While fall and winter soil tests give growers more time to plan fertilizer rates and place orders, spring soil tests are the most accurate in predicting the soil nutrient situation at seeding time. Labs may be able to provide results within a few days or a week, so spring tests can be done without holding up the seeding process.
Sample the most representative areas of the field. Sampling hilltops simply because they’ve dried out first will not provide useful results if they only represent a small proportion of the total acreage.