This Example Soil Test Report (PDF) is in the same format as you'll receive from the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory. This report contains recommendations for corn, but the explanation will help you understand your own report no matter what crops you are growing. You will probably find it helpful to open the example report and print a copy of it, so that you can refer to it as we go through its various sections.
There are five sections in a University of Minnesota Soil Test Report. We will go through them in the order they appear on the report:
The Header, INTERPRETATION OF SOIL TEST RESULTS, SOIL TEST RESULTS, and RECOMMENDATIONS sections are on the first page of the Soil Test Report . The Comments section is on a separate page and is included with the Example Report. It lists 25 explanatory comments that may be noted by number in the RECOMMENDATIONS section. If you are growing corn, you were also sent an information sheet New Nitrogen Guidelines for Corn Production in Minnesota (.doc) that you will use to determine the nitrogen fertilizer rate that best fits your field and situation. We will not go through that information here, because the document itself outlines the procedure for using the new guidelines.