Soil Health Assessment Center
Sample drop-off time is from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday at SHAC.
The University of Missouri’s Soil Health Assessment Center (SHAC) is one of the nation’s premier soil health service labs. Established in 1985 as the Soil Characterization Lab, SHAC was formed by working with numerous partners across the state to meet the increasing demand for soil health information. The goal of SHAC is to provide a thorough and actionable soil health evaluation.
The largest university soil health lab in the U.S.
There is a huge demand for actionable, high quality soil health information. Through the committed support of state and federal agencies, industry partners, and the University of Missouri, SHAC has grown to be the largest university soil health lab in the U.S. To date, SHAC has analyzed over 100,000 soil health samples from across the globe.
Reliable and thorough
SHAC provides reliable analysis of soil health samples and guidance on how to interpret the results of those analyses. SHAC specializes in comprehensive soil health evaluations, incorporating biological, chemical, and physical assessments to promote sustainable land management practices.
What’s in your soil?
We offer most recommended soil health analyses, and we continue to provide soil characterization analyses that are used in soil classification. We provide specialized services rarely available in other laboratories, including soil phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) / neutral lipid fatty acid analysis (NLFA) and soil particle size analysis using the pipette method.
Soil health testing is essential for understanding the chemical, biological, and physical processes happening underfoot. To evaluate the soil managements systems in use (e.g., no-till, cover crops, etc.), use appropriate soil health to determine how quickly your soil is changing in desired direction.