Service for soil health supports economical and environmentally sound land use

The Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory provides valuable tools to manage soil nutrient availability, impacting 350,000 acres of lawns, gardens, orchards, turfgrass, vineyards, crop land, and pastureland in Virginia annually.

By Julie Shlisky

Healthy, properly managed soil is the foundation of successful agriculture.

Economic crop yields, ecological land use decisions and the conservation of local waterways are all heavily dependent on soil health.

Accurate soil analysis of nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, along with subsequent fertilizer and lime recommendations, provides Virginia growers with valuable tools to manage soil nutrient availability and prevent over-fertilization, which is expensive and potentially damaging to the environment.

The Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory, part of Virginia Cooperative Extension and the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, analyzes soil samples submitted by farmers, homeowners, industry and soil and plant scientists across the commonwealth.

“The Soil Testing Lab supports 11,000 homeowners, landowners, gardeners, farmers, and landscape businesses annually, analyzing approximately 50,000 soil samples per year,” said Rory Maguire, a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the lab’s manager. “A single soil sample is estimated to represent seven acres – that means we impact 350,000 acres each year.”

About three days after a sample is received, clients are emailed tailored reports that can be translated into actionable steps, such as how to calculate and apply suggested fertilizers and what kind of follow-up testing is recommended. A modern interface for sample submission is in development, which will allow users to pay and receive feedback online.

Sample boxes and forms are available for pickup at every county office in the state. Morgan Paulette, an extension agent in Pulaski County, has helped many first-time soil testers benefit from the service. Local clients often bring their results back to the county office with questions about interpretation.

“We sometimes lend out soil probes and will offer support on how to correctly take samples,” Paulette said. “That also helps me get a better general sense of what’s going on in the surrounding area.”

Megan Seibel, director of Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results and Center for Cooperative Problem Solving soil tests to support her family’s farm and vineyard.

“We pick up sample boxes, pull samples following the instructions, label and turn them back in – it’s easy,” Seibel said. “Even if you have to mail them in, it’s easy enough.”

Seibel soil tests for hay and pasture management, as well as for their grapevines. She said receiving recommendations based on the crop is critical.

“The needs of a grapevine are very different from rye or corn – there are different implications, and the lab report helps us work with the fertilizer supplier and nutrient management specialist to get it right,” she said.

Seibel felt fortunate to have these services so readily available.

“For things like soil testing, the services Virginia Tech offers the industry are tremendous,” Seibel, who is also chair of the Virginia Wine Board, said. “Soil testing services are offered in the name of improving land quality and environment, and the price makes it accessible to the landowner.”

Well-managed and efficient fertilization also benefits pollution management and water quality, including Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. Ill-timed or excessive application of fertilizers can cause erosion and nitrogen leaching. Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality estimates that removing nitrogen pollution from the Chesapeake Bay costs $32.73 per pound – another way of expressing the added value of properly managed soil.