Soil Health Assessment Center

The University of Missouri’s Soil Health Assessment Center (SHAC) is one of the nation’s premier soil health service labs. Established in 1985 as the Soil Characterization Lab, SHAC was formed by working with numerous partners across the state in the mid-2010s to meet the increasing demand for soil health information. The goal of SHAC is to provide a thorough and actionable soil health evaluation.

The largest university soil health lab in the U.S.

There is a huge demand for actionable, high quality soil health information. Through the committed support of state and federal agencies, industry partners, and the University of Missouri, SHAC has grown to be the largest university soil health lab in the U.S. To date, SHAC has analyzed upwards of 60,000 soil health samples from across North America.

Reliable and thorough

SHAC provides reliable analysis of soil health samples and guidance on how to interpret the results of those analyses. SHAC specializes in comprehensive soil health evaluations, incorporating biological, chemical, and physical assessments to promote sustainable land management practices.

What’s in your soil?

We offer dozens of unique soil health assays, ranging from basic soil characterizations such as soil texture measurements to high-resolution microbial data such as phospholipid fatty acid analysis and everything in between.

Soil health testing is essential for understanding the chemical, biological, and physical processes happening underfoot. While there are a variety of soil conservation managements (e.g., no-till, cover crops, etc.), it’s not always clear if, how, or how quickly that is changing your soil in the ways you want. Using appropriate soil health protocols and testing can help you discover if your soil is living up to its potential.