News

SoilTrak Rides off Into the Sunset

Last September, the ALGL Client Portal was introduced to provide laboratory business account holders with single sign-in access to existing lab tools, alongside new and enhanced features designed to make doing business with us more convenient. 

eSub, located within the ALGL Client Portal, allows for the online creation of soil submission forms and bag labels. This feature replaces SoilTrak with a cloud-based version that is no longer limited to a single PC. Because eSub and eDocs are integrated, data from past sampling events—including growers, farms, and fields—is readily available for new submissions. Future updates will expand these tools to include additional materials.

After May 31, 2026, ALGL will cease technical support, software updates, and new installations for SoilTrak. While current installations will remain functional, they will no longer be supported.

Plan a Budget and Stick to It

It is no secret that the current agricultural economy is not doing producers any favors as another growing season approaches and crop input decisions need to be made soon. In order to survive these challenging times, it imperative that growers have a firm understanding of their input costs and build a plan to maximize their return on investments and stick to it.

To begin, all input costs need to be identified and divided into two categories, set costs and flexible costs. Set costs are things such as land/rent payments, taxes, interest on borrowed money, equipment costs, etc. There is little to nothing that can be done to lower these costs, so any savings need to be made on other inputs.

The first decision is what crop should be grown? While most producers will decide between corn or soybeans, this may be an opportunity to explore other crops such as wheat or other small cereal grains if there is a market for them in your area. It is important though to consider all impacts of trying a new crop such as equipment compatibility, access to crop protection chemicals, and transportation.

What seed variety should be grown? Work with your local seed agronomists to determine what varieties perform well in your area. While yield is important, the highest yielding varieties may not be the most profitable because they often require additional inputs to produce the highest yield. Look for varieties with a good record of resistance to pests and diseases that are known in your area and don’t pay for traits that are not needed.

Crop protection inputs (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc.) need to be planned and budgeted in advance. This is where previous years of crop scouting can really help. You can generally assume the same weeds and diseases that were a problem over the last few years will likely be again. Budget for a worst-case scenario and use crops scouting and integrated pest management strategies to determine when an application is needed to get the most benefit from the application.

Soil fertility inputs need to be determined from recent soil test data. Ideally less than two years old. Identify what nutrient or other factor is the most limiting. If your pH needs to be raised, liming should take priority over fertilizer. pH determines nutrient availability. So, if the pH is off, the efficacy of your fertilizers is jeopardized. Determine if phosphorus or potassium is more limiting. Phosphorus fertilizers are much more expensive currently. So, at a minimum try to maintain phosphorus levels rather than build them up and certainly avoid applications where soil tests are high. Potassium fertilizer is currently more affordable and potassium soil test levels can drop much more quickly than phosphorus. If the budget only allows for phosphorus or potassium, prioritize the potassium.

The two most important things a grower can do in these tight times is first, do not try to do it all on your own. Rely on advice from industry agronomists, independent consultants, and grain marketing specialists. Second, stick to your plan. Don’t make any rash decisions that could lead to a complete crop failure. Don’t look for a silver bullet, there is no single product or practice that is going to save a poorly managed crop regardless of how good the sales pitch is.

Potassium Availability

Certain plant nutrients must go through biological, chemical and physical cycles to become plant available.  The potassium cycle is much simpler.  Many mineral soils contain a surplus of potassium.  However, much of this is not in the soil solution but held tightly in parent materials like micas and feldspars.  For these to become plant accessible, they must first weather.  As they naturally break down, potassium on the outside edges goes from nonexchangeable to available forms in the soil solution for plants to utilize.

Potassium, being a macronutrient, is taken into the plant in rather large amounts.  This amount can vary from 5-10 times the amount of phosphorus.  As vegetation begins to wither and die, also known as necrosis, potassium is released from the plant back to the soil.  Unlike other residue cycling, K is readily available through this process.

