News

Kenny Rogers Had It Right… You’ve Got to Know When to Hold’em, Know When to Fold’em

The first signs of spring are beginning to show in the Great Lakes region. The sun and warm weather are causing the ag industry to stir. At the lab we have seen increased sample volumes indicating the beginning of the 2020 spring soil sampling season.

The fall 2019 soil sampling season began with the sampling of prevent plant acres in June of 2019 and continued into February of 2020! During the mild winter weather, the past few months some of the soil samples collected were of better quality than others. No matter the soil conditions, soil sample collection depth remains one of the leading causes of soil sampling error. Often when soil samples do not trend with historical results, depth is a factor. So how does this impact winter and early spring soil sampling?

When soil is above field capacity and reaching saturation, the soil physical properties change. The excess water acts as a lubricant allowing soil particles to slide past each other much easier. This can lead to a wide range of soil sampling challenges that can vary by soil texture. As a tube soil sample probe is pushed into the soil, the soil can simply move to the side, thus reducing the soil volume in the probe. If the relatively higher fertility surface soil is reduced in relative soil sample volume, the resulting reported soil nutrient values decrease the same as if the sample was taken to deep. If soil from deeper in the profile is displaced, the reported soil nutrient values will increase, the same as taking a sample too shallow. Auger probes are often more impacted by above field capacity soil moisture than tube probes. Auger probes can simply push the soil to the side rather than retain the soil in the sample. All of these situations are denoted by a lower than normal soil sample volume for the given number and depth of individual soil cores.

Soil samples that are collected when the surface of a nearly saturated soil is frozen often also leads to challenges. As a soil probe is pushed into the soil, the frozen surface soil an act as a plug and prevents soil from entering the probe. Soils can be sampled at moisture levels above field capacity, but extra observational care needs to be taken to ensure the proper depth and volume of soil is collected.

Another challenge we see at the lab is soil bag degradation when shipping of saturated soils. If the soil sample is not shipped quickly after sampling, shipping is delayed, samples are poorly packaged allowing for movement, or the boxes are handled roughly in shipment. The bags can rupture, bag labels can come off, gel and felt tip ink can run, and label information can be rubbed off leading to the loss of the sample or sample identification.

While we welcome the arrival of your soil samples at the lab, but we want the resulting data to be useful and make a positive impact in your soil fertility management. It all starts with a good sample. If you can collect a quality sample in these soil conditions, sample on! If not, stop. If it takes a few days of dry weather to get a good sample, not a problem, we will leave the ICP’s lit for you!

Fall Applied Manure - Will the Nitrogen Still be There?

Manure applications can be a valuable component of a nutrient management program but timing those applications to maximize the utilization of nitrogen can be challenging. Manures generally contain two forms of nitrogen, ammonium and organically bound nitrogen. Ammonium is immediately plant available and relatively immobile in the soil because it is a positively charged ion that held by the cation exchange capacity, similar to potassium. Organically bound nitrogen is also immobile in the soil, but it is not plant available until the organic matter is microbially decomposed, mineralizing the nitrogen.

In an ideal situation, manure applications would occur either into an actively growing crop or shortly before a crop is planted to gain the most benefit from the nitrogen. Unfortunately, our cold wet soil conditions in the spring and the types of application equipment we have available often do not allow for spring or early summer application. As a result, much of the manure in our region is land applied following harvest in the fall and early winter leaving several months for potential nitrogen loss.

The first step to maximizing the benefits of manure is to keep it on the field and in the soil profile. The most obvious potential loss of nitrogen when manure is fall applied is surface runoff. Runoff can be minimized by avoiding applications on saturated, frozen, or snow-covered ground; incorporation with tillage; or subsurface injection.

Once the manure has been incorporated into the soil profile, there is still the potential for substantial nitrogen loss to occur before the next crop can utilize it. The two potential mechanisms for loss are leaching and denitrification. Leaching has the greatest potential to occur on well drained soils during periods of heavy precipitation. However, for significant losses of nitrogen to occur due to leaching, the nitrogen needs to have been converted to nitrate prior to the precipitation. The conversion of ammonium to nitrate is a microbial process that will only occur when the microbes have adequate temperature and aeration in the soil to be active. Denitrification is the conversion of nitrate to gaseous forms that can be lost to the atmosphere. This is a microbial process that only occurs when soils are saturated, and the microbes are in an anerobic environment. Microbial activity is minimal when soil temperatures are below 50 degrees. If soil temperatures remain cold after application, the chances of significant nitrogen loss are minimized.

