Soils tests yield measurable numbers. A penetrometer measures soil condition. A refractometer measures plant health. But more important, with your farmer's common sense and stewardship ethic, you smell it when you work the soil and inhale that earthy aroma resulting from the respiration of more than 1,000 pounds per acre of actinomycetes. You feel it by digging.
Healthy soil is crumbly to the touch.
Your soil stays in place, rather than wash downstream. You see it in the rich darkness and in the way your soil absorbs up to twice its weight in water. You see fewer weeds, fewer insects, and fewer diseases. You see it in the sheen of your animals' hair coat, bright eyes, healthy demeanor, high productivity and reproductive efficiency. You stop chasing problems with a needle and a sprayer.