Subject Library

Soil sampling on drown-out, unplanted, and Prevented Planting acres

July 2, 2026/in Cover Crop, Nitrogen, Soil Sampling/by John Breker

Across the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies, weather patterns have ranged from too dry to too wet. For the too wet parts, excessive spring and summer rainfall has resulted in extensive stretches of unplanted (Prevented Planting) acres or drown-out acres. As people think about the fall soil sampling season ahead, we are starting to […]

Soil Testing Behind the Combine

July 2, 2026/in Nitrogen, Soil Sampling/by John Breker

As harvest gets underway, savvy soil samplers are following right behind the combine and starting to collect soil samples. These soil samplers understand the many reasons why taking soil samples right behind the combine gives them the best quality soil samples and data. In the past, the reasoning to wait until later in the fall […]

Troubleshooting Problems with Plant Analysis

April 24, 2026/in Nitrogen, Sulfur, Troubleshooting/by John Breker

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, […]

Early Summer Grid Soil Sampling

April 24, 2026/in Precision Ag/by Brent Jaenisch

The interest in early summer topsoil grid sampling (1.0- to 2.5-acres per grid) continues to increase, especially in traditional corn-soybean growing areas. In Minnesota alone, 30-40% of all grid soil samples are now collected in the summer months. The early summer period (late May to late June) is an excellent period of time to collect […]

Protecting Spring-Applied Nitrogen Fertilizer from Ammonia Volatilization

April 24, 2026/in Fertilizer Placement, Nitrogen/by John Breker

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: […]

Switching More Acres to Soybean?

April 16, 2026/in Disease, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Soybean/by John Breker

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 […]

USDA-NRCS CEMA 216: A Cost-sharing Program for Soil Health Testing

April 13, 2026/in Soil Biological Analysis, Soil Health, Soil Physical Analysis/by John Breker

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. […]

Phosphorus Fertilizer Forms: Orthophosphate or Polyphosphate (Ortho-P or Poly-P)

March 27, 2026/in Phosphorus, Starter Fertilizer/by John Breker

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 […]

Fall-applied Nitrogen Fertilizer: A Couple Simple Rules

September 23, 2025/in Fertilizer Placement, Nitrogen/by John Breker

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 […]

Sodic Soil Problems? Try the NDSU Gypsum Requirement Calculator

September 23, 2025/in Saline and Sodic Soil, Soil Amendment/by John Breker

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. […]

AGVISE Demonstration Project: Lowering Soil pH with Elemental Sulfur

September 23, 2025/in Research, Soil Amendment, Soil pH, Sulfur/by John Breker

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 […]

Start Strong, Finish Strong with Starter Phosphorus

September 23, 2025/in Corn, Phosphorus, Starter Fertilizer/by Brent Jaenisch

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2025 Newsletter. Cool and wet soil conditions can limit root growth and phosphorus uptake during the early growing growing season. This is why starter phosphorus placed with or near the seed can be so effective in enhancing early plant growth and development. In small grains, starter […]

Soil Sensors: Helpful Gadgets or Hapless Gimmicks?

September 23, 2025/in Equipment, Soil Chemical Analysis/by John Breker

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 […]

Sticky Wet Soils? Try Adding a WD-40 Holster

September 23, 2025/in Equipment/by John Breker

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 […]

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) Egg Numbers Continue to Increase

April 30, 2024/in Disease, Regional Data, Soybean/by Brent Jaenisch

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2024 Newsletter. Over the winter months, we received a lot of questions about the increasing soybean cyst nematode (SCN) egg count trends across the region. Soybean cyst nematode is the most damaging soybean pest in the United States, and the problem is becoming worse. The AGVISE […]

Zone Soil Sampling: How Many Zones?

