The Durham Museum, in Omaha, NE, will be hosting an exhibition later this fall on the secrets of soil.  Did you know that more has been discovered about the dark side of the moon than has been discovered about soil?

The exhibition runs from October 2-December 26.  More information can be found at:

 http://durhammuseum.org/experience/exhibits/future/exhibit-details.aspx?ID=185

One of our customers emailed in with some questions. They wanted to know about lower pH levels and higher iron levels & potential correlations and were seeing seeing sub Boron and excess irons in tissue samples.

After some research, near as I can tell boron and iron have no interactions. Both are however affected by calcium (See chart 1).

More calcium will reduce iron uptake. Boron and silicon help to increase calcium uptake.

In low pH excess phosphorus can reduce boron uptake

High potassium can reduce boron uptake

Boron deficiency

• Reduces growth of soil bacteria.
• Poor movement of sugar and carbohydrates in the plant.
• Affects timing of maturity, pollination, and reproduction.

Some old articles on boron and silicon:

• http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/proper-nutrients-are-key-for-proper-maturity-and-disease-management.cfm
• http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/boron-.cfm
• http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/silcon-the-forgoten-nutrient.cfm

What about Iron?

Injury due to high soil iron concentrations is not common under neutral or high pH soil conditions. Toxic situations occur primarily on acid soils (< pH 5.0) and where excess soluble iron salts have been applied as foliar sprays or soil amendments (poor quality limestone).

The first symptoms of iron toxicity are necrotic spots on the leaves. An unusual form of iron toxicity has been observed in Michigan on organic soils and high organic sands. Some iron-rich, low pH, low manganese soils create an environment in which an interaction between the iron and manganese in the soil reduces manganese uptake by plants. The symptoms observed on the plants are of manganese deficiency, but the low plant uptake of manganese is caused by excessive available iron in the soil.

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modf1/05209708.html

Toxicity Symptoms

Iron toxicity is primarily pH related and occurs where the soil pH has dropped sufficiently to create an excess of available Iron. (I think this statement is wrong, not low pH, low calcium is the issue cmd)

As with some other nutrients, the visible symptoms of Fe toxicity are likely to be a deficiency of another nutrient. Fe toxicity can also occur when Zinc is deficient, or the soil is in a "reduced" condition caused by very wet or flooded conditions. Excess Fe can result in Dark green foliage, stunted growth of tops and roots, dark brown to purple leaves on some plants (e.g. bronzing disease of rice). http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Fe_Basics.htm

High levels of nitrogen and potassium increase iron uptake

Excessive iron can reduce uptake of manganese, additions of sulfur improve uptake of manganese

High iron can reduce zinc uptake, and low zinc uptake is often found with low manganese

Iron excess:

• Interferes with phosphorus absorption.
• Requires use of higher levels of potassium to regulate.
• Can cause Zinc deficiency

To reduce problems with excess iron make sure you have adequate levels of calcium in your soils and the pH is at least 6.5. SupeCal SO4 gypsum and SuperCal 98G limestone are great ways to ensure proper nutrient uptake.

Note: This article is intended as a general guide to herbicides and soil pH. It is not a substitute for herbicide labels, nor promotes or discourages the use of any herbicide(s). All herbicides are names are trademarks of their respective manufactures.

In the Spring 2010 issue of Liquid Does it Better, from Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers, Cory Schurman the Agronomy Director for Agro-Culutre wrote a very nice article on balancing your soils for better yeilds.

Why would a liquid company talk about lime, sulfur, gyspum, and calcium? The answer is simple, guys like Cory are working for the farmer to help them raise a better crop. If reccommeding a product he doesn't sell increases yield, than you can bet he is going to let his customers know about it.

You can read Cory's article here and download past articles at http://www.agroliquid.com/newsletters/

Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ .

Welcome to 2010!  The next few months will be busy ones for everybody, including us.  We will be at the Servi-Tech Midwinter Conference this week, followed by the Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference in Marshalltown (http://www.practicalfarmers.org/events/annual-conference.html).

Next week is the National No-Till Conference in Des Moines on January 13-16 (http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/pages/NNTC---National-No-Tillage-Conference-Home-Page.php), & we finish up January at the Nebraska Agri-Business Expo on the 27th & 28th (http://www.na-ba.com/events.htm).

The 1st week of February will find us at the Iowa Power Farming Show (http://www.iowapowershow.com/) in Des Moines (February 2-4), and we will be participating in the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference ( http://www.agribiz.org/) on February 9 & 10.

You can also check out our show calendar here: (http://www.calciumproducts.com/calendar.cfm)

We look forward to seeing you!

BRT Ag and Turf, a Calcium Products dealer is having an educational meeting December 16-18th.

This is a three day event in Williamsburg, IA and includes Larry Acker, Dr. Dan Skow, Bob Streit, Dr. Michael McNeill, Dr. Arden Andersen, and Dr. Don Huber.

We are especially excited to have Dr. Huber in Iowa. Dr. Huber is Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University. His research has shown how herbicides tie up micronutrients and what you can do to minimize yield loss and disease.

For more information click on these links or go to BRT website.

