16-04-2025
Digging deep: UVM soil testing center aims to advance VT research
BURLINGTON Vt. (ABC22 FOX44) – A new University of Vermont research center is hoping to 'revolutionize' soil health research in the state. Leaders at The Soil Health Research and Extension Center (SHREC) say they will be taking local test samples starting on Earth Day, April 22.
Dr. Deborah Neher, a Soil Ecologist and Associate Director for SHREC, says growers usually have to send their soil to out-of-state labs for testing, which often rely on national data sets and are not always able to provide Vermont-specific information.
'Vermonters, we do a good job managing our soil, so we often get values back that say all of our soil is healthy and great, and we know it's not always the case. So, if we get more specificity on the region, we'll be able to give more nuanced feedback to the farmers,' said Dr. Neher.
The Director of the program, Dr. Joshua Faulkner, says the various tests can help farmers understand the ratios of biological organisms in the soil, carbon and organic matter types, aggregate stability and nitrogen availability— some of which determine factors such as soil fertility and flood resistance.
'It'll help them make decisions about their management, in their garden or on their farm, that will help maximize their production and the resilience of their soil,' said Dr. Faulkner.
He says they also plan to offer educational workshops, focus groups, and demonstrations to ensure that farmers can benefit from the research down the line.
'We are making sure that this information gets out to farmers, to people who can use it… We're very much one foot in the lab and one foot in the field.'
The researchers say, while they plan to connect with farmers involved with UVM Extension, anyone is welcome to send in a sample for testing. Dr. Faulkner estimates it will take them about four to six weeks to process each specimen.
You can find the application for soil testing here.
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