There are four key locations for K in the soil.  In primary mineral structure (unavailable), nonexchangeable K in secondary minerals (slowly available), Exchangeable K on soil colloids and K soluble in water (readily available).  This makes 90-98% of all soil K to be unavailable to plants.  As mentioned above, weathering is the solvent action of carbonic, organic and inorganic acids as well as acid clays and humus.  Weathering must occur to make exchangeable K from parent materials.  Some plants with finer root structures can access this nutrient between clay layers, but many row crops cannot.  The amount of K fixed depends on the nature of the soil colloids, wetting and drying, freezing and thawing and the presence of excess lime.

There are soil types that are difficult to change soil test K values.  A few clay types are Illite (mica-type clay), vermiculite, smectite and kaolinite.  Illite (Drummer, Flanagan, Sable) has the highest K content of common clays. K sits between the layers and is slowly released and has a good long-term K supply.  It can also fix K if soils become dry or compacted. Vermiculite (Graymont, Alida, Iva) has a high CEC and can hold lots of potassium.  It also has a higher fixing capacity than Smectite. Smectite (Patton, Wabash, Toledo) has a high CEC but less inherent K.  This type is a great reservoir for soil K but not a great direct source.  Kaolinite (Bluford, Berks, Gilpin) is a 1:1 clay.  It has a low CEC, poor K retention and needs frequent K fertilization to meet crop demand. 

Potassium cycling is a dynamic equilibrium.  As soon as the plant takes in K, more is released back into the soil solution from exchangeable K.  A plant may take up more K than necessary, called luxury consumption, and this does not directly increase yield.  Potassium applications vary greatly on crop type, soil type, region and residue management.  If the soil test K levels cannot be achieved because of fixation, pH and other soil influences then applications may need to be more frequent to keep up with crop demand.

Source: Brady, N. C., & Weil, R. R. (2016). The nature and properties of soils (13th ed.). Pearson Education.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Wood Ash

In tight times it is common for growers to look to waste products as a source of nutrients. The products are also commonly marketed to growers.

Wood ash is often promoted primarily as a source of carbon and potash. It is often a good source of potassium, calcium, and carbon with a notable amount of phosphorus. The calcium is often calcium oxide which is powerful liming agent. The liming properties of wood ash are usually where problems can arise if not managed correctly.

While wood ash is a good source of carbon, it comes with a high C:N ratio. The more hardwood burnt to create the ash, the higher the carbon content. C:N ratios over 30:1 can become a nitrogen sink as microbes process the material. This can lead to nitrogen deficiencies in crops if not managed properly.

One ton of wood ash can have the same neutralizing capability of ½ ton of calcium or magnesium carbonate based ag lime. The concern arises when repeated applications of wood ash are made to meet a potassium nutrient recommendation without consideration for the liming potential of the material. Especially on high pH soils.

Excessive applications of calcium or magnesium carbonate based ag lime will result in a soil pH of 8.1 to 8.2. These soil pH levels can lead to a variety of challenges. The acid neutralization reactions of carbonate products stall at this pH. Unreacted carbonates will remain in the soil to neutralize any acid additions that maybe made to the soil. When soil reaches this point, it is very difficult to impossible to lower the soil pH. This is the main reason excessive lime applications are discouraged. Oxides, like those found in wood ash, can elevate soil pH into the low 9’s before stalling.

Whenever applying word ash, test the Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE) of the material to compare to calcium or magnesium carbonate based ag lime application rates, avoid excessive or repeated applications, and monitor soil pH closely after application. If you have any questions about wood ash or other byproducts reach out to your regional ALGL agronomist.

Phosphorus Rate Reductions and World Demand Growth

Management of high phosphorus fertilizer prices has been common topic in the fall of 2024 and 2025. The elevated phosphate prices began in 2021, the depressed grain markets in 2024 and 2025 that drove the widespread cost cutting. A common approach has been to cut rates. More information on how to effectively reduce applications rates while limiting negative impacts can be found in a previous ALGL blog post “The Seven Most Expensive Words in Agriculture – Fertilizer Prices”.