Registration and Information

Speaker Biographies

Harvest is underway in many areas, and will rapidly pick up speed in the next few weeks.  I see other signs of fall as I travel these days.  The leaves are changing, the air has freshened, and fall application of fertilizer is underway. 

My fall checklist includes:

1. Winterize all equipment
2. Finish maintenance/pre-season inspections
3. Review application lists & field maps
4. Order SuperCal 98G & SO4

I anticipate a busy fall season for lime application, and have been encouraging dealers to bring in product as soon as they are able to do so.  I fully expect the fall movement to increase significantly in 1-2 weeks, just when the availability of trucks decreases.  Getting product in now allows for flexibility in inventory management, greater control over supply, and less chance of logistical challenges (i.e. less stress)!

Please be safe this fall.  Take a little extra time to remind others to be safe also.

During a recent workshop, a speaker talked about calcareous soil.  He mentioned that calcareous areas have an abundance of calcium.  That didn't sound right to me, since I remember from soils class that calcareous meant the presence of calcium carbonate, not calcium.

From Dr. John Sawyer, Iowa State University, calcareous soils:

• have a pH of 7.2 to 8.5
• contain various amounts of solid calcium carbonate (1 to 20% CaCO₃ by weight)
• CaCO₃ controls soil pH
• CaCO₃ (solid) + 2 H+ = Ca⁺² + CO₂ + H₂O

If calcium carbonate is present (as a solid), then how much soluble (i.e. plant available) calcium is there?  I don't know, but will be working to find out.  It seems to me, that it would be conceivable to need more calcium for plant growth & development, even though the pH is above neutral.

When you have problem fields you can do nothing or figure out what is wrong and why it is not yielding. Once you have figured out the problem you still have the choice of doing nothing, but why would you?

A great 3 min video I found posted on Farming Secrets Blog discussing soils and weeds and how to find out what conditions are making weeds a problem.

I received by email a copy of Crop Observation and Recommendation Network C.O.R.N Newsletter 2009-09 April 14, 2009- April 21, 2009, published by Ohio State. Here's my response to their effort to disprove pelletized lime.

A) Pelletized Lime, Can I Get Away with Lower Rates? - R. Mullen and K. Diedrick

This question comes up every year - can I put down a lower rate of pelletized lime and achieve the same result as typical ag-lime at a higher rate?  Perhaps, but using a fraction of the recommended rate (say a fourth or a third) will likely not achieve the desired result.  It is not that pelletized lime is a poor lime source.  It is an effective lime source because it is very fine material as well as easy to handle and apply using broadcast fertilizer spreaders; however, it simply cannot neutralize soil acidity any better (or faster) than conventional ag lime materials. SuperCal 98G pelletized lime does change the pH of soils faster and more effectively than ag lime. In trials we have seen adjustments to the soil in as little a 2 weeks. Last year when applying 98G to a grid sampled field we changed the pH 1 point (not 0.1 but 1.0 whole point) in one growing season. This customer's father applied 2 tons of lime to his farms and there was no pH adjustment a year later.  Ohio uses a term - effective neutralizing power (ENP) - to compare the strength of different liming materials.  The ENP of a given liming material is a function of three things - total neutralizing power (TNP-depends upon purity of the source and the ratio of calcium to magnesium), fineness (size of the particles), and moisture content. ENP does not give more value for a finer grind of lime. Since lime is not very soluble the finer its ground the more effective it is. ENP gives 100% credit for 60 mesh lime. Because 100 mesh has a surface area almost twice that of 60 mesh it should get a rating of 200% on the ENP scale. Most ag lime averages 25 mesh which makes it 5 times coarser than SuperCal 98G and 1/5 as effective. Lime recommendations can be found in an OSU Extension Factsheet titled "Soil Acidity and Liming for Agronomic Production"
(<http://agcrops.osu.edu/fertility/documents/AGF505.pdf%3Ehttp://agcrops.osu.e
du/fertility/documents/AGF505.pdf).

Pelletized lime is typically finer than ag-lime, so its ENP value may be higher.  Higher ENP means that it will take fewer pounds of pelletized lime than ag lime to neutralize the same amount of soil acidity.  If the soil test lime recommendation for a field is 3 tons per acre, and you have pelletized lime with an ENP of 2000 (which is what most pelletized materials
approach) you would need 3 tons of pelletized lime per acre to achieve the desired neutralization.  Let's consider that same 3 ton recommendation for ag-lime with an ENP of 1000.  It would require 6 tons of ag-lime to achieve the desired change in soil pH.  Though it is more effective on a pound-per-pound basis than ag lime, applying 300 to 500 lb of pelletized lime per acre would not result in the desired change in soil pH because the required amount is 3 tons per acre.  Just because you needed twice as much ag-lime as pelletized lime does not necessarily make pelletized lime the best choice based on cost, especially when pelletized lime can cost 5-7 times more per ton than ag lime. With SuperCal 98G you can use 1/5 of the ag lime rate, this is because it is very pure and five times finer than most ag lime.  Price comparison using ENP is the best way to evaluate liming materials (unless a soil has a low magnesium level in which case you should utilize dolomitic lime).  Select the product that will give you the desired results for the best price.

