Course: SLF 150 Pasture Management

Reading & Audio Visual

Testing Your Soil
Testing Your Soil

University of Wyoming Extension Horticulture. Produced by: David Keto - Extension Media Producer Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

Tools Needed
Shovel or soil tube/soil auger
Clean bucket
Empty (clean) pound or half-pound coffee can or plastic bag
Or sample bag provided by your local extension center
Generally, you will want to take your soil sample after crops (if planted) have been harvested in the fall so you can prepare your field or pasture for forage planting in the spring. You also want to properly schedule soil tests in conjunction with fertilizers that have special times they need to be used. However, you can sample soil at any time of the year.

As a general practice you should sample your soil every 3-5 years. If you know that certain phosphorous fertilizers, lime or manure has been applied to the soil it is best to wait 3 months after that application to test the soil otherwise results could be inaccurate. Remember being ready with your intentions and plan for your pasture(s) is important. You don’t want to mismanage your time in planning out an appropriate schedule for pasture maintenance this may cause unprofitable pastures for you in the future.

Sampling
The size of your pasture will determine how many samples you need to take. Usually you want to divide pastures into 20 acre (or less) sections. If you had a  20-acre pasture you would take 4-5 samples going one direction, and then 4-5 again the other direction in a crisscross pattern. You need to sample from many different areas to get the most accurate results, but avoid taking samples from livestock feeding areas or wooded areas.

Soil sample depth should be around 6-7 inches deep. For this example the end result would be around 10-15 different samples. Put the samples of soil into a bucket throwing out any plant debris.

Next, mix the samples in your bucket thoroughly, and then bring an 8-ounce (half pound) to 16-ounce (one pound) sample to your local agriculture extension center. They will sent it to a lab. You can expect to get the results back in 1-3 weeks.

Using Your Results
Once you get your soil test results back from your extension center the next step is to take the test results to a fertilizer plant, and they will create a fertilizer mix for you based on the results of your soil test. The fertilizer plant will then put your calculated mix on a spreader and spread it on your fields or pastures (you pay per acre and cost of fertilizer), or if they are busy you have the option of applying the fertilizer yourself by renting an applicator cart.
Midwestern University Extension Centers
- University of Missouri Extension Center
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- University of Minnesota Extension
- University of Illinois Extension
- Kansas State University Research and Extension
- University of Nebraska Extension
- North Dakota State University Extension Service
- South Dakota State University Extension
It is important for you to get to know your area's extension center and how it operates. They are a valuable resource for anyone in the business of agriculture. They not only assist with soil testing and sampling, but also provide information and assistance regarding seeding formulas, dry yield formulas, figuring stocking rates and more.

Your state university extension centers and regional/local extension centers are there to help you in all stages of your small farm and agriculture production. The list to the left can help you get started, but depending on your location you may have a closer regional center located nearer to where you live. If you live in a county that practices a lot of agriculture then you will have a close local extension service or branch that works with the university extension to obtain information for you. Many times these local extensions are located at city court houses.