Indiana's Mississippi River Basin Soil Sampling Program

This program includes row crop, pasture, hay, and specialty crop production systems located within the Mississippi River Basin.

Participating growers must be willing to enroll 100 acres or less and will be prioritized by:

• Fields that have never been sampled before, or
• Fields that have not been sampled regularly (i.e., not sampled within the last 4+ years), and
• New program enrollments.

Further prioritization may be implemented based on interest in the program.

Not sure if a field is within the Mississippi River Basin? Use this tool to check eligibility!

Find my Watershed

This program is meant to demonstrate the importance of soil sampling and the valuable information it can provide. This program is not meant to act or replace an operation’s existing soil testing schedule.

*Hobby, or personal, gardens, private lawns, and manure sampling are not eligible for this program.

This program will provide soil sampling and analysis at no cost to the producer.

Producers will work with ISDA staff to coordinate soil sampling and to provide the best available information. Soil sampling will take place prior to fertilizer application.

Samples will be submitted to contracted labs for routine soil fertility testing which includes:

• Organic matter
• Available Phosphorus
• Exchangeable Potassium
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Soil pH
• Buffer pH
• Cation Exchange Capacity
• % Base Saturation of Cation Elements

Nutrient application recommendations will be made by labs using the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for applicable crops.

A minimum of two soil samples will be collected per field with the maximum number of samples to be determined by field conditions and dominant soil types. ISDA will not conduct grid sampling and reserves the right not to collect samples.

Growers may inquire about additional tests (e.g., micronutrients, sulfur, etc). However, ISDA cannot guarantee funds to cover these test analyses and may be of your own incurred costs from labs.

Note: If the participant operates an organic cropping system or wants to enroll 10 acres or less, ISDA may refer you to other programs that may be a better fit for the operation.

A result packet will be mailed or sent via email. This packet will include lab results, recommendations, educational materials, and other soil health information.

Soil Test Sample Report

Please have your farm number and tract information readily available while going through the sign-up. It helps our Resource Specialist look for farm location upfront. However, a farm number or tract number record is not required to participate in this program.

Producers can register via the online forms, by reaching out to their Resource Specialist or by reaching out to the Program Manager at soilsampling@isda.in.gov or 317-232-0305. ISDA will review the submitted registration form and contact the producer to discuss field history and soil sampling activities.

To register online, complete each of the below forms:

• Registration Form 1
• Registration Form 2

ISDA Mississippi River Basin Soil Sampling Registration Assistance Guide