Another question we get: "is the use of lime in a starter band useful?"  First of all we must realize one thing about lime - we are not supplying a nutrient like a typical fertilizer,
Whoa, whoa, whoa, since when was calcium not a nutrient? Calcium is essential for germination, root growth and helps the plant with uptake of all other nutrients.  we are amending the soil with an additive.  The reason for banding nutrients is to improve their positional availability and/or to decrease soil interactions that affect plant availability. Banding a highly available lime like SuperCal 98G will make nutrients more available in the root zone as well as reduce interactions of aluminum which tie up phosphates. This is not a benefit to a lime addition, in fact, it would be a detriment because you will not be altering soil pH, In almost every case there is no detriment to applying small amounts of lime. but are incurring a considerable cost. The cost of banding SuperCal 98G is usually under $5 per acre and in our customer's testing results in 3-10 bushels per acre return.  Lime is quite insoluble and that is why we recommend lime to be incorporated with soil by tillage whenever possible. The smaller particle size of SuperCal 98G makes it more available to solubilize, become available to plants and soil biology. This increases the volume of soil that will react with the lime and achieve the desired neutralization.  Applying lime in a band will only neutralize a small volume of soil, and will not achieve the desired results of raising soil pH. Yes it will not change a large volume of soil, but for a farmer on a limited budget or rented ground he is only farming for a year it can be a money maker.

An additional note: urea and liming compounds do not mix when surface-applied; substantial nitrogen losses can occur when urea is deposited on a high pH area.  Also, remember that gypsum (calcium sulfate) does not have the capacity to change soil pH, and thus is not a liming compound. Urea and calcium sulfate can be a very good mix when applied together. SuperCal SO4 is a pelletized calcium sulfate and stops ammonia volatilization by converting Nh3 to stable ammonium sulfate and calcium hydroxide, a naturally occurring liming agent. Though its liming ability is offset by the ammonium sulfate.

------------

SuperCal 98G building soils, faster, better, more profitably.

When it comes to high pH there are no easy fixes. Understanding why you have high pH is the first step to increasing production.

Soil pH is the measure of potential Hydrogen. It is simply a measure of how much hydrogen is in the soil and tells you nothing else. It has nothing to do with whether you have high or low levels of cationic nutrients.

In high pH we are measuring the OH ion. That ion can be tied to a limitless number of other ions, such as nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, sodium, or calcium to name a few.

Here is a quick rundown of soil compounds that cause high pH.

The Carbonate (CO₃) molecule can also be a source of high pH soil. Carbonates can occur in high pH soils that have low oxygen and high carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels. Water (H₂O and CO₃ interact to from OH ions and CO₂. In aqueous solution, carbonate, bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and carbonic acid exist together in a dynamic equilibrium. In strongly basic conditions, the carbonate ion predominates.

Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) – Is an extremely strong base. KOH becomes tacky in air because KOH is hygroscopic.  KOH generally contains varying amounts of water as well as carbonates. Adding potassium chloride (muriate of potash) to wet soil increases soil KOH, making soil higher in pH. If potassium is needed in high pH soils it is best to use a potassium sulfate. To reduce soil KOH use a fertilizers that create sulfuric acid.

Potassium Carbonate (K2CO₃) - Is a white salt, soluble in water which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It is hygroscopic. Soils high in KOH and have poor aeration can lead to increased amounts of Potassium Carbonate It is a main component of soap, and is correlated with reduced biological activity. Keeping soil oxygen levels up and avoiding KCl fertilizer applications will reduce potassium carbonate build up.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) - Also known as lye, is a common component of drain cleaners. Sodium hydroxide forms a strong alkaline solution when dissolved in a solvent such as water. It is hygroscopic and readily absorbs carbon dioxide from the air further increasing soil pH. A sodium hydroxide solution will leave a yellow stain on fabric and paper.

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) - Is formed by combining sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide. Aqueous solutions are mildly alkaline: Sodium bicarbonate may also be used as an anti-fungal. It has disinfectant and antiseptic properties. Keeping soil oxygen levels up, limiting raw manure applications, and using sulfate containing fertilizers will help to reduce sodium soil levels.

Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂ ) – Is best known for low solubility, and is considered a strong base. Magnesium hydroxide interferes with the absorption of folic acid and iron, necessary crop nutrients.

Magnesium Carbonate (MgCO₃) – Is formed by combining Mg(OH)₂ and CO₂. It is practically insoluble in water and ammonia. All forms of magnesium carbonate react in acids. Due to its insolubility, high magnesium soils often have magnesium deficient crops growing on them. MgCO₃ is a potent liming agent, but should be used with caution to avoid build up of magnesium in soils. MgCO₃ is hygroscopic and can cause soils to stay wet and sticky.

Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) is formed in soils by that have calcium chloride (by product of KCl) and an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide present. In some cases calcium hydroxide can be a flocculent, though it is also an ingredient in mortar, and plaster. It does not solubalize in water, and therefore cannot be available to plants. Calcium hydroxide is an ingredient in long lasting fungicide mixes and has a strong anti-microbial effect.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) — The main ingredient of SuperCal 98G and limestone. It will react with water that is saturated with carbon dioxide to form calcium bicarbonate. CaCO3 reduces the effects of chlorine gases that can be released from potassium chloride fertilizers. Having high amounts of calcium present on a soils test is no indication that it is available to crops. In solution at normal atmospheric conditions the availability of calcium decreased dramatically with increasing pH.

