Soil series profile
Barfield soil series
Barfield is a well drained soil with a stony silty clay surface, mapped on 443,540 acres in 42 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 6.7–7.0
- Mapped area
- 444k acres in 42 counties, 2 states
Typical Barfield profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Stony silty clay | 7.0 | 45% | 9% | 1.75% |
| 6–18 in (Bt) | Stony silty clay | 7.0 | 48% | 6% | 1% |
| 18–80 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 0% |
What this means
What Barfield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Barfield soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 6.7 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Clayey topsoil covers 56% of mapped Barfield acres. Clay holds water and nutrients but drains slowly and compacts if worked wet: add compost, avoid tilling soggy soil and consider raised beds. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (37% of mapped Barfield acres).
>99% of mapped Barfield acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Barfield soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Barfield soil is found
Mapped acres
Barfield is mapped in Alabama and Tennessee.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AL | 125,297 | 21.2% |
| Madison County, AL | 68,940 | 15.6% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 27,938 | 7.7% |
| Franklin County, AL | 27,062 | 7.9% |
| Morgan County, AL | 20,278 | 6.3% |
| Jackson County, TN | 19,794 | 9.9% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 19,418 | 5.0% |
| Marshall County, AL | 12,574 | 3.9% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 12,467 | 3.2% |
| Greene County, TN | 9,600 | 2.6% |
| Cannon County, TN | 9,437 | 5.6% |
| Maury County, TN | 7,550 | 1.9% |
| Bedford County, TN | 7,367 | 2.4% |
| Sumner County, TN | 7,059 | 2.1% |
| Trousdale County, TN | 7,014 | 9.7% |
| Blount County, AL | 7,007 | 2.0% |
| Smith County, TN | 6,494 | 3.2% |
| Wilson County, TN | 5,871 | 1.6% |
| Marshall County, TN | 5,752 | 2.4% |
| Giles County, TN | 5,457 | 1.4% |
| Moore County, TN | 3,665 | 4.4% |
| Hardin County, TN | 3,535 | 1.0% |
| Coffee County, TN | 3,378 | 1.2% |
| Davidson County, TN | 3,049 | 1.0% |
| Clay County, TN | 2,486 | 1.6% |
| Macon County, TN | 2,333 | 1.2% |
| Hickman County, TN | 1,770 | 0.5% |
| Limestone County, AL | 1,677 | 0.5% |
| Calhoun County, AL | 1,669 | 0.5% |
| Perry County, TN | 1,146 | 0.4% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 1,029 | 0.3% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 1,016 | 0.2% |
| Colbert County, AL | 810 | 0.3% |
| Williamson County, TN | 712 | 0.2% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 676 | 0.2% |
| Rhea County, TN | 635 | 0.3% |
| Loudon County, TN | 561 | 0.4% |
| Cullman County, AL | 310 | 0.1% |
| Franklin County, TN | 271 | 0.1% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 249 | 0.1% |
| Wayne County, TN | 147 | 0.0% |
| Putnam County, TN | 41 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Barfield acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Barfield acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 9–35% (median 33%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.1% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 99.8% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Barfield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 443,540 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Barfield components. The profile comes from the single largest Barfield component. Full methodology.