December 4, 2023/in Precision Ag, Regional Data/by John Breker

Zone soil sampling has become a standard practice in precision nutrient management, but the grand question remains – How many zones should you be soil sampling? Well, it depends! It just makes sense that a field with more variability requires more zones than a field with little variability. Zone soil sampling separates parts of fields […]

Winter Soil Sampling: You Need the Right Tools

December 1, 2023/in Equipment/by John Breker

Snowfall in late October and November slowed harvest and soil sampling across the region. This means some fields will be soil sampled in December and maybe January as harvest for late-season crops continues in the snow. The right equipment is the key to any project, and winter soil sampling is no different. AGVISE heavy-duty (HD) […]

Lime Works: The Results Are In

December 1, 2023/in Research, Soil Amendment, Soil pH/by Jodi Boe

This article was originally published in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2023 Newsletter. In the fall of 2022, I hired a custom applicator to haul and spread lime across 238 acres of my family’s farm in western North Dakota. The reason? To increase soil pH on five fields with very low soil pH. One field even […]

Soil Nitrogen Trends – Fall 2023: Some Up, Some Down

December 1, 2023/in Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Wheat/by John Breker

The 2023 drought was an all-too-soon reminder of the widespread 2021 drought. It covered much of the upper Midwest, Great Plains, and Canadian Prairies. From previous experience with droughts, we expected that residual soil nitrate-N following crops would be higher than normal, caused by the drought and reduced crop yields. The first wheat fields that […]

Choosing the Right Phosphorus Method

April 18, 2023/in Phosphorus, Soil Chemical Analysis/by Cindy Evenson

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2023 Newsletter under President’s Corner The phosphorus soil test debate never ends. Should I use the Olsen test, or maybe Bray-1 would be better? What about the Mehlich-3 method, and should that extract be analyzed on an ICP or with a colorimetric method? Perhaps, Bray-2 or […]

Are Soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) Ratings Getting Worse?

April 18, 2023/in Iron, Soybean/by John Breker

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2023 Newsletter For the past three years, we have seen severe and widespread soybean iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) symptoms across the region. In fact, some seasoned agronomists have commented that 2022 was the worst soybean IDC year that they had experienced in decades. Soybean IDC is […]

Two Graphics You Should Know Before the 2023 Growing Season

April 18, 2023/in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium/by Jodi Boe

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2023 Newsletter The goal of AGVISE Newsletters is to inform you and your customers of important soil fertility information relevant to our area. Often, visuals or graphs are much more powerful at communicating a message than words. With that in mind, I want to share two […]

High Fertilizer Prices? Using Crop Removal P & K Rates is an Expensive Choice

April 18, 2023/in Crop Removal, Phosphorus, Potassium/by John Breker

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2023 Newsletter If you thought high fertilizer prices would resolve after one or two years, it is looking like those prices are becoming the new norm. At such prices, every fertilizer dollar you spend must be spent to guarantee the best bang for each buck. This […]

Early Soil Nitrate Trends after Wheat in 2022

September 27, 2022/in Nitrogen, Regional Data, Wheat/by John Breker

Small grain harvest is well underway across the region, and soil testing is progressing quickly. Crop yields have varied from below average to exceeding expectations across the region and often in the same area. Planting date, summer temperatures, and rainfall (too little or too much) were major factors this year. The major factors influencing the […]

Corn Growth and Development – Are we behind?

September 27, 2022/in Corn/by Brent Jaenisch

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Fall 2022 Newsletter under Southern Trends The spring and early summer were very interesting to say the least. Spring rains continued well into late May and delayed planting for sugar beet, corn, and soybean throughout the southern region. By mid-May, many producers changed long-day corn maturities to […]

Sampling Depth: Be consistent!

August 16, 2022/in Soil Sampling/by Jodi Boe

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Fall 2022 Newsletter Soil test results are only as reliable as the soil samples collected in the field. A crucial part of soil sample quality is consistent sampling depth. This is important because all the soil test calibration research and fertilizer guidelines for non-mobile nutrients (e.g., phosphorus, […]

Prevented Planting Acres? What to do for 2023

August 16, 2022/in Nitrogen, Prevented Planting/by John Breker

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Fall 2022 Newsletter Good crop prices encouraged late planting beyond crop insurance deadlines, but additional June rainfall kept some producers from planting all their acres, leaving some unplanted fields or unplanted parts of fields. There are many questions about soil testing on these unplanted fields: When should […]

Soil Sampling for Nitrogen in a Delayed Spring

May 17, 2022/in In-Season Fertilizer, Nitrogen, Soil Sampling/by John Breker

Spring planting is clipping along in some parts of the region, while other parts are still waiting to hit the field, as excessive rainfall and cold temperatures have delayed spring field work and planting. Who would have thought last fall that this is what spring 2022 would look like, after the worst region-wide drought in […]

Probe stuck in the ground? Don’t let it wreck your day.