      
Decreasing the pH from 8 to 7 increases the maximum Ca2+ concentration by a factor 100. This is why at high pH you can have lots of calcium in your soil but it is not available to your crops.

Many chloride and hydroxide salts (MgCO3, NaOH, K2CO3, and KOH) are hygroscopic. This means that they attract water from the atmosphere making them sticky. Calcium Sulfate (SuperCal SO4) is a natural drying agent for these soils. SuperCal SO4 adds sulfate that can work to reduce OH ions, leach sodium and magnesium.

Since high pH soil are wetter and have less natural oxygen, anaerobic bacteria, fungus, and molds (fusarium, rhizoctonia, and pythium) can abound. Further complicating the problem is that the OH ions can act on beneficial oxygen loving bacteria (Mycorrhizae azotobacter rhizobia) killing them off and reducing yield.

Eliminating KCL application from high pH soils is one of the first steps to reducing pH. Using fertilizer sources high is sulfate (K₂SO₄, (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CaSO₄) is the next step.

No, there are no easy fixes when it comes to high pH, continuing to do what you have always done will definitely not help you increase yields.

So your dealer has told you that your local quarry has shut down and your dealer cannot get your lime applied.

Now what?!?

If you need lime, there is no substitute. The University of Wisconsin says that if you need lime you should see a 20%-40% increase in yields.

But my P and K numbers are low? If I can't get lime shouldn't I at least apply P & K.

No, if you pH is below 6.0, 25%-50% of N, P and K are unavailable to you crop. Only liming will make these nutrients available to your crop.

Applying fertilizer to soil that has low pH is like trying to bail out a boat before you fix the hole in it. Fertilizer is the main cause of acidity.

In test conducted by one of our customers, applying 600 lbs of SuperCal 98G to a soil pH of 5.1 increased the K by 23% and  P 8% in the soil. No other P or K was applied. The pH was increased to 5.7, while this is a big increase there is still work to be done on this field. Application of another 600-1000 lbs will bring this field into optimal range.

Don't let the quarry cost you money in lost yields and higher fertilizer bills. Apply SuperCal 98G up to planting to increase yields and make soil nutrients available to plants this year.

Every year you wait to apply lime could cost you $200 or more per acre in lost opportunity. Ask your dealer to apply SuperCal 98G today or find one that will on our dealer locator.

Input costs is what everyone is talking about right now. How to reduce them, how to use less. We understand the importance of this, but did you know what you apply for fall fertilizers has an effect on your herbicides?

Spring is closer than the weather would have us believe and to get the most out of your soil applied herbicides you'll need proper soil pH. I wrote a great article on this a few years ago and think many of you will find it helpful

http://www.calciumproducts.com/eletters/0705_eletter_print_version_for_blog.pdf

Another great resource is the book Weeds and Why They Grow. Careful planning now can save resprays and yield!

Last year a did a blog on A Pictorial of High Quality Soil. I talked with the farmer soon after that and set up a trial.

We added 400 lbs of SuperCal 98G in one strip. The farmer has a yield monitor and we weighed the strip. It was 20 bushels better than the field average. This was on soybeans.

When looking at the soil analysis it is not hard to predict such a response.

When half of the cationic nutrients are hydrogen, which isn't used for growth, it's no suprise that you would have a dramatic yield increase.

When  I spoke to the farmer recently asking if he was liming this the rest of the field he astutly said "Yes, liming doen't cost, it pays!"

In the January 2009 edition of the CSA News, The USDA-ARS in Kentucky and Arkansas are researching how Alum affects Ammonia Producing Micro-organisms in poultry litter.

They found that Alum reduced the bacterial population by 50% and a 3x increase in the fungal population. While the bacteria reductions lower the ammonia volatilization loss, the increase in fungus increases the N mineralization.

The story reports that this study will help researchers develop better litter amendments. View the report at http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/37/6/2360

Ok, so what is Alum and what are the other choices in treating litter?

Alum is caustic, makes soil acidic, reduces the ability of crops to grow once spread on your fields, and is expensive.

Another choice for treating poultry litter is PLT. In addition to being astronomically expensive, anyone who willingly applies PLT treated litter to their fields is going to experience massive increases in sodium levels (a much bigger concern than ammonia).

While research is good, there is currently a product on the market that will treat ammonia for pennies, is easy to handle, doesn't cause soil problems, and is safe and natural.

We introduced SuperCal SO4 for treating manure in past blogs, The Smell of Money and Treating Manure with SuperCal SO4, here is what really happens when using different products to treat manure.

Warning - Significant amounts of chemistry below!