The winters and springs in this region are generally cold enough to keep most of the nitrogen in the soil profile. However, over the last few years this has not always been the case. The spring of 2017 was unusually warm with February and March temperatures reaching 70+ degrees. In one situation, using a soil nitrate and ammonium test, we were able to confirm the loss of nearly all the nitrogen following a fall hog manure application that was subsurface injected and treated with a nitrogen stabilizer. The grower in this situation had to supply a full rate of nitrogen fertilizer though sidedress to sustain his corn crop. The next season, following the very cold spring of 2018, the same grower in the same exact situation was able to confirm that no additional nitrogen was needed to produce his crop.

What's New with the Tri-State?

Over the past few months, many winter meetings in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan have included presentations that previewed some of the possible changes in the Tri-State university fertilizer recommendations. One of the more publicized changes is the change in the chemical solutions used to extract soil nutrients in the laboratory from Bray to Mehlich III for phosphorus and from ammonium acetate to Mehlich III for potassium. While change can be challenging and concerning, this one is easy.

A&L Great Lakes Laboratories, like most leading soil labs, has been using Mehlich III as a universal extractant since the 1990s. Mehlich III is a slightly stronger acid and results in soil test values that are 10-20% higher depending on the nutrient. However, in order to facilitate interpretive guidelines, such as the current Tri-State soil fertility recommendations, which require Bray P1 and ammonium acetate K values, we employ a calculation to convert the Mehlich III value to a Bray P or ammonium acetate K equivalent.

Updated Tri-State fertilizer recommendations will reflect the use of the Mehlich III extractant, and will base recommendation calculations on the M3 values rather than the Bray P1 and ammonium acetate K values. During this transition period, it will be important to ensure that the soil extractant indicated in soil test data matches the fertilizer recommendation chart or equation being employed. With soil samples collected every 2 to 4 years, there will be a transition period were both data values may be part of this process.

Here at A&L Great Lakes Laboratories, we offer a wide range of reporting options to meet various customer’s needs. We will not be changing any soil test report formats to Mehlich III data until it has been requested by the customer. If you have any questions or need assistance once these university recommendations are released, please contact your ALGL agronomist or call the lab directly at 260-483-4759.

It Calendar Time Again!

Have you enjoyed our customer photography calendars over the past three years? Do You have photos to share? We are excited to announce that we are launching our fourth year of the customer photo calendar and the participation continues to grow each year.  We want to see pictures that illustrate what fuels your passion for agriculture and customer service. When you get that picture captured, send it to news@algreatlakes.com along with your name, address, and brief note about the picture(s). Please submit your pictures in the highest resolution possible before September 15^th, 2020. In September we will select our favorite pictures, then we will be letting our followers on Facebook vote on their favorite, to be on the cover of the 2021 calendar. Follow us on Facebook for voting details. Everyone that shares a picture will receive some ALGL merch!

Photo criteria 

• Landscape oriented photos preferred, but not required.
• Please share the highest possible resolution photo.
• Please try to avoid company logos and easily identifiable faces.
• No dangerous or illegal activities.

Rules 

• Photo submission deadline is September 15^th, 2020.
• Must be 18 years or older to enter.
• Need not be present to win.
• No purchase necessary.
• Submitting a photo gives A&L Great Lakes permission to use the photo for promotional use.
• Employees of A&L Great Lakes Laboratories, Inc. and their immediate families are not eligible for prizes, but may submit photos for consideration in the calendar.
• Use of images in promotional items does not increase your odds of winning a prize.
• Contest decisions and/or judgments by A&L Great Lakes Laboratories, Inc. are final.

2019 Soil Test Data Summaries Now Available!

The 2019 Soil Test Data Summaries for the Great Lakes region are now available on our website. The summaries are compiled for the Great Lakes region as a whole, as well as broken down by state and into geographic quadrants within each state.

The Soil Test Summaries are valuable tools that provide the average soil test levels for a given region, as well as the distribution of soils by rating. This data can be used by growers and advisors alike to identify regions where soil test levels tend to be low or high for a given nutrient, and can allow them to better focus their soil sampling and nutrient management priorities.

A&L Great Lakes has been providing soil test summaries since 1996, and the information provided has been used by countless agricultural professionals ever since.

Good Riddance to 2019… Maybe Not Just Yet.

The end of the calendar year for many agronomists and producers is denoted by the beginning of the winter meeting season and the conclusion of the growing season. Visiting among fellow agronomists and producers this time of year, a common topic is the sharing observations and lessons learned from the past year, and the 2019 growing season provided a lot of material for these conversations! Many are ready to put the challenges of 2019 behind and look forward to the 2020 growing season. While the delayed and wet spring planting of 2019 set the stage for many of the management challenges we faced during the 2019 growing season, the fall harvest of 2019 and the resulting management decisions have added to the legacy of 2019 that will impact producers for the coming years.

