Welcome to Virginia Soils!
Committed to Protecting and Improving Soil Health
Our soil is a living resource with biological, chemical, and physical properties that are always changing. Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes.
In Virginia, we believe that soil health is the next frontier of conservation and the future of private land conservation. Beyond sustainability, soil health focuses on increasing organic matter, water infiltration and holding capacity to build and enhance this precious resource. The soil still holds many secrets and we don't yet know them all.
Virginia NRCS seeks to promote a culture of sharing among farmers about soil health through:
- State and local soil health champions for education and outreach
- Partnership activities to leverage resources
- On-farm demonstrations and case studies to determine what works best for Virginia soils
Providing Technical Soil Services for all Virginians
A soil survey is a scientific inventory of this most basic and important natural resources that provides the basic information needed to manage soil sustainably. Surveys also offer information needed to protect water quality, wetlands, and wildlife habitat.
Soil surveys are the basis for predicting the behavior of a soil under alternative uses, its potential erosion hazard, potential for ground water contamination, suitability and productivity for cultivated crops, trees, and grasses.
The Virginia NRCS soils program assists government agencies and private citizens in understanding and applying soil information for the Commonwealth. Soil surveys are important to planners, engineers, zoning commissions, tax commissioners, homeowners, developers, as well as agricultural producers.
NRCS Soil Scientists have completed initial soil survey mapping of Virginia's 26 million acres. This information, vital for making wise land use decisions, is now readily available online for all residents to use through the Web Soil Survey.
