Soils in the Holdrege series are recognized by features of
their "profile" created by
horizontal layers that are the result of the prairie environment.
Holdrege soils exist on 1.8
million acres of landscape in central Nebraska that is the result
of geologic processes
operating over tens of thousands of years. The soils formed under
mixed grasses, in a
climate where moisture stress is common, but where enough movement
of water through
the profile has resulted in downward movement of clays and lime.
These processes have led
to a soil with thick, dark-colored topsoil, clay-enriched subsoil,
and a substratum that
contains free lime.
Holdrege soils were initially found during the soil survey
of Phelps County in 1917. Their
natural fertility, desirable tilth, and the landscape on which
they exist join with irrigation and
skillful farm management to provide a valuable agricultural resource.
The legislature
designated Holdrege Silt Loam as the Nebraska State Soil in 1979.
This is a soil of which
Nebraskans can be proud and one that we should conserve because
it must sustain our
agriculture for generations to come.
Landmark Implement, Inc.
Tri-Basin NRD
Nebraska Society of Professional Soil Scientists
Nebraska State Historical Society, 2012
2701 Burlington St, Nebraska Prairie Museum, Holdrege
Phelps County
Marker 500