North Jersey RC&D is a local nonprofit with an initiative this summer to offer soil and manure testing on pastures and croplands at no cost to you. Watersheds located along the border of Warren and Hunterdon counties were selected by the William Penn Foundation for grant funding aimed at improving agricultural sustainability. As part of this funding, your farm is eligible to receive free soil and manure testing during the summer of 2019.
WHEN: All soil sampling and analysis will take place during the summer of 2019. Respond by July 1st to take advantage of the first round of this opportunity!
WHO: Sampling will be completed by North Jersey RC&D: a non-profit that offers financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers with the goal of improving farm environmental and economic sustainability.
HOW MUCH: Farms will be eligible to receive between 5 and 20 free tests – a $60 - $500 value -- depending on the size of the farm.
HOW DOES IT WORK: North Jersey RC&D staff will schedule an appointment to visit your farm, discuss a sampling plan and decide which fields to sample and which tests would be most beneficial. After the results are in, we'll contact you to schedule another meeting to review your results and answer any questions you might have.
SIGN UP! Complete a short form located at www.northjerseyrcd.org/sign-up or call us at (908) 574-5368. An RC&D staff member will contact you to schedule an appointment.
Why Participate:
Knowledge of soil health helps optimize crop production, reduce unnecessary nutrient runoff and excess fertilizer usage, and pinpoint crop needs to save money and conserve energy. These practices contribute to improving farm productivity and protecting local water quality.
We encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn more about your soil quality. Our goal in offering this service is to educate and assist New Jersey farmers in improving their soil health. Farmers interested in implementing conservation practices (such as cover crops, rotational grazing, and waterway protection) may be eligible for additional grant funding to reduce implementation costs.
How to Sign Up:
To sign up for free soil and manure testing program, click on the link below.
www.northjerseyrcd.org/sign-up
Within a few days, an RC&D staff member will contact you to schedule a time to talk about the sampling plan.
What to Expect:
During the initial visit, an RC&D staff member will talk over a sampling plan in order to decide which fields to sample and which tests most interest you. You'll also be asked some questions about you farm operation; the interview takes between 10 to 20 minutes. The goal of the short questionnaire is to determine if you might qualify for, or be interested in, any additional best management practices (ie cover crop).
Answers are always optional and be assured that your information won't be used for any regulatory purposes. Shortly after the initial visit, a member of our staff will return and collect the soil and manure sample. Depending on the size of the field, between 10 to 20 small soil samples are usually gathered from throughout the field, mix in a bag, and then sent to lab; this ensures a representative sample.
We usually get results within three to ten days after submitting the sample. After the results are in, we'll contact you to schedule another meeting. At this point, we'll give you your results, and answer any questions you might have.
SIGN UP AT www.northjerseyrcd.org/sign-up
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