Soil health is typically evaluated by examining chemical, physical, and biological properties that serve as indicators of how well the soil functions. With repeated measurements, farm managers can track changes in soil health over time. 

SHAP is OMAFA’s made-in-Ontario tool for Soil Health Assessment and Planning. The Soils at Guelph SHAP Ground Truthing Project involves Soils at Guelph working together with OMAFA and others in the province to build a robust SHAP database with Ontario agricultural lands. Collecting more data from a variety of crops and soil types can help to improve this tool and develop baseline soil health data to gain a better understanding of soil health in orchards and vineyards. 

Participating growers will receive a free soil health analysis for their orchard and vineyard, followed by a report summarizing the soil health metrics for their field. While these preliminary results will not provide a complete assessment of soil health in your field, when combined with field observations they may provide insight into potential challenges that could be affecting your soil.

This project is still in the research phase, therefore the analysis & benchmarking will take much longer than traditional fertility sampling.

OMAFA will be soil sampling in June for a limited number of sites on a first-come, first- serve basis. Alternatively, growers can also collect and submit their soil samples on their own following the project protocol – Soils at Guelph SHAP Ground Truthing Project – Choosing the why when and where to sample Quick Guide. Growers must complete a brief management history survey for the sampling site, which takes 10 minutes per field.

Any tender fruit, apple, and grape growers who are interested in participating should contact Laura Dobbyn – OMAFA fruit and grape field technician (Summer Student); Laura.Dobbyn@ontario.ca; 519-410-2459.

Source:  ON Fruit May 1, 2025 newsletter