January 27, 2022/in Equipment/by John Lee

If you have ever had a soil probe come off while in the ground, you have experienced a rare but stressful event! A customer recently called with this situation and a success story about how he recovered the soil probe “MacGyver” style. I think his solution involved barb wire, duct tape and some chewing gum. […]

Zone Soil Sampling and Variable Rate Fertilization: Optimizing profits

November 30, 2021/in Nitrogen, Precision Ag, Wheat/by Jodi Boe

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2022 Newsletter Farmers, like all business owners, are profit maximizers: things are good when revenue exceeds cost. Things are even better when the difference between revenue and costs is substantial. The math behind increasing profit is simple: reduce costs, increase revenue. But, the difficult part is […]

2021 Drought: High residual soil nitrate-nitrogen across the region

November 30, 2021/in Corn, Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Wheat/by John Lee

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2022 Newsletter. The 2021 drought rivals the 1988 drought, and it covered much of the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies. From previous experience with droughts, we expected that residual soil nitrate-N following crops would be higher than normal, caused by the drought and reduced crop […]

Banding Phosphorus and Potassium: Stretch your fertilizer dollars further

November 30, 2021/in Fertilizer Placement, Phosphorus, Potassium/by John Breker

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2022 Newsletter Broadcast or band? For phosphorus and potassium, these are big fertilizer questions. In recent months, high fertilizer prices have prompted farmers and agronomists to consider other strategies to reduce fertilizer costs without jeopardizing crop yield. Among the most common and effective options is placing […]

Controlling Soybean Cyst Nematode: Do you have a resistance problem?

November 30, 2021/in Disease, Regional Data, Research, Soybean/by Brent Jaenisch

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2022 Newsletter This is the third year of our soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance project. Each year, we have flagged spots in soybean fields and collected paired SCN soil samples in June and September. If the SCN egg count increases through summer and into fall, we […]

How much residual soil nitrate is left after the 2021 corn crop?

October 12, 2021/in Corn, Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Soybean/by Jodi Boe

It’s probably more than you think. So far, the residual soil nitrate-nitrogen trend following corn is much higher than average across the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains. This follows the same trend set by the 2021 wheat crop. For many growers in the region, the hot and dry growing season has resulted in high […]

Soil Sample Before Tillage: Consistent sample depth matters!

October 5, 2021/in Phosphorus, Potassium, Soil Sampling, Zinc/by Jodi Boe

The fall harvest season is a busy time of year. Farmers need to finish harvest, apply fertilizer, and complete any tillage operations before the long winter sets in. Another field operation that needs to be completed within this flurry of activity is soil sampling, and sampling timing is crucial to getting quality and consistent soil cores. […]

Corn Stalk Nitrate Test

September 28, 2021/in Corn, Nitrogen, Plant Analysis/by Richard Jenny

To help evaluate nitrogen management in corn, you may want to try the corn stalk nitrate test as a post-mortem tool. The corn stalk nitrate test is a late-season or end-of-season plant analysis on mature corn stalks. Iowa State University developed the corn stalk sampling protocol and interpretation. If corn did not have sufficient nitrogen, […]

Soil Nitrogen Trends – Fall 2021; High Variability Following Drought

September 21, 2021/in Canola, Corn, Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Soybean, Wheat/by Jodi Boe

This article was originally published following the 2021 drought. The 2022 growing season may seem like a long way off, but spring will be here before we know it. In fact, many growers are already making (or have made) crop choices and seed variety decisions for 2022. One factor that must be considered when making […]

Understanding high residual soil nitrate-nitrogen following drought

August 24, 2021/in Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data/by John Lee