Alum

Also known as hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate, and Aluminum Sulfate

Carries an OSHA safety warning of Hazardous

Cost $70 for a 50# bag

How it works
10 NH₃ + 10 KAl(SO₄)2 + 12 H₂0 = 10 NH₄(SO₄)2 + 10 KOH + 10 Al 

Ammonia - NH₃ is produced in animal manure by the breakdown of urea and in poultry manure by the breakdown of uric acid. The gaseous emission of NH₃ can be inhibited if converted to ammonium - NH₄. Alum - KAl(SO₄)2, is an acid that produces hydrogen ions - H when it dissolves. The hydrogen ions produced by this reaction will attach to ammonia to form ammonium, which further reacts with sulfate ions to form ammonium sulfate - NH₄(SO₄)2
Ammonium sulfate - NH₄(SO₄)2, is an inorganic chemical compound commonly used as a fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen as ammonium ions and 24% sulfur as sulfate ions. In the soil the sulfate ion is released and forms bisulfate, lowering the pH balance of the soil while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth.

Potassium Hydroxide - KOH, also known as Caustic Potash is also produced. KOH is used in cleaning and disinfection.

Aluminum - Al, the final component of the reaction is a precipitation of aluminum.

Balancing Soil Nutrient Levels in Agriculture

Soil tests provide some great information to producers and consultants.  They ususally include such things as pH, buffer pH, and CEC along with nutrient levels like Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).  Some agronomists and producers look at the pH and then ignore everything else except for the recommendations based on yield.  This might not be the best strategy for long term soil health.

There are some people who advocate looking at the relative proportions of the cations (Hydrogen, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium) in the soil and trying to achieve a balanced level of fertility.  This would be equivalent to achieving a balanced livestock ration or human diet. 

A Virginia website which talks more about cation balancing can be found here:  www.vabf.org/soilre1.php . I think the author makes two very important points in the conclusion:

1) A foliar or tissue test will show what the plant is actually using.  This may be different than what a soil test indicates.

2) There is no substitute for the knowledge that a farmer has about the land he is managing. 

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a guest on a radio program in Des Moines. The program, Hwy. 6 Your Road to the Country, on 98.3 WOW-FM.

Hwy 6 is dedicated to the Rural Lifestyle, not just farming. What does that mean? Hwy 6 is dedicated to all those living out side of a large urban area, to those people that have the country in there blood. To anyone with a garden, a few cattle, to the guy who works full-time and farms the other 16 hours in a day.

If your up by 8am next Sunday, check it out while your having your morning coffee, and if you can't wait, check out the interview I had here

More bad news on the inputs front from Ohio State (see below), fertilizer prices continue to surge.

Wednesday afternoon, CNBC's Fast Money program interviewed Mike Wilson, CEO of Agrium. Mr.Wilson Stated that demand is not falling off, supply will not meet demand for 3-5 years, they are in effect sold out, their inventory is so low they can't produce enough.

Might be time to really think about your fertilization program for next fall. You certainly don't want to short your yield with the price of corn, but does it really make sense to keep putting on high levels of expensive fertilizer (P-K)?

When was the last time you applied lime? When was the last time you soil sampled? Might be worth a couple of dollars an acre in lab costs to find out what you need and what you don't. When is the last time you applied micros like sulfur, boron, or copper?

Now is the time to start planning that fall fertilization. Lime prices are relatively unchanged and is a bargain compared to potash. It will also make any fertilizer you apply work better!

Call us, or one of our dealers, they can help you reduce your fertilizer costs, and still maintain yields, maybe even increase it!

Last week Morris Marsolek, consultant to Calcium Products, Jim Milam, Turf Sales with Calcium Products, and I spent a day in Los Angeles. While it was not really a vacation, the weather was a nice break from tornados, hail and down pours.

The reason for my trip was to meet the owners of Wallace Laboratories. Calcium Products has long relied on the expertise of Dr. Arthur Wallace and Dr. Garn Wallace.

Many agronomists and researchers in the Midwest may not have heard of the Wallaces, however west of the Rockies they are well known.

The Wallaces have over 70 years of combined experience in plant physiology, soil science, ecology and plant nutrition with over 600 publications. They have authored special issues in Soil Science, Journal of Plant Nutrition, Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis.

These articles cover, revegetation of disturbed lands, plant analysis to assess mineral needs of plants, determination of normal and abnormal nutrient concentrations, chelated micronutrients in plant nutrition, iron nutrition, excess trace elements in soil and plants, multiple action factors on plant growth and improvement of the physical properties of soil.

In addition to numerous publications and laboratory services, Dr. Garn Wallace also offers consulting. When we at Calcium Products have a question that we can not find the answer to, 9 times out of 10 Dr. Garn Wallace will be able answer it.

Thanks again for letting us visit, and keep up the good work!

Arthur Wallace, Ph. D., Professor Emeritus, UCLA, Department of Agricultural Sciences (Soil Science and Plant Nutrition). Dr. A Wallace organized the first Iron Symposia, which is still held every year at a different location around the world. He has written many paper about he benefits of gypsum and PAM.

Garn A. Wallace, pH. D. earned his doctorate degree from UCLA in the Department of Biochemistry. He worked as a research biochemist in the Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental sciences before forming Wallace Laboratories with Arthur Wallace. Garn has over 100 publications in the fields of plant nutrition, soil science, microbiology, plant physiology, ecology, soil conditioners, mineral excesses, water relationship in plants, mineral toxicities etc.

Wallace Labs is located at 365 Coral Circle, El Segundo, CA 90245, (310) 615-0116.

http://www.wlabs.com/default.cfm

Many of the books written by Drs. Wallace are available on their website.

