Don’t Guess… Soil Test!
Testing, analyzing and understanding your soil
Soil testing is critical to making proper application of nutrients to ensure healthy crops as well as maximum yields and profits for the land manager. Fertilizer prices are very high so over application is a waste of money and also potentially harmful to the environment. On the other hand under application is an inefficient use of money and time.
2017 Soil Testing Workshop Schedule
Williams Valley Grange (see poster here)
- Tuesday, April 11th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Part 1 (see calendar listing here)
- In between: you collect a soil sample, we send it off and get results back in time for Part 2, below
- Tuesday, April 25th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Part 2 (see calendar listing here)
Northport Community Connections Center (see poster here)
- Wednesday, April 12th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Part 1 (see calendar listing here)
- In between: you collect a soil sample, we send it off and get results back in time for Part 2, below
- Wednesday, April 26th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Part 2 (see calendar listing here)
Workshop Description
Workshop Part 1
- Presentation: Soil Testing and Supplementation (as presented in Northport WA on 4/12/17)
- Handout: Fertilizing with Manure (WSU Extension)
- Handout: Home Gardeners Guide to Soils and Fertilizers (WSU Extension)
- Handout: Organic Matter Management (University of Minnesota Extension)
- Handout: Soil Test Interpretation Guide (Oregon State University Extension)
- Handout: Web Soil Survey Quick Guide
- Handout: Web Soil Survey Step by Step Guide
- Handout: Clopyralid and Other Pesticides in Compost (The Ohio State University Extension)
- Handout: Bioassay Test for Herbicide Residues in Compost (WSU Extension)
The first session of the Soils workshop will include instructions on how to take a good soil sample, along with other material on soils and soil supplements. Then after the class the idea is that attendees would then go home and collect their soil samples in the next couple days. Then on Sunday or Monday after the first class, the instructor come back to the seminar site (or some other agreed upon site) and collect everyone’s samples which will be shipped off together to the lab. That’ll give everyone a few days to collect their soil samples and it’ll give the lab a little more than a week to get all the test results back.
It would probably work if someone attending the class wanted to send in their own sample to the lab (or some other lab) but there’s less chance that everyone’s samples will be done in time if they’re shipped separately. It’ll also be cheaper to ship together as WSU Stevens County Extension be covering shipping costs for the one box per class.
Workshop Part 2
In the second class session, we’ll go through everyone’s soil test results and develop a custom soil supplementation plan for them.
- Handout: Example Web Soil Survey Vegetative Productivity Report
- Handout: Example Supplementation Plan – Conventional Custom Mixed Fertilizer
- Handout: Example Supplementation Plan – Organic Owner-Mixed Fertilizer
Costs
- Attendance: Free
- Shipping Samples to the Lab: Free if you ship your sample in the box with everyone else. WSU Extension will cover the cost of shipping the box containing everyone’s samples to the lab as long as they’re delivered on time to the agreed upon pickup site.
- Soil Testing Lab Costs: The lab we’ll use is called Soiltest Farm Consultants in Moses Lake WA. They have a range of different test options but the soil test most people choose test S-1 which costs $36.