Soil testing after small grains is well underway, and we are seeing higher than normal soil nitrate-nitrogen levels, as expected. Crop yields have varied from much below average to surprisingly decent in some locations. It is easy to understand why residual soil nitrate-nitrogen is high in fields where the 2021 drought was severe and crop […]

Sampling Fields for Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN)

August 17, 2021/in Disease, Soybean/by Richard Jenny

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a microscopic parasitic worm that attacks the roots of susceptible soybean and dry edible bean, causing unseen or unexplained yield losses. Soybean and dry edible bean are naturally susceptible to SCN, but through plant breeding, most soybeans have some level of resistance, varying in level from good to poor. The […]

Tips for Soil Sampling in Dry Conditions

August 10, 2021/in Drought, Equipment, Soil Sampling/by John Lee

Soil sampling in dry conditions can be difficult. The ground is hard, fields are dry, and getting a consistent soil core depth can take more time than usual. To help you take the best soil samples this fall, we’ve put together some tips and tricks for sampling in dry soil conditions that, when implemented, will help […]

Lessons (Ghosts) of Droughts Past

August 5, 2021/in Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data/by John Lee

From Alberta to Iowa, the region has experienced everything from abnormally dry soil conditions to exceptional drought. In some places, the drought started in 2020 and has continued through 2021. Considering lower than expected crop yields, we expect that residual soil nitrate-nitrogen levels will be much higher than normal in many wheat, canola, and corn […]

Potassium and Drought: A Two-fold Water Uptake Problem

July 1, 2021/in Corn, Drought, Potassium, Troubleshooting/by John Breker

Potassium is back on the radar for many farmers and agronomists across the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains. In the past two weeks, corn growth and development have reached the stage where potassium deficiencies are becoming quite apparent, and widespread dry soil conditions during the 2021 drought have worsened the problem. In some instances, corn […]

Plant Sampling Basics – Sampling, storing, and shipping plant samples

June 17, 2021/in Plant Analysis/by Jodi Boe

Plant sampling season is in full swing. Agronomists submit plant samples for analysis for a number of reasons: to confirm visible nutrient deficiency symptoms, to detect “hidden hungers”, and to monitor or fine-tune fertilizer plans. For whatever reason you plan to take plant samples, here is a quick refresher on sampling, storing, and shipping plant samples to AGVISE Laboratories. Sampling […]

Is PI88788 Working in Your Soybean Fields?

June 15, 2021/in Disease, Soybean/by Brent Jaenisch

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is the number one crop yield-reducing pest in soybean production. Potential crop yield loss to SCN is expected to rise as more and more populations of SCN overcome the PI88788 resistance source. The Peking resistance source is not as common as the PI88788, but it is becoming incorporated into more soybean […]

Soybean cyst nematode: Failing resistance traits, increasing SCN populations

June 14, 2021/in Disease, Soybean/by Richard Jenny

Originally featured in the Winter 2020-2021 AGVISE Laboratories Newsletter In 2019, AGVISE Laboratories investigated if popular soybean varieties with PI88788 or Peking SCN-resistance traits were effectively providing protection from soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and found that a number of the varieties failed to do so. We expanded the project in 2020 with cooperation from agronomists […]

Feed Nitrate Testing in Drought Years

June 8, 2021/in Drought, Nitrogen, Plant Analysis/by John Breker

Drought is an unwelcome but well-known phenomenon on the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies. Sparse and scattered rainfall and above-average temperatures can cause significant stress in small grains and other crops. The same conditions also wrack pastures, prompting livestock producers to think about alternative feed options. As producers consider what to do with drought-stressed crops, […]

Scouting Shorts: Soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC)

June 3, 2021/in Iron, Soybean/by John Breker

As soybean plants emerge and add trifoliate leaves, keep your eyes peeled for soybean iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC). Through the upper Midwest and into the Canadian Prairies, soils with high pH and calcium carbonate pose a special problem for soybean plants and iron uptake. If you encounter soybean IDC, you will start to notice soybean […]

Sidedress Nitrogen for Corn Using the Pre-Sidedress Soil Nitrate Test (PSNT)

June 2, 2021/in Corn, In-Season Fertilizer, Nitrogen, Soil Sampling/by John Breker

As the corn crop begins to emerge, it is time to prepare for sidedress nitrogen applications. Sidedress nitrogen for corn can be applied any time after planting, but the target application window is generally between growth stages V4 and V8 before rapid plant nitrogen uptake occurs. Split nitrogen applications have become a standard practice in […]

How Much AMS Does Your Spray Water Need?