"It is an old saying that "any fool can farm," and this was almost the truth when farming consisted chiefly in reducing the fertility of new, rich land secured at practically no cost from a generous Government. But to restore depleted soils to high productive power in economic systems is no fool's job, for it requires mental as well as muscular energy; and no apologies should be expected from those who necessarily make use of technical terms in the discussion of this technical subject, notwithstanding the common foolish advice that farmers should be given a sort of "parrot" instruction in almost baby language instead of established facts and principles in definite and permanent scientific terms. The farmer should be as familiar with the names of the ten essential elements of plant food as he is with the names of his ten nearest neighbors. Safe and permanent systems of soil improvement and preservation may come with intelligence--never with ignorance--on the part of the landowners."

 "The Story of the Soil," by Cyril G. Hopkins, Professor of Soils and Crops, University of Illinois, 1910.

How well do you know the soil? If you're a professional farmer, agronomist, or consultant you should know it very well.

Just as you would expect your doctor to know the human body, or your tractor mechanic to understand electrical and hydraulic principles, you as a farmer, should know the soil.

Not knowing the soil and applying the same fertilizers as your neighbors is like taking the same medication your doctor prescribes your neighbor. Not very wise and potentially detrimental.

Planting is nearing and we'll soon be done with spraying. How will you spend your spare time this summer, watching baseball, or fishing? Will you decide that now is the time to really understand plant nutrition and what happens in the soil that creates your lively hood.

Where to start? Try these links.

http://books.google.com/books
Many free books available to read online

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
A number of free books to read online

I will be posting a list of books I am planning on reading this summer on a future blog.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

In article from Science Daily, the growth of root hair is key to a plant pushing its roots further into the soil and not popping out of the soil.

“This ability is governed by a self-reinforcing cycle. A protein at the tip of root hairs called RHD2 produces free radicals that stimulate the uptake of calcium from the soil. Calcium then stimulates the activity of RHD2, producing more free radicals and further uptake of calcium. When an obstacle blocks the hair's path, the cycle is broken and growth starts in another location and direction.”

Have hard soil and/or low calcium soil, plan on a poor root system. Even the best genetics cannot over come hard or low calcium soil.

For many years pelletized lime has been cast off as too expensive, renter’s lime, or a quick fix. Ag lime has been regarded as long lasting, what land owners use to make long term fixes. There are a number of other things that I think of when I think of ag lime;

Drift

Unfortunately the best portion of lime is most likely to drift. Even if you’re the one farmer that gets his lime spread on a calm day, the floater is traveling 10-15 mph, and throwing the lime out at 70+ pounds per square inch. There is no other way to avoid drift than to pelletize the lime (click on photos for large view).

Poor Spreading

You paid for VRT/GPS spreading, not stripped fields

In a University of Nebraska on Farm Research project they considered a 2-ton application of ag lime had a 7 year life span. It took 4 years to get a yield response and 7 years to get an adequate pH change. If I were spending $40 per acre I would expect that money to have a better return than 6 bushels in 4 years!

Large patches of compaction, piles of stalks, areas that are over limed. Do they do that for free…..

At equivalent rates SuperCal 98G is the same cost or less than ag lime.
Renters us it because it works, returning their investment the year it is applied.
You wouldn’t put on 7 years worth of phosphates of potassium, put on what you need, spend you money on something else.

Reduce the headaches, increase yields, quickly, spread only the lime you need for the next couple of years.

We talk a lot about soil quality and soil biology. When we hear soil biology, earthworms and rhizobium are the first things that come to mind. There are many other soil life forms that deserve our attention. I will present information on the most beneficially ones over the next few months. As fertilizer prices continue to raise, it will be important to not only feed the crop, but also feed the organisms that enable the plant to access those high priced inputs.

I present Azotobacter

Azotobacter is a bacterium that can fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil without the aid of a legume. It is a great source of nitrogen to meet the needs of crops, has the capability rejuvenate the soil, and provides nutrients for other microbiology to max out nitrogen fixation. Its main fuel is carbon (organic matter), but it also requires calcium, and micronutrients for nitrogen fixation.

Besides N fixation Azotobacter improves seed germination, produces plant growth promoting hormones, and fungicidal substances. Azotobacter is the heaviest breathing organism and requires a large amount of organic carbon for its growth. It thrives in alkaline soils and is less effective in soils with poor organic matter content, low pH and high salts.

Azotobacter produces Thiamin, Riboflavin, B12, B1, Biotin, Gibberellins, and Cytocinins. Azotobacter produces substances that are required for Rhizobium bacteria, and Mycorrhize growth. Rhizobium is primarily responsible for nitrogen fixation in legumes. Plants growing in the presence of Mycorrhize have improved nutrient and water uptake, disease resistance and superior growth.

Azotobacter also has a symbiotic relationship with Phosphobacteria. Phosphobacteria as it’s name implies transfers phosphate from insoluble soil particles directly to the plant in soluble from. Azotobacter and Phosphobacteria fix phosphate more efficiently together than alone. Phosphobacteria alone increased potato yields by 6%, while together with Azotobacter increased yields 33%.