Many rate reduction strategies implemented in the past two falls have been under the assumption that the elevated phosphorus prices will relax relatively quickly. Most fertilizer price spikes do not last very long and impact roughly two growing seasons. If this assumption is part of your phosphorus plan, a modification of the plan may be in order.

The drivers of this phosphate price elevation are a bit different than past price events that usually are a result of short-term supply interruptions or seasonal demand spikes. World demand for MAP is growing significantly as South American and Asia are looking to increase domestic grain production which has led to a significant/large increase in world phosphate demand over the past 4 years. The Asian demand increase has been driven primarily by China. China has significantly reduced phosphate exports to focus on domestic demand, thus lowering the world phosphate supply. It is foretasted that world demand should level off in 2026 with no indications of decline.

There are new sources coming online, however market forecasts are starting to project that it will be 2028 or 2029 before the demand and supply can align allowing phosphate prices to relax.

While many of us initially assumed that the high phosphate prices would necessitate reduced application volumes for 1-2 growing season based on application timing, high phosphate prices may be reality though the 2028/2029 growing season. Can your current plan support significant phosphate reduction until 2028 or 2029 without negative future impacts?

The base defense against negative impacts of altering your fertility management is routine and consistent soil sampling to monitor soil fertility changes along with tissue testing to monitor crop access to fertility. Reach out to your ALGL Regional Agronomist for help with soil fertility questions.

Potassium Fertilizer and Nitrogen Use Efficiency

When managing soil nutrient sufficiency ranges, most are attempting to keep each nutrient above the critical and within the adequate range.  This, of course, depends on the soil, region, crops being grown etc.  Sufficiency ranges have been developed over time through field calibration research, linking crop yield/response to soil test levels.  From these crop responses, different soil test ranges have been made insufficient, sufficient or excessive.  This has been the standard to determine a crop’s overall needs, but what has been studied further is the relationships between different nutrients.

There are many cause and effect relationships between soil nutrients.  Too much calcium, for example, can affect the phosphorus availability in certain soils.  Soil pH is the determining factor for nutrient availability etc.  A connection between potassium and nitrogen is not often discussed, and perhaps because there is present-day data supporting this.  Unlike calcium and phosphorus availability, potassium and nitrogen are more about aiding uptake.

Potassium (K) improves nitrogen use efficiency in a few ways.  The first is potassium contributes to root elongation.  Better root growth promotes contact with nitrates and ammonium in the soil for plant uptake.  Nitrogen is primarily brought into the plant through a process called mass flow.  Mass flow is regulated by plant transpiration. This is the movement of dissolved nutrients.  As the plant transpires, more soil solution is being brought into the plant through the root system.  Transpiration can have a large effect on nutrient uptake.  It requires soil moisture to regulate plant temperature, and water/nutrient transport.  Temperature, humidity, light and wind all play a part in the rate of transpiration.

Potassium is the primary ion controlling transpiration and plant nitrogen mobility.  Low K can cause nitrogen to accumulate in older tissues instead of moving to newer growth.  It controls the stomata movement on the leaf surface.  Stomata are the pores regulating water and gas exchange.  When stomata open, potassium ions move into the guard cells and vice versa when they close.  Without proper plant K levels, which can be greatly affected by soil moisture and clay type, the mass flow of nutrients such as nitrogen are inhibited. 

The fact is that growing organisms have a balance amongst themselves.  Yes, insufficient nutrient content can raise a plant but keeping them in a constant balance is what increases the efficiency of others for maximum yield potential.  Constantly maintaining a sufficient range of nutrients is the first step and the next is to learn the cause and effect of nutrient levels. 

Continued Challenges and Solutions in 2025

Editorial by Agronomist Jamie Bultemeier

Looking back on the past few years, a common trend is the challenges that arise within a growing season. One unique aspect to the challenges of 2025 has been that many of the challenges are continuations from 2024 while other challenges will linger beyond 2025.