May 20, 2021/in Water Quality/by Jodi Boe

Hard water is common issue for many water sources across the upper Midwest, Great Plains, and Canadian Prairies. It is why our homes have water softeners, why our well water tastes funny (or delicious), and one reason we need to add AMS (ammonium sulfate) or UAN to spray tanks to optimize weed control. When we talk about conditioning […]

2021 Plant Nutrient Deficiency Troubleshooting Project

May 12, 2021/in Troubleshooting/by Jodi Boe

Plant analysis is a valuable tool for managing plant nutrients and troubleshooting agronomic problems. Being certain that a specific plant nutrient is causing deficiency symptoms is difficult with visual symptoms alone. Many causal agents unrelated to soil fertility can cause symptoms that appear to be nutrient-related. There are also some plant nutrient deficiencies that are impossible […]

Livestock Manure Sampling and Analysis

March 30, 2021/in Manure/by John Lee

As you develop crop nutrition plans for the upcoming year, it is important to include spring manure application in the crop nutrition budget. Manure is an excellent source of plant-available nutrients and offers nice economic savings, especially with high fertilizer prices. When manure is applied properly, you can maximize the nutrient value, reduce nutrient losses, […]

Starter Fertilizer: Choosing the Right Seed-Safe Rate

March 23, 2021/in Corn, Starter Fertilizer, Wheat/by John Lee

Starter fertilizer placed with or near the seed is essential for vigorous early season growth in grass crops such as corn and wheat. We plant these crops early because we know vigorous early season growth is important to achieving high crop yields. Early planting also means cold soils, and starter fertilizer is necessary to get […]

Preparing for Spring Soil Sampling

March 19, 2021/in Equipment/by John Lee

Even when fall soil sampling weather cooperates, there is always some soil sampling to do each spring. No matter the spring conditions, the soil sampling window is tight if you are planning to collect soil samples and get the soil test results back in time for spring fertilizer decisions. You will want to pull soil […]

Adjusting high soil pH and salinity with sugar beet-processing spent lime

March 5, 2021/in Research, Saline and Sodic Soil, Soil Amendment, Soil pH/by John Lee

The sugar beet processing industry uses large quantities of fine-ground, high-grade calcium carbonate (lime) to purify sucrose in the sugar extraction process. The by-product spent lime retains high reactivity and purity, making it an attractive liming material for acidic soils. Application of spent lime is a common practice through the sugar beet producing areas of […]

Soil Testing and 4R Nutrient Stewardship

March 5, 2021/in AGVISE Laboratories, Environment, Precision Ag/by John Breker

Each year, farmers aim to increase agricultural production and profitability while conserving our land resources for the next generation. These tandem goals drive sustainable soil fertility and crop nutrition decisions on cropland across the world. In 2005, global fertilizer industry and environmental stakeholders began developing a standard theme to emphasize science-based stewardship in soil fertility […]

Active carbon (POXC): What does it measure?

March 5, 2021/in Soil Chemical Analysis, Soil Health/by John Breker

Carbon is the currency of nature: the backbone of soil organic matter and the energy source for soil microorganisms. Therefore, much interest in soil health focuses on increasing carbon storage in soil. When you reduce tillage or increase crop rotation diversity, you expect soil organic matter to increase. However, soil organic matter often changes slowly […]

Uffda, that’s a lot of potash!

March 5, 2021/in Base Cation Saturation Ratio, Potassium/by John Lee

Question: Can you really change the %K base cation saturation ratio? This winter, we have gotten more questions from farmers asking about the base cation saturation ratio (BSCR) concept. The farmers had attended a series of meetings where the speakers encouraged farmers increase the %K saturation in their soils and apply high potassium fertilizer rates […]

Soil aggregate stability: What does it measure?

