Kansas State Soil

Harney Silt Loam

(Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiustolls)

Adopted on April 12, 1990.

The Harney series was adopted as the Official State Soil of Kansas on April 12, 1990, when Governor Mike Hyden signed Senate Bill 96. The name "Harney" (meaning people) is derived from "harahey," an ancient Wichita Indian term for "Pawnee Indian," stemming from when Coronado journeyed across Kansas. Five years of strong grassroots efforts are responsible for obtaining this recognition. Because of the state's unique soil legacy and the completion of the state's most comprehensive soil inventory by the USDA Soil Conservation Service, it was proposed that a typical prairie soil be selected to serve as an acknowledgment to the great agricultural heritage in Kansas. It also serves as a standard against which other soils can be compared.

Harney soils have the ideal qualities of prairie soils. They are recognized as prime farmland and have excellent properties for producing food and fiber crops. These soils occur on about 4 million acres in west-central Kansas. Kansas is one of the top producers of wheat, grain sorghum, and silage in the nation because of Harney and other productive soils.

Harney silt loam possesses the ideal qualities of a prairie soil. Prime farmland has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food and fiber. Kansas has more acres of prairie soils than any other state. Harney silt loam covers almost four million acres in 26 west central Kansas counties.

Kansas has more acres of prairie soils than any other state, and harney silt loam possesses the ideal qualities of a prairie soil. Prime farmland has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food and fiber. Almost four million acres in twenty-six west-central Kansas counties contain harney silt.

Soils are not easily renewed in nature. It takes many hundreds of years for an inch of topsoil to develop under prairie grasses. Unprotected crop fields can lose an inch of topsoil in just one or two years if exposed to wind and water erosion.

The Harney series consists of deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in loess. These soils are on uplands on slopes that range from 0 to 8 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Harney silt loam-in a nearly level cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)

AB--9 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

Bt1--12 to 18 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few fine roots; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--18 to 28 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few fine roots; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 10 to 26 inches)

BCk--28 to 35 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots; many soft accumulations of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)

Ck--35 to 47 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable; common soft accumulations of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

C--47 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Pawnee County, Kansas; about 1 1/2 miles north of Garfield; 1,840 feet east and 100 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 36, T. 22 S., R. 18 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 26 to 50 inches. Depth to free carbonates ranges from 18 to 30 inches. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick and includes the upper part of the argillic horizon in some pedons.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is silt loam or silty clay loam and ranges from medium acid to mildly alkaline.

The Bt horizon below the mollic epipedon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silty clay loam or silty clay; the upper 20 inches averages from 35 to 42 percent clay. Maximum clay content of any subhorizon within the Bt horizon does not exceed 45 percent. This horizon ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam or silty clay loam and is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beadle, Carlson, Kirley, McClure, Mento, Peno, Raber, Reliance, and Spearville series in the same family and Crete, Detroit, Hastings, Holdrege, Longford, and Richfield series. Beadle, Peno, and Raber soils contain more sand and are formed in glacial till. Carlson soils contain more carbonates in the C horizon and formed in highly calcareous residuum or old alluvium. Kirley, McClure, and Reliance soils have mean annual temperatures lower than 52 degrees F. In addition, Kirley soils have more sand in the solum and formed in alluvium; and McClure soils are slowly permeable in the underlying materials. Mento and Spearville soils have an abrupt or clear boundary between the A and Bt horizon. In addition, Mento soils have B and C horizons containing 5 to 15 percent exchangeable sodium and Spearville soils have more than 42 percent clay in the argillic horizon. Crete and Detroit soils have thicker mollic epipedons. Hastings soils lack carbonates within a depth of 36 inches. Holdrege soils are fine-silty. Longford soils have redder hues. In addition, Longford soils lack carbonates within a depth of 36 inches. Richfield soils are drier and depth to carbonates is shallower.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Harney soils are on uplands that have slightly concave to convex surfaces. The slope gradient commonly is 0 to 3 percent, but the range is 0 to 8 percent. The soils formed in loess usually several feet thick. The mean annual temperature varies from 52 to 57 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation varies from 19 to 27 inches. Thornthwaite Annual P-E Index ranges from 32 to 46.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Crete, Holdrege, and Spearville soils and the Ness, Penden, and Uly soils. Crete and Spearville soils are on more level ridgetops. Holdrege soils are on steeper slopes. Ness soils are more clayey and are in depressions. Penden and Uly soils lack argillic horizons and are on steeper lower slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow or medium. Permeability is moderately slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated; wheat and sorghums are the principal crops. Native vegetation is mixed short, mid, and tall grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Kansas. The series is of large extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ford County, Kansas, 1962.

NationalCooperative Soil Survey
USA.

  About   Site Map   Privacy Policy