Years is correct, this is not a typo. So, from a soil perspective what will be some of the challenges moving forward?

First topic up for discussion, shallow compaction. Many fields during the wet spring of 2019 were tilled too wet during seed bed preparation. The conditions in much of the region were wet enough that any seed bed preparation, regardless of tillage tool used, created a shallow tillage layer. If these acres were harvested early and primary tillage was completed before the fall rain set in, this was alleviated to some degree. In many cases the quality of the soil structure was degraded, and a fall tillage pass will not completely correct this.

Correcting tillage layers by allowing the soil structure to improve will take time and less tillage, not more. There is a chance of the 2019 tillage layers impacting the rooting of the 2020 crop. Be watchful for tillage layers when scouting in 2020 by evaluating plant roots to identify fields that may be candidates to receive additional corrective actions like cover crops. If possible, limit the number of tillage passes in the spring of 2020 as to limit the potential for maintaining or making this issue worse.  If 2020 proves to be another wet spring, always remember doing no tillage is an option in some cases. A tillage layer can be created any time soil is lifted, shifted or moved.

Deep compaction will also be an issue. Many fields were harvested wet in the fall of 2018 leading to deep compaction. Much of this land did not see quality primary tillage in the fall of 2018 or in the spring of 2019, and wet soil conditions later in the fall of 2019 may also hindered correction of these issues. Much of the early harvested 2019 crop was done in dry soil conditions that keep the issue from getting worse. Many acres received primary tillage under these favorable conditions. However, there was a considerable amount of primary tillage that was completed later in the fall after the fall rains began.  This tillage may have removed the surface ruts and overall improved the appearance of the soil surface, but the deep compaction may still remain.

In 2020, place a focus on placing earlier maturing hybrids/varieties in those fields that were primarily tilled this fall in wet or less than ideal conditions. Focus on an early harvest of those fields with the greatest risk of deep compaction remaining from 2018 or 2019. This will increase the opportunity to complete the 2020 fall tillage in the best possible conditions.

The wet fall of 2018 prevented the collection of some soil samples, they were delayed until the spring of 2019. Some of these samples were not collected due to the wet spring of 2019 and then were delayed till the fall of 2019. Some of those remain uncollected yet in the fall of 2019.  Some producers took the opportunity to perform fall primary tillage immediately after harvest rather than wait for soil sampling or fertilizer application. Collecting soil samples after fall tillage is not wise. So, what are the options for soil sampling?

First off don’t make matters worse, any variances in the soil sample collection process can impact or vary soil test results. Repeatable and trackable soil test results over time require as much constancy among sampling events as possible. The following are ranked in the order of potential impact on sampling variation in soil test data.

1. Sample Depth – The sallower the sample, the higher the soil test values in most cases. Consistent depth is nearly impossible when sampling a tilled or muddy field.
2. Sample Location - For GPS guided sampling programs, collect sample in the same location as previous years.
3. Sampling shortly after fertilizer or manure application – Soil samples should be delayed for at least 2 to 4 months after fertilizer/manure application.
4. Crop yield – Increased crop yields lead to lower soil test levels.
5. Management of prevent plant acres – See previous article on this topic.
6. Previous Crop - Different crop residues release nutrients back to the soil at different rates, and different crops take up varying amounts of nutrients. For examples, fall soil sample nutrient values tend to be lower following a corn crop than following a soybean crop
7. Time of year – Spring soil samples tend to have a slightly higher soil test values than fall samples for some nutrients.
8. Soil moisture – Prolonged periods of dry weather can reduce soil test values. This is more common with summer than fall soil samples and more common in fall than spring samples.

If your soil sampling is out of normal sampling sequence here are some fertility management ideas to consider

1. If samples have been delayed since the fall of 2018 following soybeans in a corn-soybean rotation, rather than sample in the spring of 2020 ahead of the soybeans, wait until after the 2020 soybean harvest.
2. If your traditionally apply a 2-year fertilizer application, consider an annual fertilizer application. If the opportunity to sample arises you can adjust to new fertilizer recommendations.
3. If fall soil samples are delayed till the spring, consider a permanently switch so spring soil sampling.
4. Consider sampling a season or even a year in advance of fertilizer application. This is becoming popular in the industry for fall fertilizer applications so that the soil data is available to make fertilizer recommendations before harvest. The fertilizer can be ready for application the day of harvest, no waiting.

