# GPS and Soil testing



## reede (May 17, 2010)

From Clemson's web site:



> Clemson ag engineer develops GPS software to track soil sampling


http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/clemson-ag-engineer-develops-gps-software-to-track-soil-sampling/

I have sent an email to inquire.

Reed


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Do you own the coordinates or does Clemson get your soil information/coordinates indirectly free, would be one of my questions. Not that I don't trust 'big brother', but.............................

Larry


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## reede (May 17, 2010)

That will be interesting to find out. Of course, they are the lab I use for soil testing anyway.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Here is another one.I don't use it but looks like $5.20 per acre on 5 acre grids.http://www.agphdsoiltest.com/

Had the Co-op do alot mine 4-5 yrs ago IIRC it was $7 acre on 4.4 acre grids.Use variable rate on spreader with the grid sampling to program the spreader.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

At some level this is bs. Maybe at all levels. I developed the Gis (digital line mapping) for the county I worked for for 37 years. I also did my masters on soil variability and did a lot of transect mapping ( in my case 200' grids). so I know enough to be both dangerous and .to piss some of you off. At my age, I can no longer be worried about either. Not withstanding that variability is likely different wherever you go, consider this (oh yeah, I also mapped soils), a typical pedon (the description of the soil unit mapped at a certain place) really does not necessarily do any justice to the spot where you took your sample but there is a range of characteristics for the soil type and what you have at your sample point mayor may not fit that. This is akin to measuring a 100 items to the nearest inch, foot, or #, then reporting your results to 5 decimal places.

I bet this gets linked to the soil survey and the auto report what soil type, slope, and erosion condition that you have at your " point". Sorry, not designed for that.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Hayman1 said:


> At some level this is bs. Maybe at all levels. I developed the Gis (digital line mapping) for the county I worked for for 37 years. I also did my masters on soil variability and did a lot of transect mapping ( in my case 200' grids). so I know enough to be both dangerous and .to piss some of you off. At my age, I can no longer be worried about either. Not withstanding that variability is likely different wherever you go, consider this (oh yeah, I also mapped soils), a typical pedon (the description of the soil unit mapped at a certain place) really does not necessarily do any justice to the spot where you took your sample but there is a range of characteristics for the soil type and what you have at your sample point mayor may not fit that. This is akin to measuring a 100 items to the nearest inch, foot, or #, then reporting your results to 5 decimal places.
> 
> I bet this gets linked to the soil survey and the auto report what soil type, slope, and erosion condition that you have at your " point". Sorry, not designed for that.


Mine is linked to soil types

I think grids are sure alot better then getting 10 probes on a 50 acre field and mixing them up and sending a average sample in which was SOP since I started farming.

There was another independent guy doing grids by soil type on a field and sampleing by soil type.Ended up with different sized and shaped grids in the shape of different soil types in the field.


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