Outreach
“Soil is the underlying factor in Iowa crop production and land use.”
– Gerald A. Miller
– Gerald A. Miller
Soil is the foundation of Iowa’s crop production and land use, influencing both agricultural and non-agricultural activities. Not all soils are equally suited for every use. The resources on this page provide insights into soil properties, land use trends, crop production, and soil survey data to aid in sustainable land management.
Soil Intelligence
In collaboration with the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS), we investigate and inventory the soil resources across Iowa and beyond. In this section, we provide interpretations and statistics to support land management, conservation, and agricultural productivity.
Land Use
This section highlights how Iowa’s land resources are used across different landscapes. The Land Use page provides an overview of how land is allocated and managed across the state.
Soil Carbon Monitoring
The Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics (GLSI) proudly supports the USDA-NRCS Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activity 221 (CEMA-221). This citizen science-based protocol provides structured guidelines for soil sampling, data collection, and analysis to assess soil organic carbon stocks. These assessments help evaluate the impact of conservation practices and contribute to greenhouse gas accounting on agricultural lands.
Landowners enrolled in the USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) may be eligible for financial support by participating in CEMA-221 soil monitoring efforts.
Explore Our Services
Beyond providing soil data and mapping resources, GLSI at Iowa State University offers specialized soil research services:
- Deep Soil Core Collection – Extracting high-quality soil cores using a hydraulic Giddings probe for research, monitoring, and land management.
- High-Precision Soil Particle Size Analysis – Measuring particle size distribution with a laser diffractometer to gain detailed insights into soil texture and composition.