Conservation District Partners with K-State Research and Extension to Provide Free Soil Tests to Douglas County Residents

Proper soil nutrition is important for optimal plant growth. However, overapplication of fertilizers is both costly and a potential source of non-point source pollution to waterways. The Douglas County Conservation District partners with the Douglas County K-State Research and Extension office to provide free soil tests to homeowners and agricultural operators to help preserve water quality in our wetlands and streams.

Conservation Technician Jeremy Gaines provides technical services to both the District and NRCS. He is our “boots on the ground” person who you will likely see in the field with transit and survey gear nearby. Jeremy is a lifelong resident of Douglas County; he grew up on a multi-generational farm and currently resides in the historic Belvoir Schoolhouse, which was built in 1865. In 2010 he earned his Permaculture Design Certification and started Wakarusa Valley Permaculture in 2016.

Douglas County residents are eligible for free tests for their lawns & gardens and their agricultural Home horticulture users can receive up to two free basic soil tests per year while ag producers can receive up to five free basic tests per year. Extension also has several more technical soil tests available at an additional charge.

Fields that are worked up should have samples taken from 6 inches. Avoid sampling in old fence rows, dead furrows, low spots, feeding areas, and other areas that might give unusual results. If information on these unique areas is desired, obtain a separate sample from the site.

Natural Resource Specialist Brooke Franklin is the Natural Resource Specialist. She focuses her work on urban agriculture opportunities. Brooke grew up in Lenexa, KS, before graduating in 2019 with an M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems from Prescott College in Arizona, where her focus was on increasing native pollinators and school gardens.

In 2022, the Douglas County Conservation District covered the costs for 264 soil samples to be tested across the county.

Where to start? Proper collection of a representative soil sample is essential for the accuracy and analysis of test results. Follow these steps to obtain a good sample:

Decide if your field can be treated as one sample or needs to be broken down into separate smaller samples. If you believe

Soil Conservationist Jennifer Green started this past year. She grew up in Texas. She served 4 years in the Air Force & discharged after her oldest child was born. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Crop & Soil Sciences with a specialization in Agronomy from Michigan State University in 2017. I have worked in NRCS offices in Oklahoma, Texas, & now Kansas. She has three children, ranging in age from 4-10 years old.

Pheasants Forever, INC and Quail Forever, Wildlife Biologist, Hannah Pippert is new to the office. She grew up all over the US because her dad was serving in the USAF and landed in Lawrence, KS to attend college at KU. There she discovered and developed her lover for conservation, specifically prairie conservation. She graduated in 2018 with a degree in Environmental Studies and

Our chairperson, Jordan Olsen, was elected to the District board in 2015. He was born and raised in a farming family in Burdett, Kansas, near Dodge City. After high school, Jordan attended Baker University in Baldwin City, where he earned a BS in Wildlife Biology. Since then, he has been employed in the agriculture insurance industry, but always keeps his passion for wildlife habitat improvement in front of mind! Jordan is married has been working in conservation since June 2020. NRCS Independent Contractor- David Mooney also started this past year. David grew up here in Lawrence, KS. He has recently enlisted in the United States Air Guard. He enjoys the outdoors, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Photography, and fishing. He is a member of the NICA Mountain Biking Association. He has volunteered at events for the Conservation District and is excited to be a part of the NRCS office. He assists Tim Miller with Contracting and varies office duties.

3Take at least 10 – 15 samples from the field and mix the samples in a clean container to create a representative sample. The more sub-samples you take, the more assured you’ll be that soil test results are representative of your field. Bring approximately two cups of mixed soil to the Douglas County Extension Office in a paper bag. 4 the soil type, and the previous crop and fertilizer treatments are consistent across the field, treat it as one sample. If soil type and topography change across the field, different crops have been planted on different parts of the field, or there are problem spots, break the field down into smaller units to sample.

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Using a soil probe, dig vertically to a depth of 4 inches for established fields such as brome, alfalfa, or a no-till field.

Supervisory District Conservationist Tim Miller leads the Lawrence Management Unit, consisting of six counties: Douglas, Johnson, Wyandotte, Miami, Shawnee, and Franklin. Tim began working for the NRCS in 2001 as a Rangeland Management Specialist. In 2003 he transitioned to the position of Area Range Management Specialist, and in 2014 he accepted the position of Supervisory District Conservationist for the Lawrence Management Unit.

Garrett Pounds is the new County Executive Director (CED) in Douglas and Shawnee County.

Garrett grew up in north central Kansas and spent most of his free time on the family farm. Garrett earned an Associate Degree in Accounting to Kalie (Harris) Olsen, a Baldwin City native. They have a two-yearold daughter, Natalie, and one more on the way!

Samples should be dry. You can let samples air dry, but do not use heat to dry your samples. 5 from Cloud County Community College. He then went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Agriculture from Fort Hays State University. Garrett has spent the last five years in banking, as well as working on his family farm in Delphos, Kansas. Garrett joined our FSA family in December of 2021 to complete our County Executive Director in Training (CEDT) program. Garrett will split his time between Douglas and Shawnee Counties, as we are now a Shared Management Unit.

Bring the soil sample(s) to Douglas County K-State Research and Extension, 2110 Harper St. Lawrence, KS 66046. Once submitted, you should have your results in 2-3 weeks. For additional information, please use the following link. https://www.douglas.kstate.edu/crops-livestock/testing/Soil_Testing. html

FSA Program Technician Debbie Chappelle was born and raised in Kansas and lives in Baldwin City. She has worked for the Farm Service Agency for 34 years and knows just about everything regarding farming and farms in Douglas County.

FSA Program Technician Jessica O’Trimble is a native of Kansas, born and raised in Perry, KS. She began working for the Farm Service Agency in 2014 for Jefferson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. In 2016 Jessica accepted a position with the Douglas County FSA.