Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council announced the expansion of the Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project, which delivers free nitrogen soil testing for farmers in counties upstream from the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids metro areas. The announcement was made during the Conservation Districts of Iowa annual meeting in Ames.
The Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project, originally launched in April 2026, was well received by Iowa farmers and signups filled quickly. Because of the program’s popularity, INREC is doubling the project capacity for fall 2026 and expanding the program area to include farmers in all 22 counties in the Greater Des Moines watershed, in addition to four counties in the Middle Cedar watershed.
The three-year program is designed to assess year-over-year variability in nitrogen availability and evaluate how residual soil nitrogen affects on-farm management decisions.
