NCDA&CS Offers Free Agronomic Services for Western N.C. Growers 

RALEIGH — It has been months since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and recovery is still ongoing throughout the region. Many residents and growers had devastating losses, but work is under way to rebuild and move forward in 2025.

To help with recovery, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agronomic Services Division is offering all of its services – soil testing, nematode assay analysis, and analysis of plant, waste, solution and media samples — at no cost to growers in the 27 presidential disaster counties. These are helpful services as growers prepare for the upcoming season.

Counties included 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, and Yancey. Fees are being paid by special state funding so essentially fees are waived to the grower through June.

The soil testing service is ready to provide lime and fertilizer recommendations to help growers establish optimum fertility in fields for the upcoming growing season. Severe erosion and deposition of soils from other aeras occurred during the storm. Some work to physically restore productive fields has been ongoing and it is equally important to determine what fertility needs are prior to establishing a crop.

“Whether its 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. “Now is an excellent time to use these services, especially if you have never used them before.”

The turnaround time, from the sample arriving at the lab to having a report, is two weeks now, so results will be ready quickly. Growers should submit samples in NCDA&CS soil sample boxes along with a fully completed submission form. Information on soil testing is found at ncagr.gov – Soil Testing, Commercial Growers .

Growers who have crops currently growing should consider plant tissue testing to make sure plant nutrients are sufficient for optimal growth. Now is a good time to sample Fraser firs before bud break. Tissue sampling wheat or small grain sampling is also timely. Plant tissue sampling is more difficult than soil sampling since the correct plant leaf or part must be sampled. Sampling guides that are crop specific can be found at ncagr.gov – Plant Tissue Samples  and submission forms.

To help deliver and implement recommendations from our agronomic labs, the division’s team of regional agronomists work one-on-one with growers in western N.C. and across the state. 

“Our agronomists have decades of field expertise in crop management in their respective regions. With boots on the ground at your farm, they can help sample, interpret reports including management recommendations, and troubleshoot other plant growth concerns if needed,” said Dr. David Hardy, director of the Agronomic Services Division.

You can find who serves your county along with their contact information at Field Services.

Other resources that growers have access to through the NCDA&CS is the Division of Soil and Water Conservation. Growers who still need assistance with soil management in eroded fields and stream and drainage issues are highly encouraged to seek the local expertise in each county office.

Another reliable source of help and a good partner of NCDA&CS is your N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. You will find staff in every county  that can help in various aspects of crop production. County Cooperative Extension offices are equipped with NCDA&CS soil test boxes and all agronomic submission forms.