Soil series profile
Moody soil series
Moody is a well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 1,159,753 acres in 34 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.6 neutral · range 6.6–6.6
- Mapped area
- 1.2M acres in 34 counties, 4 states
Typical Moody profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 6.6 | 32% | 7% | 3.25% |
| 7–12 in (A) | Silty clay loam | 6.6 | 32% | 6% | 2.25% |
| 12–37 in (Bw) | Silty clay loam | 7.0 | 32% | 5% | 1% |
| 37–46 in (BCk) | Silty clay loam | 7.6 | 28% | 8% | 0.5% |
| 46–79 in (C) | Silt loam | 8.2 | 23% | 8% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Moody soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Moody soils is neutral: pH 6.6, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Moody acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (98% of mapped Moody acres).
100% of mapped Moody acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 98% 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 98% of the acres in mapped Moody soils very limited, 2% 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 Moody soil is found
Mapped acres
Moody is mapped in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Dodge County, NE | 106,796 | 31.4% |
| Cuming County, NE | 106,185 | 29.1% |
| Lyon County, IA | 101,752 | 27.1% |
| Wayne County, NE | 85,720 | 30.2% |
| Platte County, NE | 73,096 | 16.8% |
| Colfax County, NE | 61,936 | 23.5% |
| Burt County, NE | 56,637 | 18.0% |
| Cedar County, NE | 54,921 | 11.6% |
| Knox County, NE | 51,419 | 7.3% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 51,025 | 9.9% |
| Moody County, SD | 47,946 | 14.4% |
| Dixon County, NE | 44,267 | 14.5% |
| Thurston County, NE | 43,984 | 17.5% |
| Madison County, NE | 37,897 | 10.4% |
| Rock County, MN | 35,988 | 11.6% |
| Boone County, NE | 32,762 | 7.5% |
| Pierce County, NE | 23,389 | 6.4% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 22,693 | 6.2% |
| Union County, SD | 19,216 | 6.5% |
| Sioux County, IA | 18,738 | 3.8% |
| Stanton County, NE | 18,648 | 6.8% |
| Antelope County, NE | 18,156 | 3.4% |
| Washington County, NE | 16,306 | 6.5% |
| Dakota County, NE | 12,053 | 7.1% |
| Nance County, NE | 9,013 | 3.2% |
| Pipestone County, MN | 7,958 | 2.7% |
| Lake County, SD | 851 | 0.2% |
| Holt County, NE | 176 | 0.0% |
| Yankton County, SD | 89 | 0.0% |
| McCook County, SD | 67 | 0.0% |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 50 | 0.0% |
| Brookings County, SD | 11 | 0.0% |
| Wheeler County, NE | 6 | 0.0% |
| Boyd County, NE | 2 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Moody acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 1.9% |
| Very limited | 98.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Moody 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 1–9% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.2%.
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 | 1.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 98.1% |
| 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 Moody (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,159,753 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Moody components. The profile comes from the single largest Moody component. Full methodology.