The Lower Loup NRD Board of Directors has approved funding for a new district-wide Advanced Soil Sampling Cost-Share program. The approved amount is $75,000 annually, with $50,000 being committed to district-wide sampling and the remaining $25,000 committed to the Phase II Water Quality Management Areas and vulnerable fields identified by the LLNRD’s new Nitrogen Vulnerability Model.
The purpose of the Lower Loup NRD’s new Advanced Soil Sampling Cost-Share program is to encourage landowners to adopt advanced soil sampling analysis with the intent of reducing nutrient input and improving soil health across the entire Lower Loup Natural Resources District. Examples of advanced soil sampling include the Haney Test, Soil Health Assessment, and the Complete Soil Analysis Test. These advanced tests look at many different factors to determine the quantities of each nutrient that are available to the crop and to the microbes in the soil.
To qualify for the LLNRD Advanced Soil Sampling Cost-Share program, landowners must have certified irrigated acres and must use an approved soil testing method. The LLNRD would then cost share up to $55 per soil sample up to eight soil samples per year for four years. Landowners will also be required to conduct 36-inch-deep soil nitrate tests, the cost of which will be covered by the Lower Loup NRD up to $15 per soil sample.
The funding for this program will be available in the next fiscal year, which begins July 2023. Landowners can sign up at their local NRCS office.
Advanced Soil Sampling Program Agreement Advanced Soil Sampling Program Guidelines