March 5, 2021/in Soil Health, Soil Physical Analysis/by John Breker

Soil aggregates are the building blocks of soil structure. Soil texture is the relative percentage of sand, silt, and clay in soil, but soil structure describes how those particles are arranged in the soil profile. Soil aggregates are glued together with soil organic matter, plant root exudates, and microorganisms like fungi. We classify soil aggregates […]

Starter Fertilizer Display: How low can YOU go?

March 5, 2021/in Canola, Corn, Phosphorus, Soybean, Starter Fertilizer, Sugar Beet, Wheat/by John Lee

When profits are squeezed, more farmers are asking about optimal starter fertilizer rates and how low starter fertilizer rates can be. These questions are the result of wanting to keep fertilizer costs down, to plant as many acres per day as possible, and to take advantage of more efficient, lower rates of banded phosphorus fertilizer […]

Adjusting low soil pH with sugar beet-processing spent lime

March 5, 2021/in Research, Soil Amendment, Soil pH/by John Lee

The sugar beet processing industry uses large quantities of fine-ground, high-grade calcium carbonate (lime) to purify sucrose in the sugar extraction process. The by-product spent lime retains high reactivity and purity, making an attractive liming material for acidic soils. Application of spent lime is a common practice through the sugar beet producing areas of the […]

High soil pH and calcium carbonate inflate base cation saturation and cation exchange capacity (CEC)

March 5, 2021/in Base Cation Saturation Ratio, Research, Soil Chemical Analysis, Soil pH/by John Breker

Soil pH is a soil chemical property that measures soil acidity or alkalinity, and it affects many soil chemical and biological activities. Soils of the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies often have high soil pH (>7.3) and contain calcium carbonate (free lime) at or near the soil surface. It is the calcium carbonate in […]

The Meaning of Soil Health Testing and the Big Picture

March 5, 2021/in Soil Analysis, Soil Health, Soil Management/by John Breker

This submission is courtesy of Dr. Caley Gasch, Assistant Professor of Soil Health, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. It was originally published in the AGVISE Newsletter Winter 2017. Multiple definitions of “soil health” exist. In general, they all recognize that soil is a complex system, with interacting physical, chemical, and biological factors, which should […]

Soil Testing Right Behind the Combine

March 5, 2021/in Soil Sampling/by John Breker

This submission is courtesy of Dr. David Franzen, Extension Soil Specialist, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. It was originally published in the AGVISE Newsletter Fall 2019. It is more the rule than the exception that soil sampling begins in mid-September, rather than starting immediately following small grain harvest. However, many producers miss an excellent […]

Adjusting high soil pH with elemental sulfur

March 5, 2021/in Research, Soil Amendment, Soil pH, Sulfur/by John Lee

Soil pH is a soil chemical property that measures soil acidity or alkalinity, and it affects many soil chemical and biological activities. Soils with high pH can reduce the availability of certain nutrients, such as phosphorus and zinc. Soils of the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies often have high soil pH (>7.3) and contain […]

Soil Salinity Analysis: Which method to choose?

March 5, 2021/in Research, Saline and Sodic Soil, Soil Chemical Analysis/by John Breker

This submission is courtesy of Dr. Heather Matthees, Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS, Morris, MN. It was originally published in the AGVISE Newsletter Fall 2017. Salt-affected soils are a major problem for agricultural producers, resulting in $12 billion annual losses in crop production across the world. In the northern Great Plains and Canadian Prairies, soil salinity […]

Estimating soil texture with cation exchange capacity (CEC)

March 5, 2021/in Soil Chemical Analysis, Soil Physical Analysis/by John Breker

Soil texture is a basic physical soil property that describes the proportion of sand-, silt-, and clay-sized particles in soil. It controls the ability of soil to retain water and nutrients and the movement of water and nutrients through the soil profile. Soil texture is a fundamental soil property, but measuring soil texture requires time-consuming […]

