Thompson-Nicola - Soils

Tools, factsheets and resources for the Thompson-Nicola agricultural region on the following soil and nutrient topics:

Soil and Nutrient Management Resources

Factsheets and handbooks for soil management and nutrient amendment practices. Note: some information in these documents may not be applicable to all areas. Always refer to your own soil test results and local weather conditions.

Top Requested Documents for Thompson–Nicola

• Using Boron for Field Crops (PDF)
• Understanding Soil pH (PDF)

Soil and Nutrient Management

Learn more about soil and nutrient management:

• Environmental Farm Management Planning Reference Guide (PDF) See chapter 6 for nutrients/soil amendments and chapter 8 for soil management.
• Soil management
• Nutrient management / soil amendment

Soil Testing Resources

Guides, contacts and tools for conducting soil tests and determining fertilizer recommendations. More information is available at Nutrient Management.  To contact a soil scientist see “Useful Contacts” on the Nutrient Management page.

• Learn how to take a soil sample (PDF)
• Find a laboratory to analyze soil samples (PDF)
• Understanding Different Soil Test Methods (PDF)

For Thompson-Nicola agricultural region,convert soil test P and K values to “Kelowna method” equivalent values (conversions are based on Lower Mainland and Okanagan samples), use the spreadsheet below for conversion.

• Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium Converter (XLS)

Find interpretations and fertilizer recommendations for soil test P and K values of the “Kelowna method”.

• Interpretations for Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium: Guidelines for Southern British Columbia  (PDF)

For all nutrients other than P and K, the most recent and comprehensive interpretations are in the following publication:

• Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Methods and Interpretations of Their Results for British Columbia Agricultural Soils (PDF)

Agricultural Capability Maps and Soil Surveys

• Land Capability Map Database Click on “TEI Scanned Map Index” for the excel spreadsheet, sort by Capability-Agriculture under the Project Name column and scroll across to Column T for links to individual maps.

• Land Capability Classification Manual (PDF). Handbook for assessing and classifying agricultural soil capability.

Agriculture Canada Soil Surveys

For questions about these maps and data sets, contact Agriculture Canada.

• Ashcroft area
• Lac La Hache–Clinton area
• Princeton area
• Savona–Thompson River Valley 
• Shuswap Lakes
• Tulameen
•  More B.C. soil maps and surveys

Agricultural Land Commission Maps

For questions about these maps or the Agricultural Land Reserve, contact the Agricultural Land Commission.

• Interior B.C. / Thompson-Nicola Panel Region (PDF)
• South Coast. / Lillooet Panel Region (PDF)
• All Agricultural Land Reserve Map