Soil · Plant tissue · Water · Grain
We test what impacts the farm. Then we read the levels and the balance between nutrients against our own regional trials, not borrowed university tables, and write a recommendation that fits your ground.
The lab is the driver
A soil test tells you what’s there. The profit is in knowing what each level, and the balance between nutrients, needs to be for your soil and your crop. We read every result for both, then write the recommendation: spend where it pays, and stop spending where it doesn’t.
Numbers
Every nutrient measured right: P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn and the micros, plus pH, organic matter and CEC.
Ratios
Nutrients compete with each other. We read Ca, Mg and K as a share of CEC, check K:Mg and P:Zn, and in season, tissue ratios like N:S.
Recommendation
Each reading points to a decision: add what’s short, hold what’s balanced, skip what won’t pay back. Built from our own regional trials and your yield goals.
Sets how much Ca, Mg and K the soil can hold, and what “balanced” means for this field.
Base saturation share of CEC
Nutrient ratios
What the report says to do
Example values for illustration, not a real sample. Targets depend on your soil, CEC and crop.
We’re with you every step
We don’t mail a report and move on. We test your soil and tissue, turn the results into a recommendation, build the prescription and check it against yield. Then we sit down with you and build the farm’s fertility plan together, field by field.
Soil, plant tissue, water and grain run in our Alpena lab. Accuracy and consistency are the baseline, and our soil and tissue work is ALP proficiency tested.
Levels and ratios read together for your soil and crop, then tied to your yield goals.
Rates set zone by zone from the recommendation, written as variable-rate scripts when you want them.
SET, tissue and late-season leaf analysis in season, then yield, to see what paid.
Verify feeds the next test, so the plan gets sharper every season.
What makes us different
Not borrowed university tables. Every recommendation is grounded in regional trial work we run ourselves — so the rate call fits the ground you’re farming.
Regional trial plots · illustrativeRates written for a broad region, not your ground.
Rates built from our own regional trials, sharpened by every sample.
Test → recommendation → prescription → verify against yield. Most labs stop at the report. We keep going until the plan proves itself in the field.
Agronomy 365 report examples
Reports written for the person making the rate call: every nutrient ranked, then turned into a recommendation. Swipe through examples.
Each primary nutrient is ranked by zone. Scores roll up into an Overall Efficiency Rating, paired with your yield goal to build the recommendation.
Soil structure, biology and nutrients ranked from very low to very high, so you see where to focus first.
One field score with acres by zone, at a glance.
Zones drawn from soil, satellite imagery and topography, with acres and share of field for each zone.
Reports use example values and the map is an anonymized example. No customer data.
Request sample bags and a quote. We’ll work with you to pick the right test for the decision.
Get started in 3 steps
Call the lab at (605) 849-5227 or email lab@nextlevelag.com. Or use the form below.
Label each paper bag with grower, field and zone. Box them and ship, or drop them off at our Alpena lab.
Results and zone-by-zone recommendations land in your Agronomy 365 dashboard, field by field, year over year.
In season
Zones set where each sample comes from. Then the plan gets rechecked: SET before side-dress, tissue in season, leaf analysis late season, yield at harvest.
The season, zone by zone
A soil test pulled in-season, before the side-dress pass. It recalibrates the plan for what Mother Nature has given or taken since spring, so the side-dress rate matches what the zone has now.
Late-season leaf analysis makes the last pass count. Leaves from the same zones show what the crop is taking up, so the final application goes where it pays.
Who it’s for
Most labs hand you numbers. We take the data to the field and turn it into a fertility plan that pays the farm and builds the soil.
What you get
What we do
Laboratory
Soil, plant tissue, water and grain testing. Soil tests run from the Essential test to Indicator Complete and Indicator Max, with reports that rank what matters for the person making the rate call.
Mapping Center
Baseline Rx zone maps, variable-rate fertilizer and seeding scripts, and Learning Blocks to check the work — all viewable in Agronomy 365.
Start with your field
Tell us about your acres and what you want to learn. We’ll get bags on the way and work with you to pick the right test for the decision.
Your request is on its way to lab@nextlevelag.com. Someone from the lab will reach out during office hours, Mon–Fri 7 AM–5 PM.
Need it sooner? Call (605) 849-5227FAQ
Still not sure? A real person answers the lab line during office hours.
Call (605) 849-5227Call the lab at (605) 849-5227 or email lab@nextlevelag.com, or fill out the form above. We use paper sample bags; label each one with grower, field and zone.
We test what impacts the farm: soil, plant tissue, water and grain. Soil tests run from the Essential Soil Test to Indicator Complete, our flagship test, and Indicator Max, plus grid packages and individual tests. Plant tissue tests include Plant Complete tissue analysis, stalk nitrate and forage nitrate. For water and grain testing, call the lab at (605) 849-5227 for details.
A level can look fine on its own and still be out of balance with the nutrients around it. We read the levels and the relationships between them, like base saturation (Ca, Mg and K as a share of CEC), K:Mg and P:Zn, plus tissue ratios like N:S in season. The recommendation comes from both, for your soil and crop, so money goes where it pays and stays in your pocket where it doesn’t.
Yes. Next Level Ag participates in the Agricultural Laboratory Proficiency (ALP) Program, run by Collaborative Testing Services, for both soil and plant tissue testing (ALP covers soil and plant tissue, not water or grain). Our soil and tissue results are checked against other labs on a regular schedule, not just by our own team.
In Agronomy 365, our reporting and dashboard tool at dashboard.agronomy365.com. You see each field and zone over time, not a new PDF every year. Results typically come back 2 to 4 days after samples arrive at the lab; timing varies by season.
Three pieces: zones (we split the field where the soil actually changes), sampling inside those zones, and a fertility recommendation for each zone built from lab results and your yield goals. Take the whole program or just the piece you need. Each part is available on its own. Contact us for a quote.
Yes. We serve growers across the U.S. and Canada. They ship samples to our lab in Alpena, SD, and results come into their Agronomy 365 dashboard.
Next Level Ag, 617 Pine Ave N, Alpena, SD 57312. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM. Call (605) 849-5227 or email lab@nextlevelag.com.
Ready when you are
Request sample bags and a quote, or call the lab and talk it through. Got an old soil report you’re not sure what to do with? Bring it.
