Agriculture & Environment | Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Lee County

Using a variety of educational deliveries including newsletters, websites, workshops, conferences, consultation, and clinics, our Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) specialists are engaged with farmers, researchers, organizations, agencies, agribusiness, and communities.

ANR Extension and Outreach plays an important role in providing research-based information and resources to educate Iowa and beyond. Our programs impact all Iowans, whether they live in a rural or urban area, and have been developed to improve our quality of life. Our areas of focus include: agricultural systems and environmental stewardship; crops; dairy production; farm, food and enterprise development; farm management; food safety; horticulture; beef production; swine production; and natural resources stewardship.

Lee County Soil Testing Resources

This webpage is your home for instructions on how to take a soil sample in your lawn or garden for Lee County.

A free paper copy of the below resources are available as a Soil Testing Kit at the Lee County Extension Office.

Steps in testing homeowner lawn and garden soils

The first step in testing your soil is taking the soil sample. Ray Kruse from the Dubuque County office has created a Brief Instruction Sheet on Taking a Soil Sample. You can print this sheet for your own reference. Ray Kruse has also created a Youtube Video on Taking a Soil Sample.
After taking the soil sample from your yard, you will need to print and fill out a Soil Sample Submission Sheet. Send this sheet along with your soil sample, to a soil testing laboratory.
After a week or two, you will recieve a soil sample report from the laboratory via email. If you would like to see what a soil report will provide, you can see what an Example Soil Report would look like.
NOTE: In December 2017 the Iowa State University Soil Laboratory closed it's doors. Due to the continued need for soil testing services by our clients, we are now forwarding our clients to the University of Minnesota's Soil Testing and Research Analytical Laboratory. We have chosen this option for the convenience of our clients and because it is a public university laboratory. As a client of Dubuque County Extension, you have the free choice to choose a different university laboratory or private lab in the state of Iowa.

For any questions in relation to taking and submitting a soil sample, please contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Office of Lee County at xlee@iastate.edu or at (319)835-5116. Thanks for visiting our website and using the resources available from your local ISU Extension and Outreach Office of Lee County.