FCNRCD Tool Spotlight: Soil Sample Tracking

Soil samples are a vital step in achieving both conservation and production goals. By analyzing the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of soil, we gain valuable data on nutrient levels, soil pH, organic matter, heavy metal content, saturation, and biological activity, among other factors. This information allows producers to make informed management decisions that support productivity while prioritizing long-term soil health. Sustainably managing soil helps farms meet their operational goals while keeping conservation at the forefront. Well-balanced soil management can reduce soil erosion, improve fertilizer efficiency, enhance soil aeration, increase water infiltration and retention (helping prevent runoff and non-point source pollution), and ultimately boost yield and productivity. 

Farms across Franklin County and Grand Isle County continue to work with Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District (FCNRCD) to advance these goals. During the 2025 season, the FCNRCD team soil sampled 3,557 acres across 29 farms, collecting a total of 247 samples. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with farms throughout both Franklin and Grand Isle Counties in support of sustainable soil management. 

Agricultural Manager, Kate Wettergreen, collecting a soil sample.

Farms which fall under the classification of Certified Small Farm Operation (CSFO), Medium Farm Operation (MFO), and Large Farm Operation (LFO) are required to collect soil samples for agricultural fields they manage every 3 years to stay in compliance with the Required Agricultural Practice's (RAP's) in Vermont. Small Farm Operations (SFO) are required to sample fields at least once every 5 years. FCNRCD first started soil sampling for farms in 1993, at no cost to the farmer for our time or labor, while each sample has a fee of $17 to be processed at the University of Vermont (UVM).  

This makes soil sampling a big part of FCNRCD's year-round responsibilities. A large majority of the sampling takes place in the fall between the months of August to December, after most farms have spread their final manure applications, crops have been harvested, and before the snow arrives. There are always a few inevitable snowy days of sampling in December each year.  

In 2024, the Agricultural Team at FCNRCD began the development of the soil sample spreadsheet with the goal to better understand just how much soil sampling we were doing each fall by tracking metrics including acreage of each sample, number of farms assisted, and the total number of fields sampled per farm. At the onset, our goal was to improve our ability to predict internal workloads in the busy fall season and complete, as much as possible, our soil sampling before the snow begins. 

FCNRCD staff collecting soil samples. (From left to right: Maria Burnett, Kate Wettergreen, Viva Goetze, and Dorothy Kinney-Landis)

After trial and error with a few drafted versions of the spreadsheet in 2024, we were able to use the soil sample spreadsheet effectively in the 2025 season towards these goals. The spreadsheet allowed FCNRCD to clearly track soil samples throughout the fall and look ahead at how much sampling was yet to come as the season progressed. We are able to automatically flag farms which are due for soil sampling based on farm size, SFO or CSFO, MFO, and LFO every 5 years or 3 years, respectively. This allowed our agricultural team enough time to predict, prepare, and execute a plan for our team's soil sampling workload in the upcoming fall season.  

We are proud to continue to improve systems that support our ability to carry out this work. The development of the soil sample spreadsheet helps our team adjust each year to fluctuating soil sampling demands with greater ease. This aids us in meeting the needs of as many farms as we can and looking ahead to find ways we can reach more farmers who may have use for these services in the future. 

If you are interested in collaborating with the FCNRCD team to complete soil sampling on your farm or property, please reach us at info@franklincountynrcd.org or call the office at 802-582-3133. We look forward to helping you meet your conservation and production goals!