Soil Testing

Currently we analyze soil for water pH, salt pH, buffer pH, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, iron, manganese, & copper.  CEC and base saturation are then calculated from the test results.

The pH is ran using a standard DI water test with a pH probe.  Since no two soils change pH at the same rate, a buffer test must be ran to see how much limestone is needed to change the pH to the desired level.  Limestone quantities are calculated using the change in pH from the Sikora Buffer.

Macro and micro nutrients are extracted from the soil using Mehlich III.  The nutrient concentrations are then analyzed using a Thermo ICP spectrometer.  This machine turns the samples into a plasma and then reads the concentration of each element that is present one at a time.

The Farm Clinic is licensed through USDA APHIS to receive and test foreign soil.  All our protocols follow the recommended chemical soil test procedure for the North Central Region.  In order to ensure accuracy in our results we participate and pass the NAPT and ALP third party quality control programs each quarter as well as sending random samples to third party labs to validate our results.