Ensure that your not missing out on free nitrogen, keep your pH at 6.5 or higher, supply the necessary carbon and calcium that this extremely beneficial bacteria needs with SuperCal 98G pelletized lime.

For many farmers this year holds more uncertainty than any in recent history. Extreme volatility in the markets, outrageous fuel and fertilizer prices, shortages of inputs, sky-high rent, and impending drought from speakers like Elwynn Taylor, why even put seed in the ground? While it is easy to focus on the negatives, don’t forget to stay positive, have a detailed plan in place, and stick to it for success.

One major components of any yearly plan is your fertility management plan. During droughty periods, or even when plenty of water is available, full yield potential is not realized if soil fertility is poor. With high input prices and talk of drought it can be tempting to cut corners, and pull back on fertilizer. The best way to lower risk is working to make sure your soil nutrients are in balanced in the proper amount and placement is timed for optimum uptake.

Having your soil nutrients in the optimum amounts (not sufficient) will;

• Increase water infiltration
• Stimulate root growth deeper and fuller to access water and nutrients
• Increase grain filling and yield

The starting point for any proper fertility management program is a Full Soil Analysis. (Grid sampling is a great way to apply lime, P, K, S, Zn, but if that is all your testing for you’re missing at least 11 other key components of yield. You might even find that one of the micros will boost your yield for less than additional units of N, P, and K. The cost of doing a full soil analysis on every grid could be the best money you spend this year, but I know that cost scares people. At a minimum pull a full analysis on a portion of grids so at least you have a baseline.) Having a full analysis run is one of the best ways to make sure that your supplying your crop the right nutrients in the right amounts.

With N, P, and K ranging from $500-$800 per ton, can you afford to apply more than is needed for proper fertilization?

Here are three examples of things you can adjust in your fertility management that you can only figure out by doing a full analysis.(Courtesy of Midwest Labs)

• If P1:P2 ratio is greater than 1:2, you may see; a greater response to starter as the ratio increases, increasing response to the use of sulfur and zinc, when the P2 is over 50 ppm, one can expect greater response to Zn.
• CEC, Cation Exchange Capacity measures the soil’s ability to hold nutrients. A good rule of thumb is for each point of CEC your soil will hold 10 lbs of N. So if you have a CEC of 5 your soil should hold 50 lbs of Nitrogen at one shot, if you have a CEC of 25, your soil should hold 250 lbs of N at one time. This is just a general guideline, but if you don’t know your CEC how do you know if the N you applied will be available to your crop.
• Soluble Salts, this is a must every time you sample. While extremely low amounts do not have a direct impact on plant health, the amount of water that infiltrates into you soil has a big direct impact. Soils with 0-.04 mmohs/cm are subject to dispersion and sealing. This means that any rain or irrigation water that falls on the soil does not go into the soil where it can be used by your crop, but ponds, and evaporates. Ponding is also a sign of de-nitrification. If you have a reading greater than 1 mmohs/cm, this can affect plant health, and can increase sealing and ponding.

If you have never had a complete analysis of your farms, what are you waiting for? Grain prices are at record highs, so are inputs, your only option is to raise more crop, more efficiently. One last point, while seed genetics are the best they have ever been, how can you begin to place varieties if you don’t know your fertility levels. How much better would that high-priced seed perform if you gave it the opportunity by having optimum fertility?
 

Soil amendments can be tricky; this is more due to the fact that soils and fertility contain so many variables. The best starting point is to have a complete soil analysis taken, and if your an irrigator a complete water analysis will also be helpful. Knowing only the pH or phosphorus and potassium levels is not enough to determine proper fertilization.

Once you have your completed soil analysis back, here is a list of items that can give you an idea if SuperCal SO4 will increase your yields.

1. When the soil pH is over 8.2 and maybe even if it is less.
2. When the subsoil pH is lower that 5.
3. When the soil particles disperse when water is added.
4. When water puddles on it.
5. When there is water logging in the soil.
6. When the soil crusts after irrigation or rain.
7. When there is excessive cracking of the soil after irrigation or rain.
8. When the soils contain clays that swell and contract.
9. When the soil contains clay that is very dusty when dry.
10. When intense rain falls on soil that is not acid and where nearly all solutes may be leached from the soil.
11. When no-till is used.
12. When organics (manure, composts, etc.) are simultaneously applied to the soil with gypsum.
13. When crops require the development of fruits or seeds.
14. When sulfur is deficient.
15. When exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) is over 3 and defiantly if it is over 9.
16. When irrigation water contains substantial amounts of bicarbonate.
17. When irrigation water contains less than 200 parts per million of salts in solution (<0.3 mmho/cm).

Some of these problems can be corrected with as little as 100 pounds per acre, while others may take a few hundred pounds per acre. If your farm has one or more of the above conditions SuperCal SO4 deserves to be part of your regular fertility program.

Taken as an excerpt from Soil Conditioner and Amendment Technologies Volume I. This book and others on soil management can be found here.

Nationally recognized high yield soybean grower Ray Rawson once said “Don’t be a moron and think you get high yields by putting more-on.”

If 100 lbs of K is good 300 lbs is better, right?

