Soil test provides a map for successful crop production

CANTON, Ill. — Soil tests are important tools for farmers to determine the limiting factors for crop production on their fields.

“Our goal is to be realistic with the recommendations to provide nutrients to the plant to return money on your farm,” said Brent Henkel, owner of A-Z Ag.

“We want to look at the pH and identify where it is at and how to correct it,” said Henkel during a presentation at the Illinois Forage Institute, hosted by the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council in partnership with the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition.

After taking soil samples, he uses Midwest Laboratories for testing.

“They have one of the most accurate micronutrient tests in the industry and we want a soil test that gives us the whole picture,” he said.

For the pH, the goal is to be in a neutral environment.

“The closer we get to 7, the better the soil is for giving and receiving nutrients,” Henkel said. “If the soil is at 4 or 5, lime is a quick way to bring it back to more neutral.”

“Alfalfa is legume, so it will pull nitrogen from the atmosphere and bring it to the plant,” he said.

“Nitrogen is essential for chloroform production, amino acid formulation and protein production which helps for growth regulation,” said Kate Evans, Henkel’s daughter who also spoke at the Forage Institute.

“Phosphorus is for energy transfer and metabolism of the plant,” she said. “And potassium helps with water balance, uptake of nutrients and photosynthesis.”

The P1 to P2 ratio, Henkel said, should be at 1 to 4.

“The P1 number is what is available right now and the P2 is what is in your soil bank of nutrients that is not available yet,” he said.

Micronutrients are needed in smaller quantities, but they are essential to the availability of other nutrients, Henkel said.

“We found in central Illinois, most of the soils need sulfur,” he said. “But there are different forms of sulfur, so if you put the wrong kind of sulfur on, it is not available.”

Henkel is also finding that fields need additional zinc and copper.

“We are addressing manganese this year because we found quite a bit of a shortage of it,” he reported.

“Boron is really working really well for alfalfa and corn plants,” he said. “It adds test weight to the corn and for alfalfa it really helps with building the plant.”

For using the soil test, Henkel said, he strives to pinpoint the nutrients that are the most limiting in a field.

“We are balancing the fertility to maximize yield and quality while protecting the crops from environmental stress,” he said. “A plant that is healthy with good roots and nutrients is less likely to fall victim to a disease pressure.”

“When you manage your plant nutrients, you are creating a higher quality hay product and that will prevent hidden hunger in livestock,” Evans added. “If you have nutrient deficiencies in your hay, you will pass that on secondary to the livestock.”

A-Z Ag, Henkel said, does not use any byproducts.

“All of our products are food grade and we have no heavy metals,” he said. “Once you put heavy metals into the soil, it is hard to get rid of them.”

The company sells micronutrient formulations that have strong chelations.

“That helps nutrients become more available to the plants,” Henkel said. “If you don’t have a chelated product, it is really difficult to get it into the plant quickly.”

Feeding the microbiome is important.

“The easiest way to get the soil to give up its nutrients is to have good bacteria and fungi working in the soil to help digest the materials that are there, so they are more available to the plant,” Henkel said.

“We pair our nutrients with the correct adjuvants to give us more uniform coverage of the plant and it also helps with absorption to keep them from being washed off the plant,” he explained.

“Once we have fixed all the problems, we look at some of the things that can boost the yield like biostimulants,” he said. “We use products like gibberellic acid that are good for the growth of the plant.”

“Our goal is to provide you with a map to a successful production and eliminate what is limiting your farm’s potential,” Henkel said.