Much of our service area was experiencing low level drought in 2024 that did not fully resolve through the winter leading into 2025. While rainfall may have been similar in 2025 as 2024, the lack of subsurface moisture added to the moisture stress in 2025. Dry weather can reduce nutrient loss and leaching. Dry weather also reduces nutrient uptake by plants. Low tissue test levels of potassium were a common sight at the lab though the summer months.

Our position on soil sampling in abnormally dry soil has been to first ensure that you are able to sample to correct depth. Incorrect sampling depth can bias data regardless of the chemistry impact of dry soil on lab methods. Dry soil normally leads to shallow samples with an increase in soil test data values. If correct depth can be achieved, chemical impact of the soil test results from the lab appear when a prolonged drought reaches the late D2 to early D3 status. There were indications of samples exhibiting significant soil pH and potassium level reductions in areas of extended D2 to D3 drought. Fortunately, this was again limited to a small portion of our service area again this year and the severity of the drought did not build until the later part of the fall soil sampling season.  One concern for 2026 will be the continuation of the drought. Near term precipitation forecasts indicate that drought conditions will persist in the coming winter.

The dry fall weather drove a near record harvest pace again this fall that tied 2024. Most sampling seasons have a weather event or multiple events that slows soil sampling in a significant portion of the ALGL service area. This reduces inbound soil sample volume overall and provides periods of time to catch up. There was no such event during the fall of 2024 or 2025. This in combination with record fall soil sample volumes led to increased inbound soil samples above our daily capacity without an opportunity to catch up. Our dedicated staff worked repeated Saturdays, which led to a record number of samples processed in one month, almost 10% more samples in a single month than the previous record.

2025 also marks the second year of high phosphorus fertilizer prices and elevated nitrogen prices. Many conversions between lab agronomists and clients have focused on effective ways to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen rates. Trends in the fertilizer supply indicate that nitrogen prices will remain elevated into 2026 and high phosphorus prices could endure until 2028. Some of the short-term reduction strategies for phosphorus may need to be rethought as it is likely that phosphorus prices to remain high longer than many have anticipated.

Soil Sampling Strip-Tillage Practices

Traditional soil sampling has a few common goals when the puller meets the field.  Consistency, uniformity and repeatable locations, all play a large role in good sample data.  How are these standards still applicable to a situation where fields are purposely not uniform and consistent?  By implementing strip-tillage practices, a microclimate is formed in the strip. 

Strip-tillage is a broad term.  Its classification comes from manually creating a banded tillage strip instead of other forms of disruption.  It could also indicate with or without fertilizer.  In a conventional tillage system, the whole area is worked as uniformly as possible.  This could be for multiple reasons such as residue, pesticide and fertilizer incorporation, seedbed preparation or the constant losing battle against compaction.

On some farms the goal changes from uniformity to concentration.  These same growers are generally wanting to band fertilizers, minimize erosion, and build organic matter.  By creating a concentrated strip on tillage and fertilizer placement, the residue is left between the rows.  This keeps the benefits of no-till and maximizes fertilizer placement.  One of the tougher challenges to strip-tillage is keeping soil sample data consistent.

Soil sampling the same spot/area after the same crop every time creates a trend for soil tests.  From here, an accurate recommendation can be made for the best return on grower’s investments.  Banding fertilizer is not the only alteration strip-tillage creates.  The tillage aspect itself will change the soil’s physical, chemical, biological and water infiltration properties compared to the soil not being disturbed between the rows. 

One way to sample strip-tillage acres is to increase sample core volume.  Traditionally, a field is sampled 15 cores per sampling location.  This is then mixed in a non-reactive bucket and placed in a soil sample bag to the fill line.  For strip-tillage, five soil cores are sampled perpendicular to the rows.  One slightly off center of each the right and then left rows, and three between the rows.  This is then mixed for one composite core.  As one could tell, this is very inefficient but necessary to have the best soil data.  There are many types of strip-tillage practices and each may need different sampling methods.  For tillage only, sample as normal.  If the bands are moved each year, take more cores in the sampling area.

