USDA and Baylor Sample Soils

Recently soil scientists from the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and geologists from Baylor University visited the Pine Forest community in Hopkins County to excavate a soil pit in order to gather soil samples for analysis.

The information from these samples will be used to improve soil predictions and interpretations on soil available water capacity, pH, erodibility, corrosiveness, nutrient availability, soil depth, permeability, soil bearing strength, shrink-swell potential and a variety of other characteristics. Steve Ahr with Baylor University will use samples from the pit for analysis of soil age and characteristics.

All this information and interpretations will eventually be available on the USDA Web Soil Survey site at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov for Hopkins County. The interpretations can help a landowner in determining the best adapted pasture grasses to plant, possible problems that may be encountered in tree planting and harvesting, building site development problems and a variety of other uses.

For more information you can access the USDA Web Soil Survey internet site or contact the USDA-NRCS office at 503 North Hillcrest Drive in Sulphur Springs or call 903-885-2933.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, Large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).