Fertilizing grass lawn

March 5, 2021/in Lawn and Garden, Nitrogen/by John Lee

A productive and lush lawn requires some fertilizer every now and then. The major plant nutrients required for grass lawn are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Nitrogen is the nutrient required in the largest amount, although too much nitrogen can create other problems. A general rate of one (1) pound nitrogen per 1,000 […]

Split the Risk with In-season Nitrogen

March 5, 2021/in Canola, Corn, In-Season Fertilizer, Nitrogen, Sunflower, Water Quality, Wheat/by John Breker

For some farmers, applying fertilizer in the fall is a standard practice. You can often take advantage of lower fertilizer prices, reduce the spring workload, and guarantee that fertilizer is applied before planting. As you work on developing your crop nutrition plan, you may want to consider saving a portion of the nitrogen budget for […]

AGVISE Potato Petiole Analysis: Informative, Accessible, and Easy-to-Understand Reports

March 4, 2021/in Nitrogen, Plant Analysis, Potato/by John Lee

Irrigated potato production is an intensive cropping system. It requires proactive labor, critical decision-making tools, and well-timed nutrient management. There is a fine line between supplying adequate plant nutrition and applying too much, which could cause potato tuber defects like mishappen tubers or hollow heart, reducing the marketable potato yield. Before seed potatoes go in […]

Soil Science Review: Soil pH, Acidity, and Alkalinity

March 4, 2021/in Soil Chemical Analysis, Soil pH/by John Breker

Soil pH is a basic soil property that affects many biological and chemical processes in soil. Simply knowing if a soil is acidic or alkaline can tell us a lot about how it behaves and how we can manage it. This is why soil pH is often called the master variable of biological and chemical […]

Soil Science Review: Organic Matter

March 4, 2021/in Soil Chemical Analysis, Soil Health/by John Breker

Soil organic matter is a fundamental component of soil. It is comprised of living microorganisms, recently decomposed plant material, and stable humus organic compounds. Soil organic matter influences numerous biological, chemical, and physical properties of soil. It influences soil structure, water holding capacity, nutrient cycling, biological activity, and chemical fate and transport (e.g. pesticides). Soil […]

Phosphorus and the 4Rs: The progress we have made

March 4, 2021/in Fertilizer Placement, Phosphorus, Regional Data, Water Quality/by John Breker

The year 2019 marked the 350th anniversary of discovering phosphorus, an element required for all life on Earth and an essential plant nutrient in crop production. Over the years, we have fallen in and out of love with phosphorus as a necessary crop input and an unwanted water pollutant. Through improved knowledge and technologies, we […]

Soil Science Review: Cation Exchange Capacity

March 4, 2021/in Soil Chemical Analysis/by John Breker

Each year, AGVISE Laboratories delivers thousands of soil characterization reports with something printed on them called, “Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC).” Unless you have some background in soil science or surface chemistry, the number might be a mystery to you. Cation exchange capacity is the amount of positive-charged cations (e.g. ammonium, calcium, hydrogen, magnesium, potassium, sodium) […]

Molybdenum: The Micro-est of Micronutrients

March 4, 2021/in Molybdenum, Plant Analysis, Soil Chemical Analysis/by John Breker

Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential plant nutrient, necessary for nitrate assimilation and biological nitrogen fixation. Legumes, relying on symbiotic nitrogen fixation, have greater Mo requirement than non-legumes. Nevertheless, the Mo requirement of plants is the lowest among all micronutrients, with critical deficiency concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 ppm in plant leaves. The very low […]

Fertilizing soybean

March 4, 2021/in Iron, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Soybean, Sulfur, Zinc/by Richard Jenny

Soybean acres expanded greatly across the northern Great Plains and into Manitoba through the 1990s and 2000s. Today, soybean occupies a large portion of planted acres and makes a desirable rotation crop in canola, corn, and small grain production systems. As soybean has advanced northward and westward, soybean is often billed as a low maintenance […]

Copper for Small Grains

March 4, 2021/in Copper, Disease, Wheat/by John Lee

Among crops grown in the northern Great Plains, small grains (cereals) are the most susceptible to copper deficiency. Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient required in small concentrations for plant growth and reproduction. Copper deficiency symptoms in cereals include pale yellowing, wilted and twisted leaf tips, and malformed seed heads. Severe copper deficiency will stop […]

