Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual
Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Briefly, soil is composed of four basic components: mineral solids, water, air and organic matter (including living biota). The mineral solids are stone fragments, sand, silt, and clay. It is the proportion of the latter three that determines the soil's texture. For example, a soil that is composed of 70% silt, 20% sand and 10% clay can be classified as silt loam using the soil texture triangle (Figure 1). Soil texture contributes to the inherent soil quality, the characteristics of the soil that result from soil forming processes These characteristics are difficult to change through soil management.
Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual (pdf; 7099KB)
Dairy
Livestock
Grazing
Forages
Grains
Upcoming Events
2026 Corn Silage Dry Down Day- Yates County
September 14, 2026
Himrod, NY
Bring a sample of corn stalks from each field you anticipate harvesting for corn silage to receive whole plant dry matter value, estimated harvest date range, and information on best management practices for the 2026 corn silage harvest.
2026 Corn Silage Dry Down Day- Seneca County
September 15, 2026
Romulus, NY
Bring a sample of corn stalks from each field you anticipate harvesting for corn silage to receive whole plant dry matter value, estimated harvest date range, and information on best management practices for the 2026 corn silage harvest.
2026 Dairy Feeder School- Wyoming County
November 11, 2026
Perry, NY
Registration will open by the end of September.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Join the Regional Dairy Specialists for a one day on-farm training for dairy farm feeders. The training will be offered in English and Spanish and will feature stations with hands-on activities and demonstrations.