers seeking to understand the role of soil health in supporting sustainable agriculture.

Technical Abstract: Problem: The impact of the concept of soil health on mobilizing change in agricultural management depends on how farmers understand the concept. However, there is very little data from New England and from small and medium producers on soil health perceptions and beliefs. Accomplishment: We produced two datasets from surveys of soil health practitioners, those that manage and influence soil management, to examine soil health preferences and beliefs. Both surveys are from Vermont, USA, a region consisting mostly of small-to-medium scale farms: survey one queried Vermont soil health practitioners in the fall of 2020 (n = 62) and survey two queried just Vermont farmers in the spring of 2022 (n = 179). Contribution of accomplishment to solving the problem: These two datasets fill a gap in the availability of data on farmers, and more broadly soil health practitioners’ preferences and beliefs about soil health. This data can be utilized by researchers seeking to understand the role of soil health in supporting sustainable agriculture.