This week Calcium Products attended the Nebraska Ag business trade show in Omaha, NE. The show is closed show and you must register to attend. We had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

Midwest Labs presented information on lime quality. This can be confusing for many agronomists as well as farmers. They did a great job explaining why the fineness of the product is more important than the TNV. For example you can have 3 lime sources;

* not a misprint, it's acctually that ineffective.

ECCE is measured by taking the TNV times a fineness factor. If the product is too coarse it simple does not work, no matter how much you put on. You can look up the quality of your ag lime on our website here, if you can’t find it on one of those reports, Midwest Labs has a great program for testing the quality, or lack of it, of your ag lime. One last point, SuperCal 98G has always tested greater than 91% ECCE and less than 1% moisture.

Dr. Ray Ward of Ward Labs explained why it takes more sulfur on No-till acres. Here are some points I took away form Dr. Wards presentation:

• You can’t build organic matter (OM) without sulfur
• It takes 140 lbs of sulfur to build 1% organic matter, it has to be stored in the soil, if it leaches or volatilizes it does not do you any good.
• When sulfur breaks down in anaerobic conditions it volatilizes off as hydrogen sulfide. One of the main reasons hog pits smell so bad.
• In no-till OM does not breakdown quickly in the soil. OM has to decompose to release the sulfur stored in it. Since it takes longer to decompose in no-till crops are more likely to show sulfur deficiency.
• Fertilizing with a sulfate source of sulfur close to planting can drastically decrease sulfur deficiency and increase yields.

One of the new friends we meet this week was Agronomic Solutions. They specialize in all types of precision ag services and products. They work with both growers and retailers, to offer unbiased solutions and services tailored to your needs.

Offering an array of services and products; from GPS soil sampling, crop scouting, GPS boundary measuring, Agronomic consulting, and GPS equipment sales and support. They can help make sure you are getting the most out of those expensive fertilizers. Many of our dealers are already offering their services, contact you fertilizer dealer or check out their website for more information.