Results from experimental trials and on-farm surveys have suggested that organic farm management is associated with positively enhanced soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics. To test this hypothesis more rigorously, 30 paired organic and conventional farms were assessed across a range of soil types and management regimes in the south of England. The 60 paired farms ranged from grassland to horticultural/arable and purely arable. The soils of all chosen farms were measured for a wide range of physical and chemical characteristics. The data were subjected to a multivariate analysis and the results interpreted so as to identify the management factors deemed beneficial for topsoil physical and nutritional conditions.