Asking the "Probing" Questions

Your roving agricultural reporter asks the "probing" questions. OK, I really asked the questions about soil probing, but who can resist another farm pun? Not this girl.

I went along for the ride as Randy did soil samples in freshly-harvested wheat fields. Yes, farmers notoriously like to dig in the dirt, but this expedition had a deeper purpose. (Why just leave it at one corny pun per blog post?)

Randy was gathering soil samples to have analyzed at the co-op. Actually, they send the samples off to a lab, which analyzes it for nitrogen and other nutrients. Because of the all the rain we've gotten this year, Randy knew there would be a greater deficiency of nitrogen, which leaches out after rain. He wanted the information so he can make the best management decisions about how much nitrogen and other soil nutrients to add before planting wheat this coming fall.

For each field, he used a soil probe. Because of all the moisture, he didn't have to expend much energy this year to get the probe into the ground. The soil collects inside a tube.

We took samples from seven or eight different locations in the field, dumping each time into the bucket. He then used the highly scientific "shake" method to mix all the samples from one field together.

He labeled each sample bag with the name of the field and what he wanted evaluated. 

Randy wanted the soil evaluated for "small grains," in our case, for wheat. He also marked that his target yield is 40 to 60 bushels per acre. The results will help him know how much fertilizer is needed to optimize the potential for our 2020 wheat crop.

He collected soil samples in four different fields. That way, he can apply the fertilizer and other nutrients specifically needed at the different locations.

Once collected, we took the sample bags to the Zenith branch of the co-op, and they sent them off to Servi-Tech.

As predicted, the soil samples revealed the need for additional nitrogen. Some of the fields also showed an increased need for phosphorus. Randy will use the test details to work with the co-op to determine the percentages of nutrients in the fertilizer.

And that is why I ask the probing questions ... so you, too, can know why we do what we do. Unlike what some modern farming detractors would have you believe, we're not just "pouring chemicals" on crops. We are doing our best to maximize the soil and our own resources. That sounds like a good business plan to me.

Asking the Probing Questions

Randy is not trying out a new pogo stick (though, I admit, the photo looks like he could be).

So this resident reporter asked a "probing" question: Just what are you doing?

It was a probing question all right: Randy was using a soil probe to take soil samples in several of our fields.

Before he got started, he filled out the information on the front of a soil sample bag he'd gotten from the Kanza Co-op, Zenith branch.

Other years, he has borrowed a soil probe from them for this task. However, he wanted his very own soil probe. So he actually went on the internet and ordered one. (That is probably a bigger deal to me and his children than to the general public. A few years ago, none of us would have believed he would purchase anything online, send or receive a text message or take a photo with his phone. We are all sorry we doubted you, Randy! He's actually gotten pretty proficient at it.)

In this particular field, he didn't have any trouble pushing the probe into the ground to retrieve the sample. We've had good moisture this summer. But he does like his new probe better than the co-op probe because it has a "foot pusher." We all find our happy place with different things.

He sampled soil from several different locations in the field, dumping each time into the blue bucket. After getting enough soil to reach the "fill line," he dumped it in the labeled bag.

These four bags were all from different fields.

We took them to Zenith, where they will send them off for evaluation. Randy wants the soil evaluated for "small grains," in our case, for wheat.

He marked that his target yield is 40 to 60 bushels per acre. The results will help him know how much fertilizer is needed to optimize the potential for our 2017 wheat crop. It also will evaluate whether we need to spread agricultural lime.

This year, we may not apply all the nitrogen fertilizer recommended right now. Low commodity prices are causing us to reconsider input costs and the timing of those costs. We will use a starter fertilizer during planting, which is a combination of nitrogen and phosphate. We will likely put more fertilizer on when we topdress the wheat next spring.

A Twist of Lime

Cherry limeades were a special treat at Grandma Marie's house. For a summertime treat, Marie would combine fresh limes and sugar-free Cherry 7-Up and serve it up with ice and a straw. Maybe you watch those Food Network shows, and the chef is always squeezing or zesting a fresh lime to create that perfect balance of acidity (whatever that means).

Well, this is about lime. But it's got nothing to do with the Food Network or cherry limeades.

It's all about agricultural lime. Several weeks ago, Randy gathered soil samples from different fields and took them to the co-op so they could be sent to a lab for testing.

Some tests for the pH of the soil came back low. An ideal soil pH is around 7. We had some tests that came in at 4.8.

The pH is a logarithmic scale: The lower the pH, the more acid in the soil. The higher the pH, the more alkaline the soil.

Lime is a long-lasting soil additive made from crushed limestone or chalk. The finer it's crushed, the more effective it is. The application done this year should balance the soil for several years to come. Raising the soil pH should make more nutrients available for crops.

We had a local applicator deliver the lime, and they left it in sandhill-type piles in the fields that needed it. Then, last week, on the day the lime was to be applied, a front loader filled the applicator truck bed.

Off he went, applying 1 ton of lime per acre to those fields, with the loader refilling him as needed.

We hope the soil gets refreshed as well as a cherry limeade would refresh us on a hot summer day!