Why does organic matter improve soil? If you farm or garden, do you check the organic matter levels of your soil? It is a good indicator of soil health since you can’t have good health without it. Organic matter feeds the microbes that build the soil. One of the goals of...
Can gypsum be applied with other fertilizers?
Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is a product that supplies the crop in the soil with a soluble and available form of calcium (Ca2+) and sulfur (SO42-). If these forms are deficient in soil, then crop productivity and soil will benefit if gypsum is applied. Today gypsum is sold either as ag-gyp...
Learn more about the benefits gypsum has on soil structure
What are the benefits of applying gypsum? Improves Structure. Gypsum, and particularly its calcium component improves soil structure. Soluble calcium (calcium in the soil water) enhances soil aggregation and porosity to improve water infiltration. And soils that have too much sodium or too much magnesium relative to calcium can...
It’s almost planting season! Know your ideal soil conditions before you begin
Understand your soil moisture conditions before trafficking, tilling or planting this spring. What are exactly the right soil conditions for spring tillage, fertilizer application, spraying and planting? Farmers start going to the field in March or April when conditions are right for the task they want to do. Till when...
The benefits of achieving optimal soil health
I have been thinking a lot lately about soil health and its ability to sustain crops. Sure we know fertilizer and water are important as well as applying good management practices. But I believe there is more to a soil’s potential that is directly tied to optimizing soil health. And...
Best practices for spring planting season!
The term best management practices (BMPs) can be applied to practices that maximize yield or practices that promote sustainability. These practices do not always share the same exact goals, however there is growing momentum and science that says you can be successful with both. Regardless, as growers are planning their...
Gypsiferous Soils: what they are and why you shouldn’t worry
I’ve known that calcareous or calcite soils exist across the world. These soils are located in arid environments where insufficient rainfall fails to leach out the calcium carbonates. We have a farm in Northeast Nebraska in which the soil is calcareous. Lime flakes are very common on the soil surface...
The Myth of the Calcium to Magnesium Ratio
When you are involved in soil fertility, you sometimes hear people talk about a ‘calcium to magnesium ratio’. A few agronomists follow this theory however many are skeptical of its value. The theory is that for optimal crop production these two nutrients need to be in balance in the soil....