The more comprehensive assessment of soil health described in this manual is available to the public on a fee-for-service basis, and provides field-specific information on constraints in biological and physical processes, in addition to standard soil nutrient analysis (soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/). In essence, the assessment expands on a well understood approach that has been foundational to high agricultural productivity. Just as standard soil testing has informed nutrient management based on identified deficiencies and excesses since the 1900s, the assessment developed here, similarly, identifies constraints to biological and physical soil functioning. This information then guides land managers in making targeted management decisions to plan and implement systems of soil health management practices to alleviate identified constraints and maintain healthier soils. The current (2017) version of the assessment and its interpretive scoring was developed for the Northeastern United States. However, the concepts, framework and indicators for soil health assessment and management planning described here can be expanded and adapted for national and global applications. The most relevant components of the framework are 1) measurement of indicators that represent critical soil processes, 2) scoring of measured values that allows for interpretation, and 3) linkage of identified constraints with management practices. The main benefit of this approach is that the identification of physical biological and chemical constraints prompts farmers to seek improved and more sustainable soil and crop management practices. We hope that this framework will evolve and be used widely to measure and monitor soil health status. It is expected that a more comprehensive understanding of soil health status can lead to better, regenerative, and sustainable management of soils through holistic, adaptive, and data-driven approaches.