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Soil sampling requirements in Vermont

Soil sampling requirements in Vermont

State rules: Vermont Required Agricultural Practices Rule for the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. State guidance: UVM Extension Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab, How to Take a Soil Sample.

Soil sampling in Vermont: frequency, area, depth and cores

How often do you need to soil sample in Vermont?

When in the year should soil be sampled in Vermont?

How deep should soil samples be taken in Vermont?

How many cores go into one soil sample in Vermont?

Soil sampling rules in Vermont, with the exact wording of each source
Country / region Purpose / programme Time / frequency Area per sample Method Depth Cores Status and source
United States
VermontUnited StatesVermont only. Other states set their own rules.Soil sampling on fields that receive manure or fertilizerRequired Agricultural Practices (RAPs), Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program
  • Repeat At least once in every five years
Not specifiedNot specifiedNot specifiedNot specifiedConditionalVermont Required Agricultural Practices Rule (effective November 23, 2018), PDF
Who it applies to, the exact wording and every source
Who it applies to
Farms that must follow the RAPs (Section 3.1) but are below the Certified Small Farm Operation threshold of Section 4.1: every field that receives mechanical application of manure, agricultural wastes or fertilizer.
Outside the rule
Certified Small Farm Operations (Section 4.1 sets the livestock numbers, and the more than 50 acres of annual cropland or vegetables with mechanically applied fertilizer, manure or agricultural wastes, that make a farm one) and permitted Medium and Large Farm Operations. They follow a field-by-field nutrient management plan to NRCS Code 590 or an approved equivalent under 6.03(a) instead.
Laboratory and analysis
Modified Morgan extractant, or other equivalent standards approved by the Secretary. Soil analysis records kept on the farm for five years.
In force from
23 November 2018
Legal text
Vermont Required Agricultural Practices Rule for the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program, Section 6.03(c)

The wording in the source

Timing

Who it applies to

Outside the rule

  • All Certified Small Farm Operations as defined in Section 4 of this rule and all permitted Medium and Large Farm Operations managing manure, agricultural wastes, or fertilizer for use as nutrient sources shall implement a field-by-field … nutrient management plan consistent with the requirements of the USDA NRCS Nutrient Management Practice Code 590 or other equivalent standards approved by the Secretary.

    Section 6.03(a) (ellipsis marks footnote marker 20)

  • (b) farms on a parcel or parcels of land greater than 50 acres used for the preparation, tilling, fertilization, planting, protection, irrigation, and harvesting of annual cropland where fertilizer, manure, or agricultural wastes are mechanically applied to said parcel or parcels; or

    Section 4.1(b) (4.1(a) sets the livestock numbers, 4.1(c) the same 50 acres for vegetable production)

Laboratory and analysis

  • using modified Morgan’s extractant or other equivalent standards approved by the Secretary.

    Section 6.03(c)

  • Records of soil analysis, manure or other agricultural waste application, and fertilizer applications shall be maintained on the farm for a period five years and provided to the Secretary upon request.

    Section 6.03(c)

In force

Sources

Sources re-checked every two months, last update October 2026. Reviewed by GeoPard editorial team.
VermontUnited StatesVermont only. Other states set their own rules.Routine soil fertility samplingUVM Extension Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab, How to Take a Soil Sample
  • Season Before lime, fertilizer or manure is added
Not specifiedZig-zag across an area as uniform as possible in soil type, cropping and fertilizing history, one you expect to fertilize as a unit.Lawns, turf and other perennial sod: 4 to 6 inches (10.16 to 15.24 cm). Annually tilled crops: tillage depth, usually 6 to 10 inches (15.24 to 25.4 cm).At least 15 to 20 for areas larger than a home garden or lawn of up to 10,000 square feet (10 cores minimum for those)Official guidanceUVM Extension, How to Take a Soil Sample (PDF)
Who it applies to, the exact wording and every source
Who it applies to
Advice from the public land-grant university extension laboratory for Vermont. Not law.
In force from
Under review
Legal text
University of Vermont Extension, How to Take a Soil Sample (3/2022)

The wording in the source

Timing

Method

  • The area to be sampled should be as uniform as possible in terms of soil type and cropping and fertilizing history.

    Where to sample

  • For practical purposes it should be an area you expect to fertilize as a unit.

    Where to sample

  • Collect a number of cores or slices by walking in a zig-zag pattern over the area.

    Take a good sample

Depth

Cores

  • Consider 10 cores as the minimum for home gardens and lawns up to 10,000 square feet in size.

    Take a good sample

  • Larger areas should be represented by at least 15 to 20 samples.

    Take a good sample

Sources

Sources re-checked every two months, last update October 2026. Reviewed by GeoPard editorial team.

United States: federal rules and every other state

Soil sampling regulations in every country

Report an outdated requirement: info@geopard.tech

Plan the points to the rule that applies

Set the area per sample, the cores and the depth your rule asks for. GeoPard places the points on a grid or by zone, routes the walk, prints the labels and takes the plan to the field on a phone.

Create a sampling plan See the Soil Sampling Planner

A planning reference built from official sources, not legal advice. Rules apply by jurisdiction, nutrient, land use and programme: check the current official text and your laboratory’s instructions before fieldwork.

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