Does Iowa State still test soil?

No. ISU Extension states that soil tests are not available from Iowa State. Its own lab is closed, and county extension offices now hand out kits for samples that get analysed somewhere else. This is the single thing most people searching for Iowa soil testing have wrong.

What does a soil test cost?

It depends entirely on the lab and the add-ons, and each lab publishes its price on its own submission form, which is why no figure appears on this page. Both university labs ISU points to, Minnesota and Wisconsin, list current prices with their forms. The county kit itself is free.

How much soil do they need?

One mixed sample built from 10 to 15 cores taken at 4 to 8 inches across the area, which fills a quart freezer bag comfortably. One core from one spot is the commonest mistake and it makes the report describe that spot rather than your yard.

Should I test for lead?

It is an add-on rather than part of the basic test. It is worth adding for a vegetable bed beside an older house or a busy road, where paint and fuel residue are the usual sources. The basic package covers phosphorus, potassium, pH and organic matter only.

When should I sample?

Fall or early spring. Any time the soil is unfrozen works, and sampling at roughly the same point in the year each time is what makes one report comparable with the last.

Where do these facts come from?

Iowa State University Extension's home gardener soil testing page and its Mahaska County office page, both read on 16 September 2026 and linked at the foot of this page. Lab prices and addresses change, so take those from the lab's own form.

Checked September 16, 2026

Iowa State stopped testing soil. Here is where an Iowa sample actually goes now.

Iowa State University closed its soil lab, so a sample taken in Iowa is analysed out of state or by a private lab. The sampling method, the timing and what the report tells you are the same wherever you send it, and getting the sample right matters more than the lab you pick.

10–15
cores per sample
taken across the area and mixed into one
4–8
inches deep
below the surface layer, with no mulch, roots or manure in it
3–5
years between tests
or sooner when something is visibly wrong

In order

Seven steps, and three of them expire.

1
Stop looking for an Iowa State lab
Iowa State University Extension states plainly that soil tests are no longer available from Iowa State. County extension offices still help, and the analysis itself happens elsewhere.
What it costs
No fee
ISU Extension, Soil Testing Resources for Home Gardeners
2
Pick a lab
ISU Extension points Iowa gardeners at the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory and the University of Wisconsin Soil and Forage Analysis Lab, and lists private options including Waypoint Analytical, Midwest Laboratories, A&L Great Lakes, Frontier Labs, AgSource, Dairyland and SoilKit.
What it costs
Each lab publishes its own price on its submission form
ISU Extension, Soil Testing Resources for Home Gardeners
3
Get a kit or a freezer bag
County extension offices hand out soil test kits. The forms can also be printed at home and the soil sent in a quart freezer-weight Ziplock.
What it costs
Kits are free at the county office
ISU Extension Mahaska County, Soil Testing Information
4
Take 10 to 15 cores and mix them
Use a trowel to take soil from the top 4 to 8 inches at 10 to 15 spots across the area being tested, then mix them into one sample. Leave out the very top of the profile and any compost, mulch, roots or manure, because those skew the result more than anything else on this page.
What it costs
No fee
ISU Extension, Soil Testing Resources for Home Gardeners
5
Send it in fall or early spring
Fall or early spring is the best window. A sample can be taken any time the soil is not frozen, and sampling at the same point in the year each time keeps results comparable.
Soil has to be unfrozen.
What it costs
No fee
ISU Extension, Soil Testing Resources for Home Gardeners
6
Read what the basic test covers
A basic test reports phosphorus, potassium, pH and organic matter as a percentage. Lead, soluble salts, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron and micronutrients are add-ons you ask for, and lead is the one worth adding for a vegetable bed near an old house or a road.
What it costs
Add-ons priced per test by the lab
ISU Extension, Soil Testing Resources for Home Gardeners
7
Wait a week or two, then retest in 3 to 5 years
The report arrives by email or post. Home ground benefits from a test every three to five years, or sooner when plant growth or health goes visibly wrong.
A week or two for the report.
What it costs
No fee
ISU Extension Mahaska County, Soil Testing Information

What expires

Three clocks run at once, and they start on different days.

The sampling window
fall or early spring
Starts whenever the soil is unfrozen.
Report turnaround
a week or two
Starts the day the lab receives the sample.
Time between tests
3 to 5 years
Starts your last test, unless something goes wrong sooner.

Plan backwards from the exam. Everything else fits inside the six months it buys you.

Asked, answered

Asked before anyone enrols

Does Iowa State still test soil?: No. ISU Extension states that soil tests are not available from Iowa State. Its own lab is closed, and county extension offices now hand out kits for samples that get analysed somewhere else. This is the single thing most people searching for Iowa soil testing have wrong.
What does a soil test cost?: It depends entirely on the lab and the add-ons, and each lab publishes its price on its own submission form, which is why no figure appears on this page. Both university labs ISU points to, Minnesota and Wisconsin, list current prices with their forms. The county kit itself is free.
How much soil do they need?: One mixed sample built from 10 to 15 cores taken at 4 to 8 inches across the area, which fills a quart freezer bag comfortably. One core from one spot is the commonest mistake and it makes the report describe that spot rather than your yard.
Should I test for lead?: It is an add-on rather than part of the basic test. It is worth adding for a vegetable bed beside an older house or a busy road, where paint and fuel residue are the usual sources. The basic package covers phosphorus, potassium, pH and organic matter only.
When should I sample?: Fall or early spring. Any time the soil is unfrozen works, and sampling at roughly the same point in the year each time is what makes one report comparable with the last.
Where do these facts come from?: Iowa State University Extension's home gardener soil testing page and its Mahaska County office page, both read on 16 September 2026 and linked at the foot of this page. Lab prices and addresses change, so take those from the lab's own form.

Where this comes from

Two published sources, both linked.

Every hour, fee and deadline on this page was read from one of the two pages below on September 16, 2026. Where a figure exists in neither, the step says so in place of a number.

Fees change and the commission is the authority on its own rules. Check both before you pay for anything. This page is general information and carries no professional advice.