LOCATION FEEDER ID
Established Series
IRD. BAG/FRK/KP
10/2026
FEEDER SERIES
The Feeder series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess and loess influenced alluvium, slope alluvium, and colluvium. These soils are on hillslopes, fan remnants, valley sides, stream terraces, and valley floors. Slopes are 0 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 375 millimeters, and mean annual air temperature is about 5 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calcixerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Feeder silt loam. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thin platy parting to moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary
Bk1--10 to 30 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; finely disseminated calcium carbonate, violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary
Bk2--30 to 66 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; common fine threadlike and irregular calcium carbonate masses and many weakly cemented calcium carbonate nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary
Bk3--66 to 142 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine, common medium, and few fine tubular pores; few fine threadlike and irregular calcium carbonate masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary
Bk4--142 to 168 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common fine threadlike calcium carbonate masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Caribou County, Idaho; Idaho USGS topographic quadrangle; latitude 42.8872 degrees north, longitude 111.9744 degrees west, datum WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--3.3 to 8.0 degrees C
Depth to calcic horizon--15 to 40 cm
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Clay content--8 to 18 percent
A horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
Clay content--10 to 18 percent
Effervescence--Strongly or violently effervescent
Reaction (pH)--7.8 to 8.7
Thickness--3 to 15 cm
Bk1 horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content--10 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 20 percent
Effervescence--Strongly or violently effervescent
Reaction (pH)--7.9 to 8.5
Thickness--15 to 25 cm
Bk2, Bk3, Bk4 horizons
Value--6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry or moist
Clay content--8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--15 to 35 percent
Effervescence--Strongly or violently effervescent
Reaction (pH)--8.0 to 8.9
C horizon (when present)
Value--6 to 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture--Silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent--15 to 30 percent
Effervescence--Strongly or violently effervescent
Reaction (pH)--7.9 to 8.7
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--Loess and loess influenced alluvium, slope alluvium, and colluvium
Landform--hillslopes, fan remnants, valley sides, stream terrace, and valley floors
Slope--0 to 40 percent
Elevation--1,490 to 2,200 meters
Climate--Warm, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--300 to 500 mm
Mean annual air temperature--2.2 to 7.2 degrees C
Frost free duration--60 to 110 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained, 5 to 15 um/sec
USE AND VEGETATION: Feeder soils are primarily used for livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Feeder soils are of small extent in southeastern Idaho; MLRA 13.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED: Caribou County, Idaho, 2015; name is taken from a nearby canal
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Cambic horizon--10 to 30 cm (Bk1 horizon)
Calcic horizon--30 to 168 cm (Bk2, Bk3, Bk4 horizons)
Particle-size control section--25 to 100 cm
Feeder soils have a frigid temperature regime and a xeric moisture regime.
Taxonomic version: Twelfth Edition, 2014
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.