One way to be more efficient, and possibly even more accurate, is to separate the rows and in-between the rows separately.  This will show what the nutrient levels are in each environment.  Certain nutrients must stratify, like the surface in no-till, and then move to the soil between the rows.  Either way, the same amount of nutrients must be applied as it was with a blanket spread.  With crop removal rates, it may not be too much at once, but for build recommendations, a split application of fall then spring will have to be used on some soils, regions, type of fertilizer and crop being planted.

Registration for 2026 Soil Fertility Workshops Is Open!

Dates and locations are set for the 2026 Soil Fertility Workshops. The goal of our workshops is simple: we provide a general overview of fundamental agronomic principles and current university research so our attendees are better able to make nutrient management decisions for their customers or for their own operations. Today’s producers are inundated with information regarding crop inputs and practices. By applying the fundamental principles of agronomy to these inputs and practices, a consultant, agricultural retailer, or producer can evaluate and decide which of those are most applicable for achieving both the short-term and long-term goals of a specific operation.

The workshops are developed and presented by A&L Great Lakes Laboratories’ Agronomy Staff comprised of Certified Crop Advisers, Certified Professional Agronomists, and Certified Professional Soil Scientists whom have a wide range of experience in the agricultural industry.

We will be presenting six workshops in January and February in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Registration can be completed online, or by mail/email. Click here for more information and registration.

February 4, 2026 - Fort Wayne, IN

February 11, 2026 - Rockford, IL 

February 12, 2026 - Valparaiso, IN   NEW LOCATION

February 18, 2026 - Frankenmuth, MI

February 19, 2026 -Perrysburg, OH

February 25, 2026 - Terra Haute, IN   NEW LOCATION

Making the Switch-Fall to Spring Soil Sampling

For most of the Midwest, drought conditions continue into the fall and winter months.  Field fires, low grain moisture, and tillage practices are proving to be difficult hurdles, but dry soil conditions make soil sampling especially difficult. Not only are soil sampling conditions challenged by dry soil, but lab results take more interpretations than seasons with adequate circumstances.

Fall soil sampling has, historically, been the peak timing for sending in numerous bags of soil to the lab.  This is due to many factors.  Once the grain is harvested, it leaves an open canvas to sample exactly where the client or sampler would like to.  This keeps the process as efficient as possible and leads to the most reliable data.  The lab reports the soil analysis for further review, and then the correct fertility program can be implemented. 

Testing when the crop is harvested not only allows for quicker/more precise sampling, but also applications can then be made without crop damage.  As most fertility programs apply in tons, or several hundreds of pounds, rather than small in-season amounts.  All this is possible because there seems to be more time at the end of the season to achieve applications.

Where this used to be the case, now many growers are hiring sampling and applications to be done.  Whereas before, growers needed that extra time in the fall to do it themselves.  Because of this, most research and response data has been for fall applied nutrients.  Now with new studies, technology and contracting sampling/applications there has been a movement to spring soil sampling. 

Spring offers many benefits to sampling compared to the traditional fall sampling.  There is more uniform moisture, and certain nutrients like potassium have been released from the previous crop residue.  It can be more ideal for a soil sample since dry conditions are not often experienced.  Growers may experience slightly higher pH values in the spring and potassium levels.  Nutrients like nitrogen and sulfur, anions, may leach and decline over winter months depending on precipitation, temperature and soil type.

Now that there are multiple windows of opportunity for sampling, some precautions must be taken into consideration.  If soil sampling and application are conducted the same season as seeding, it may delay some planting applications due to relying on samplers and applicators.  Depending on the product being applied, some salt injury could occur, or the nutrients will not be available in time for the new plants.  This in mind, many spring samples are for fall applications of fertilizer.  Especially if pH and maintenance programs are being utilized.

If you have any questions about how spring soil sampling may benefit your operation, please reach out to your ALGL agronomist.