Caution: Ammonium Sulfate with Seed

March 4, 2021/in Canola, Fertilizer Placement, Phosphorus, Starter Fertilizer, Sulfur/by John Lee

Seed-placed fertilizer is a common practice to increase seedling vigor and optimize fertilizer placement and crop response. This is a popular strategy to apply phosphorus for canola, corn, and wheat. However, the seed-placed fertilizer rate cannot exceed seed safety limits, otherwise seedling germination and plant population may be reduced. Sulfur is very important in canola […]

5 Things You Should Know About Phosphorus

March 4, 2021/in Phosphorus, Regional Data, Soil Chemical Analysis/by John Lee

1. The two accepted soil phosphorus tests in the North Central Region are the Olsen and Bray-P1 methods The Olsen (bicarbonate) method is the standard soil P test in the North Central region. This method was developed to work on soils with low and high pH. The Olsen method works well in precision soil sampling, […]

5 Things You Should Know About Calcium

March 4, 2021/in Base Cation Saturation Ratio, Calcium, Regional Data, Soil Chemical Analysis, Soil pH/by John Lee

1. Calcium (Ca) is abundant in soils of the upper Midwest, northern Great Plains, and Canadian Prairies; calcium deficiency in agronomic crops is rare Calcium makes up about 3.6% of the Earth’s crust, and it is relatively abundant in agricultural soils across the region. In soils with pH greater than 6.0, Ca is the dominant […]

Soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Management

March 4, 2021/in Iron, Soybean/by John Breker

If soybean turns yellow during an early growth stage, you may have a case of soybean iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC). The distinctive yellow symptoms of soybean IDC often appear as soybean enters the first- to third-trifoliate leaf stage. Soybean IDC is characterized by distinct interveinal chlorosis (yellow leaf with green leaf veins) in the […]

Fallow Syndrome: Preventing Phosphorus Problems

March 3, 2021/in Canola, Cover Crop, Phosphorus, Prevented Planting, Soil Health, Starter Fertilizer, Sugar Beet/by Jodi Boe

Producers in the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest need to consider the risk of fallow syndrome in their crop nutrition plans. You are probably asking, what is “fallow syndrome” and why should I care? After all, summer fallow is not that common anymore! But the greater number of Prevented Planting acres in 2019 and […]

Field Variability Screaming in Your Ear? Precision Soil Sampling is the Answer

March 3, 2021/in Precision Ag/by Jodi Boe

Your land is variable. Each fall, you watch the combine yield monitor go up and down across the field. You know where crop yield will be the best in wet years and dry years. So, why do you still use a whole-field composite soil test to manage fertilizer inputs and ignore the obvious field variability […]

Prevented Planting Acres in 2020: Maximizing Cover Crop Effectiveness

March 3, 2021/in Cover Crop, Prevented Planting, Soil Erosion, Soil Health, Tillage, Water Quality, Weed/by John Breker

In 2020, there are again widespread acres of Prevented Planting (PP) in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Farmers are now making plans to plant cover crops on unplanted cropland in the next few weeks. It is important to establish cover crops on PP fields because growing plants help reduce the chance these fields will be […]

Plant Analysis Sampling Guide

September 1, 2020/in Plant Analysis/by John Breker

Plant nutrient analysis is a useful management tool. The AGVISE Plant Analysis Sampling Guide discusses the importance of plant analysis in proper crop nutrition and how to collect plant samples. It is important to collect the correct plant part at the correct plant growth stage to ensure accurate interpretation of plant analysis results. To ensure […]

High Soil Nitrogen following Drought: How to manage next year

August 25, 2020/in Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Wheat/by John Lee

From time to time, moderate to severe droughts hit the Great Plains. Such is life in semi-arid climates. When a drought occurs, it is normal to find higher residual soil nitrate-nitrogen after harvest. Since the widespread adoption of soil testing in the 1970s, we have seen this phenomenon in all major drought years: 1988, 2002, […]