Does improved soil health lead to increased potato yields? Free soil health testing offered Spring 2025

Monica Jean<atkinmon@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

Michigan potato farmers can get up to three fields tested for soil health with a grant from the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.

Picture of pulling a soil health test.

Do you grow potatoes commercially? Are you wondering what the soil health of your fields are? There is an opportunity to get a free soil health test with MSU’s Soil Health & Ecosystem Ecology Lab through a newly funded research project with the Michigan Potato Industry Commission. The team of researchers are looking for row crop farms that grow potatoes and are interested in free soil health tests.  

Our project seeks to: 

  1. Identify which management practices are most effective at building soil health in potato-based cropping systems across Michigan 
  2. Assess which aspects of soil health (i.e. beneficial nematodes, soil C dynamics, etc.) drive yield and quality of potatoes 
  3. Quantify a carbon and nitrogen intensity score for participating farms 

How does this work?  

Any row-crop farmer with potatoes in the rotation in Michigan is eligible to participate. Once enrolled, select up to three fields of choice, and a member of the team will visit your fields and soil sample prior to planting  and 60 days after planting in 2025. Results will be shared back through a report and an optional consultation.  

Included in the soil assessment is a routine nutrient test report, pH, texture, soil respiration (similar to the Solvita test), permanganate oxidizable carbon (sensitive carbon measure, strongly related to SOM), Autoclaved-citrate extractable protein (organically bound pool of nitrogen), enzymatic activity (indicative of microbial activity and nutrient cycling) and nematode quantification and identification (beneficial and parasitic nematodes). 

How to sign up: Complete an enrollment survey  

Enrollment Deadline: April 25, 2025 

For more information, please reach out to MSU Extension field crop educator, Monica Jean, at atkinmon@msu.edu or call 616-443-8782. 

This work is a partnership that includes Michigan State University, Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.  

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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Tag List
  • agriculture,
  • agriculture and environment,
  • climate change,
  • climate resiliency,
  • field crops,
  • msu extension,
  • potatoes,
  • soil health
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