The fall of 2019 again forced some producers to make decisions that they did not wanted to make. Delayed planting lead to delayed crop maturity, leading to wetter harvest moisture, leading to slowed or delayed harvest, leading to … and the list goes on.  There were consequences to the action taken or the inaction of many decisions this past year.  In most cases it was not about making the “right” decision, but rather the least wrong decision. The decision that has the least costly long-term impact for the operation. Many of us may not want to accept the decisions we made managing the 2019 crop, but always remember you made the best decision you could with the information a you had at the time.  Many times, there was no “right” answer in 2019.

Warden Named Indiana CCA of the Year

Fallow Syndrome: Coming Soon to a Corn Field Near You?

The 2019 growing season is mostly in the history books, and for many of us, is one that we are thankful to have behind us. However, 2019 might have one more final shot to take. With the significant acreage that was prevent plant in 2019, some farmers and agronomists are beginning to consider the potential for fallow syndrome in 2020.

Fallow syndrome is not a condition that we routinely encounter in the eastern corn belt. In essence, fallow syndrome is a condition that can occur in fields where a crop was not planted the prior year, and is primarily a problem in grass crops, such as corn or wheat. It manifests as symptoms of a nutrient deficiency, particularly phosphorus, in a field where fertility is adequate. The reason for this condition is a decline in the population of beneficial microorganisms in the soil, such as mycorrhizal fungi. These microorganisms form a symbiotic relationship with the crop plant and enhance the crops ability to uptake nutrients from the soil in exchange for exudates from the roots that feed the microorganisms. In the absence of a suitable host, these microorganism populations decline, and the crop does not become as quickly inoculated as in a year following a crop.

The effects of fallow syndrome will generally be expressed more in fields that were kept clean for most of the prior season, as many weed species are suitable hosts for these microorganisms and will help to preserve their populations. Therefore, if a field was kept sprayed or tilled to limit weed populations, there is more of a risk of fallow syndrome than fields that had weed populations that were not managed or those that were managed by mowing during the season. Also, if a cover crop was planted on a field, fallow syndrome chances are reduced as many cover crop species are suitable hosts for these organisms. One exception to this are brassica species, such as radishes, turnips, or rapeseed, which are not suitable hosts for these microorganisms.

If planning to plant corn in fields that were fallow in 2019, a starter fertilizer application of phosphorus and zinc should be considered, particularly on fields where fertility levels are marginally low. As the root system of the corn plant develops and expands in size, the crop is better able to take in nutrients and the likelihood of these symptoms declines. In addition, microorganism populations will also increase and reestablish the symbiotic relationships within the crop. It is also important to remember that corn plants often exhibit purpling similar to a P deficiency early in the growing season due to the bright, sunny days and cool nights that often occur in the region during the spring.

While fallow syndrome is a real condition, it is unlikely that it will be a major concern for many growers during the 2020 season. As always, sound management is the best tool that we have to deal with this parting shot of 2019.

Hay Quality 2019: Know What You Are Feeding

Don’t Let Thin Livestock Happen Sample, Test, Allocate and Balance from Phil Reid on Vimeo.

University experts across our region are cautioning that the volume and quality of the 2019 hay crop in the barn may not be as good as we think. Delayed harvesting of first cutting resulted in significant declines in hay quality. Overly mature forage plants have higher non-digestible fiber levels and reduced mineral contents and may require the addition of supplements to meet livestock nutritional needs.

We have a forage test package available that is specifically designed to meet the Purdue Extension Services recommended test parameters to provide the information needed to ensure proper livestock nutrition this winter.

New Study Reviews Mehlich-3 Extractant

University fertilizer recommendations for Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan (Tri-State) are currently based on the Bray-P1 extractant for phosphorus and the ammonium acetate (AA) extractant for cations. These fertilizer recommendations are currently being revised, and will use the Mehlich-3 soil test extractant as the standard for both phosphorus and potassium. A recently released collaborative research study affirmed that Mehlich-3 phosphorus correlates well with Bray-P and Mehlich-3 cations correlate well with ammonium acetate cations, specifically for soils in the Tri-State region.

A&L Great Lakes Laboratories has been using Mehlich-3 extractant since the early 90's with internally developed conversion equations to report Bray P1 and ammonium acetate values for use with established university fertilizer recommendations. Most production soil laboratories use Mehlich-3 so that phosphorus and cations can be obtained with a single laboratory process.

The agronomy staff at ALGL has been closely following revisions to the Tri-State fertilizer recommendations, and have been working to prepare for the transition to directly reporting Mehlich-3 data upon customer request. If you have any questions, please call your ALGL agronomist to discuss this further. To learn more about how the Mehlich-3 extractant compares to the traditional extractants, you can read the research article here.