I have had a number of farmers ask me at shows, “How much fertilizer do I need for this crop?”
Many are confused when I tell them, “I don’t know, do you have a soil analysis?”
Many reply with “No I haven’t.”
It really floors them when I tell them, “Without a proper analysis nobody can make an accurate recommendation.”

Not enough N, P & K is generally not your most limiting factors.* Making those nutrients and the 13 others available to your plants is. When was the last time a full soil analysis was taken on your farms?

With the price of N, P, and K going through the roof and continuing out of this world, does it really make sense to base your nutrient recommendations on 10-year-old information, how about 2-year-old information?

If your consultant makes a fertility recommendation without a proper soil analysis, fire that salesman, and find a proper consultant. With today’s input prices you cannot afford to work with someone that does not know how to read a soil analysis and make proper recommendations.

Did you know that adding sulfur makes your nitrogen work more efficiently? Having enough calcium in the right ratios helps to reduce nitrogen volatilization and leaching. Adding a high quality EDTA manganese when spraying roundup can reduce soybean “flash” and reduces stalk rots in corn. Low or high pH reduces availability of fertilizers, and decreases nodulation.

Don’t be a more-on, take proper soil samples, provide your crop with the proper amount of nutrients in the right amounts, and take more yield to the bin.

*If your thinking weather is your most limiting factor, you might be right. That is out of your control, but proper plant nutrition is not. Even in poor weather, properly managed crops will always out yield poorly managed crops.

In an article in Corn E Digest  OSU Extension Economist Barry Ward says that corn and soybean production costs are expected to increase 24-35%. He follows up with some steps to cut costs.

Mr. Ward why not suggest that farmers make what fertilizer is already in the soil available by liming?

We've discussed this before, here.

At a 5.5 pH, 25% on Nitrogen and Potassium is not available to crops. Over 50% of phosphorus is not plant available.

Seed selection is important, but pH is more important. At a 5.7 pH you lose 17% of your corn’s genetic potential, before it’s planted and it doesn’t matter what hybrid.

Lime price have remained relatively stable compared to other fertilizer products.

Does it really make sense to continue to dump high priced acid and salty fertilizer on you ground when it cost $400-500 per ton? So you bought it a little cheaper in the fall, if 25-50% is not available to your crop, that’s like paying more up front for less.

We know that proper soil sampling, keeping pH above 6.5 (for corn), having proper levels of micro and secondary nutrients (not adequate) will produce higher yields for less than blasting the soil with P and K, even when it was cheap!

The sun revolves around the earth

The world is flat

It takes 1.2 lbs of Nitrogen to make one bushel of corn

These are a just a few once held beliefs that come to mind. There are lots of them out there. Why do they persist and why does it take so long for people to let go of them. There is one main reasons; fear of loss.

Soil pH measures the active acidity, while the buffer pH indicates the potential acidity. The amount of potential acidity for any given soil pH will depend upon the amount and type of clay and the level of organic matter in that soil. Therefore, it is possible to have two soils with the same soil pH but with different buffer pH's. A lower buffer pH represents a larger amount of potential acidity and thus more limestone is needed to increase the soil pH to a given level
 
Two buffer test that most labs use.

SMP Buffer Test (pHSMP ).
This test measures the total soluble and exchangeable hydrogen and aluminum. It is reliable for soils with a greater than 1 Ton/acre lime requirement and it is also well adapted for acid soils with a pH below 5.8 containing less than 10% organic matter and having appreciable amounts of aluminum. If the soil pH is greater than 6.5, the SMP buffer test is not made, since lime is not needed for most crops.

Adams-Evans Buffer Test
This buffer method is primarily an adaptation of the SMP buffer, but it is specifically designed for low organic matter, sandy soils where amounts of lime are needed in small quantities and the possibility of over-liming exists. The chemistry of the Adams-Evans buffer solution works in the same manner as the SMP buffer solution. The pH of the Adams-Evans buffer solution is 8.0. When the buffer solution is added to an acid soil, the original pH of the buffer will be lowered. Since it is known how much acid is required to lower the buffer solution pH to any given level, the total acidity of the soil can be determined.

The buffer pH is the sample pH after the laboratory has added a liming material. The laboratory adds the buffering solution, which acts like an extremely fast-acting lime. Each soil sample receives the same amount of buffering solution; therefore the resulting pH is different for each sample.

Too determine a lime recommendation, the laboratory looks at the difference between the original soil pH and the ending pH after the buffering solution has reacted with the soil. If the difference between the two pH measurements is large, it means that the soil pH is easily changed, and a low rate of lime will be sufficient. If the soil pH changes only a little after the buffering solution has reacted, it means that the soil pH is difficult to change and a larger lime addition is needed to reach the desired pH for the crop.

The reasons that a soil may require differing amounts of lime to change the soil pH relates to the soil CEC and the "reserve" acidity that is contained by the soil. Soil acidity is controlled by the amount of hydrogen (H+) and the aluminum (Al+++) that is either contained in, or generated by the soil and soil components. Soils with a high CEC have a greater capacity to contain or generate these sources of acidity. Therefore, at a given soil pH, a soil with a higher CEC (thus a lower buffered pH) will normally require more lime to reach a given target pH than a soil with a lower CEC.