The aftermath of Hurricane Helene continues to affect western North Carolina, with recovery efforts still ongoing. In response, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Agronomic Services Division is offering its services free of charge to growers in 27 presidential disaster counties. These services include soil testing, nematode assay analysis, and analysis of plant, waste, solution, and media samples.
The counties benefiting from this initiative are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell Polk Rutherford Swain Transylvania Watauga Wilkes Yancey. Special state funding covers these fees until June.
The division’s soil testing service aims to provide lime and fertilizer recommendations to help growers optimize field fertility for the upcoming season. The hurricane caused severe erosion and deposition of soils from other areas. “Whether it’s Fraser fir apples tomatoes sweet corn corn silage grapes pasture or other commodities site and crop specific recommendations are being offered and can help growers optimize yields,” said Kaleb Rathbone assistant commissioner of Western N.C. ag programs.
Currently the turnaround time for receiving test results is two weeks. Growers are encouraged to submit samples using NCDA&CS soil sample boxes along with a completed submission form. More information on soil testing is available at the NCDA&CS website.
For crops currently growing plant tissue testing is recommended to ensure sufficient nutrients for optimal growth especially before bud break in Fraser firs or during wheat sampling. Sampling guides can be found online alongside submission forms.
Regional agronomists work directly with growers providing expertise in crop management across the state. “Our agronomists have decades of field expertise in crop management in their respective regions,” said Dr David Hardy director of the Agronomic Services Division.
Additional resources available through NCDA&CS include the Division of Soil and Water Conservation which offers assistance with soil management stream drainage issues via local county offices as well as partnerships with the NC Cooperative Extension Service providing staff support throughout various aspects of crop production.
