A green growing crop is a delightful sight, and it is used by many people as an indicator of crop nutrient status. If you have fields with some yellow areas or slow growth, these symptoms may indicate a nutrient deficiency. Most commonly, yellow-looking plants may be deficient in nitrogen, sulfur, or both. If detected early, […]
As the spring planting season gets underway, agronomists and farmers are asking about the best ways to protect spring-applied nitrogen. How much nitrogen might I lose if I cannot incorporate it? Does vertical tillage incorporate fertilizer enough? We have compiled some resources to help answer those questions. There are three ways to lose nitrogen fertilizer: […]
The spike in nitrogen fertilizer prices over the past month has prompted many growers to think about switching more acres to soybean in 2026. The high nitrogen fertilizer prices are squeezing the potential profitability of any crop requiring nitrogen fertilizer, such as corn, dry bean, canola, or wheat. The symbiotic nitrogen fixing behavior of soybean […]
Soil health assessment includes more than traditional soil fertility analysis. Soil health encompasses physical, chemical, and biological soil properties, which all come together to provide a healthy, living soil for optimal plant growth. Traditional soil fertility analysis, supported with university research, is still the approved practice for assessing plant nutrient requirements and determining fertilizer rates. […]
This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2024 Newsletter. Each spring, we get questions about what form of phosphate fertilizer is better. The debate over orthophosphate and polyphosphate has raged for decades. Just when we think we have put the issue to bed, it comes up again! These questions originate from the simple […]
This article is shared annually to help answer frequently asked questions about nitrogen fertilizer applications and nitrogen losses in the fall. October is here, and many people are preparing for fall nitrogen fertilizer applications. Before you hit the field, we want to share these important reminders about fall nitrogen application timing and placement to help […]
This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2025 Newsletter. Salinity and sodicity are two related but distinct terms to describe salt-affected soils. Salinity is the overall abundance of soluble salts, which compete with plant water uptake and reduce crop productivity. Salinity is measured as soluble salts (mmhos/cm or dS/m) on soil test reports. […]
This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2025 Newsletter. There may not be silly questions, but there are silly answers. Every so often, we get questions about unusual solutions to manage calcareous soils in the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies. The most frequent oddball “solutions” involve lowering soil pH with elemental sulfur […]
This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2024 Newsletter. A number of new handheld sensors have hit the market, claiming to accurately and precisely measure soil nutrient content in the field, similar to traditional wet chemistry analysis at a soil testing laboratory. The draw for any person soil sampling is the ability to […]
This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Fall 2024 Newsletter. Do you have challenges collecting good quality soil cores in sticky wet soils? You are not the only one! WD-40 has been the soil probe lubricant of choice for over 30 years to help obtain better quality soil samples. University researchers have also tested […]