NCDA Offers FREE Soil Testing & Services for WNC Through June 2025

(Updated: March 27, 2025, 6:52 a.m.)

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA & CS) is offering free services for counties affected by Hurricane Helene through June 2025. See NCDA's announcement here.

Services include:
  • soil testing
  • nematode assay analysi
  • analysis of plant, waste, solution and media samples

Soil sampling

“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.”


Find your local extension agent or regional agronomist to help you sample and/or interpret results.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,
  • Yancey