Soil series profile
Holdrege soil series
Holdrege is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 2,803,868 acres in 62 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 97% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.2–6.8
- Mapped area
- 2.8M acres in 62 counties, 2 states
Typical Holdrege profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.2 | 22% | 11% | 2% |
| 6–11 in (A) | Silt loam | 6.8 | 26% | 10% | 2% |
| 11–16 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 7.1 | 33% | 8% | 1.1% |
| 16–26 in (Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 7.4 | 29% | 9% | 0.8% |
| 26–33 in (BC) | Silt loam | 8.1 | 24% | 12% | 0.6% |
| 33–79 in (C) | Silt loam | 8.2 | 18% | 13% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Holdrege soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Holdrege soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.2 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Holdrege acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (96% of mapped Holdrege acres).
100% of mapped Holdrege acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 97% 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 74% of the acres in mapped Holdrege soils very limited, 26% 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 Holdrege soil is found
Mapped acres
Holdrege is mapped in Nebraska and Kansas. The 60 counties with the most Holdrege acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Decatur County, KS | 207,688 | 36.3% |
| Norton County, KS | 195,916 | 34.8% |
| Phelps County, NE | 191,100 | 55.4% |
| Frontier County, NE | 181,629 | 29.1% |
| Graham County, KS | 162,166 | 28.2% |
| Furnas County, NE | 153,924 | 33.5% |
| Harlan County, NE | 150,308 | 42.5% |
| Smith County, KS | 132,610 | 23.1% |
| Webster County, NE | 132,359 | 36.2% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 119,885 | 26.1% |
| Franklin County, NE | 116,655 | 31.8% |
| Phillips County, KS | 112,214 | 19.6% |
| Kearney County, NE | 108,489 | 32.8% |
| Gosper County, NE | 101,433 | 34.7% |
| Custer County, NE | 96,820 | 5.9% |
| Trego County, KS | 78,536 | 13.7% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 78,282 | 12.8% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 67,612 | 4.1% |
| Rooks County, KS | 64,256 | 11.3% |
| Howard County, NE | 60,586 | 16.7% |
| Jewell County, KS | 51,028 | 8.8% |
| Valley County, NE | 47,207 | 13.0% |
| Dawson County, NE | 40,367 | 6.3% |
| Ford County, KS | 23,524 | 3.3% |
| Sherman County, NE | 20,733 | 5.8% |
| Kiowa County, KS | 20,240 | 4.4% |
| Nance County, NE | 12,764 | 4.5% |
| Logan County, NE | 12,687 | 3.5% |
| Gove County, KS | 9,867 | 1.4% |
| Adams County, NE | 8,973 | 2.5% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 6,353 | 1.1% |
| Osborne County, KS | 5,971 | 1.0% |
| Greeley County, NE | 4,636 | 1.3% |
| Pawnee County, KS | 4,482 | 0.9% |
| Hall County, NE | 3,583 | 1.0% |
| Ellis County, KS | 3,423 | 0.6% |
| Ness County, KS | 3,097 | 0.5% |
| Edwards County, KS | 2,924 | 0.7% |
| Barton County, KS | 2,699 | 0.5% |
| Comanche County, KS | 1,332 | 0.3% |
| Seward County, NE | 1,110 | 0.3% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 1,012 | 0.3% |
| Clay County, NE | 832 | 0.2% |
| Boone County, NE | 480 | 0.1% |
| Hitchcock County, NE | 434 | 0.1% |
| Merrick County, NE | 407 | 0.1% |
| York County, NE | 316 | 0.1% |
| Saline County, NE | 182 | 0.0% |
| Garfield County, NE | 167 | 0.0% |
| Hamilton County, NE | 158 | 0.0% |
| Loup County, NE | 148 | 0.0% |
| Thayer County, NE | 136 | 0.0% |
| Wheeler County, NE | 76 | 0.0% |
| Stafford County, KS | 12 | 0.0% |
| Rice County, KS | 11 | 0.0% |
| Polk County, NE | 9 | 0.0% |
| Russell County, KS | 7 | 0.0% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 4 | 0.0% |
| Pratt County, KS | 3 | 0.0% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Holdrege acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 25.8% |
| Very limited | 74.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Holdrege 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 1–5% (median 2%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 3.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 96.8% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| 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% |
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 Holdrege (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 2,803,868 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Holdrege components. The profile comes from the single largest Holdrege component. Full methodology.