County of Warner

Soil Testing

Why Soil Test?

Soil testing provides a baseline for your current growing conditions. 

Reasons for Soil Testing May include:

• Nutrient Analysis: To Identify deficiencies or excess nutrients
• Fertilizer Recommendations: a recommendation based on nutrient availability and nutrient holding capacity 
• To address concerns with pH: balancing pH for crop growth and nutrient availability
• Protecting waterways: mitigate nutrient run-off
• Manure application: discover if you are making the correct application decisions
• Monitoring Long Term Soil Health: discover if you are making the correct management decisions
• Assessing New/Potential Land Purchases: Nutrients can be inspected as a purchasing consideration as some nutrients are expensive to replace and take long term action to restore (e.g. phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients)
• Crop Risk Mitigation: Get a detailed report on what pathogens/pests may be present in the soil 

Accredited Soil Testing Laboratories (Southern Alberta Focus)

• Down to Earth Labs (Lethbridge): A local lab providing cost efficient analysis of soil, feed, water and tissue samples with sample bags available for free.
• ALS Gobal (Calgary)
• Element (Calgary/Various locations): Offers basic and comprehensive soil testing packages.
• 2020 Seed Labs (Various locations): Provides agricultural soil testing services for soil borne diseases and pests.
• Hitek Analytics (Alberta-wide): Accredited laboratory for soil nutrient analysis and fertilizer recommendations.

Seed Testing

Why test your seed?

• Germination & Vigor Testing: Assesses seed viability.
• Disease Diagnostics: Identification of seed-borne pathogens (e.g., Fusarium, Sclerotinia)
• Purity & Seed Weight: Ensures conformity to standards and impacts seeding rate decisions

Accredited Seed Testing Services for Southern Alberta

• 20/20 Seed Labs Inc. (Lethbridge/Nisku): Offers comprehensive diagnostics including tetrazolium (TZ) viability, disease screening, and seed counts. They have a location in Lethbridge, AB.
• SGS Canada (Sherwood Park): Offers ISTA-accredited testing for exports, disease testing, and germination analysis.
• Seed Check Technologies (Leduc): Accredited Canadian Owned Lab

For specialized native grass seeds in Southern Alberta, farmers may also consult the Southern Alberta Native Seed Collaborative. 

Beneficial Management Practices

Agricultural and Environmental Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) are voluntary, science-based techniques—such as cover cropping, nutrient management, and conservation tillage—designed to boost farm productivity while minimizing environmental risks like soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and water pollution. They are tailored to specific farm conditions to ensure sustainability.

See the below fact sheets for BMP's that can work in your operation.