The Importance of Soil Testing
Do you test your soil every fall? Fall soil testing is an important part of any annual plan to ensure you have all the information required about your field to be able to plan for next year. Knowing this information could save you money in the amount your need to spend on fertilizer and/or earn you profit in enhancing your production through proper nutrients. Either way, a fall soil test can go a long way toward understanding the needs of your crop next year.
Through a soil test, you will learn your soil’s inherent structure and texture. This tells the story of your soil’s potential productivity. Understanding productivity potential of each field you farm helps you decide how to allocate nutrient resources properly.
Monitoring your macronutrient levels, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc. is also important in ensuring optimal plant growth. Knowing what your levels are could save you money by not applying unnecessary nutrients and earn you money by ensuring your adding the nutrients that are needed.
There are a couple methods for soil collecting:
Zero- to six-inch composite sample
Taking 15 to 20-plus samples in a field from a zero- to six-inch depth range throughout the field, selecting mid slope can be an effective way to get an average representation of your field.
Benchmarking
An alternate method is to pick a few average representative spots (not on an edge or at the bottom of a slope) in the field and have them marked on GPS, so you can come back to the same spots every year. This method gives you an idea of how the field changes in nutrient levels from year to year.
Soil testing is also an important aspect toward 4R certification and compliance. Ensuring your practices are 4R certified means you have adopted best practices ensuring the Right Source of Nutrients at the Right Rate and Right Time in the Right Place. The best way to achieve this is by testing your soil and fully understanding your exact fertilization requirements.
Contact the Sharpe’s location near you with any of your soil testing needs.