By Brian Hefty

Be honest with yourself.  How much do you actually know about soils?  Try taking this quick quiz.

  1. How do you convert parts per million to pounds per acre on a soil test?
  2. If you have 3% organic matter in your soil, how many free nutrients will come available for your crop this year?
  3. If your cation exchange capacity is 14, how much nitrogen will your soil hold?
  4. If your yield goal is 250 bushel corn, how much P, K, S, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe do you actually need?
  5. Chances are, you invested a lot of money in fertility over the last 5 years, but when you really analyze what you applied vs. what you removed, where are you still coming up short?
  6. Which fertilizer products are you buying too much of?
  7. If your soybean seed size is getting so big that seed coats start falling off, what is the nutrient deficiency?
  8. In the worst-yielding 5 spots on your farm, is it just a soil type issue or do you actually have nutrient deficiencies?
  9. If you will be investing millions of dollars in fertilizer over the next few years, shouldn’t YOU be the one to make the exact decisions on which products you need and how much you need, rather than relying on someone else?

I know you have a busy schedule, but taking one cold day this winter to attend a free Ag PhD Soils Clinic will forever change how you look at soil tests and fertilizer purchases.  When you leave, you will be able to better invest your fertilizer dollars and hopefully gain higher yields with less fertilizer loss in the future.

Please register today so we have enough soils books, chairs, and food for everyone.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 – West Point, NE – Nielsen Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 – Spokane, WA – Northern Quest (11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 17, 2015 – Morton, MN – Jackpot Junction (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Thursday, February 19, 2015 – Sikeston, MO – Miner Convention Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 – Twin Falls, ID – Canyon Crest (9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)