Take Five – September 24, 2026

Farmers who would like to take advantage of the Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project must sign up before Friday, Oct. 2. The free nitrogen soil testing is available in 26 counties upstream from the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids metro areas. The project provides field-level data to help optimize fertilizer use and benefit water quality.

Free fall nitrogen soil sampling is available in the following counties: Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Dallas, Dickinson, Emmet, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Polk, Sac, Tama, Webster, Winnebago and Wright.

This is a three-year project from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) .

Learn more and sign up online .