Why do farmers need to test their soils?

October 24, 2022 – The nutrients in the food we eat is a vital component to supporting a healthy lifestyle. But did you know that most of the nutrients in our food comes from the soil it is grown in? The October 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food Blog explains why farmers need to regularly test soils to ensure optimum levels of nutrients.

Plants need 17 essential nutrients to function and carry their routine physiological processes. Of these nutrients, three are found in air and water: carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O). The remaining 14 nutrients come from the soil. Since humans cannot see, touch, or count nutrients through their naked eyes, they rely on scientific instruments found in soil testing laboratories to measure them.

That is why every fall, after the harvest of cash crop, farmers collect representative soil cores from 4 to 6 inches depth at several locations on their farm. They send them a soil testing laboratory for analysis.

Once a soil testing laboratory receives the soil, the lab dries, grinds, and sieves the sample to make it uniform before running the tests. Then they perform the requested tests designed to quantify nutrients in the soil. The results provide information on the soil’s nutrient supplying capacity primarily phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients.

Rishi Prasad, a scientist at Auburn University, explains that after soil scientists evaluate the soil test results, they can make recommendations on what is present in the soil and how much additional fertilizer would be needed to achieve optimal crop yields. Maintaining a record of soil test reports also provides valuable information on long-term changes in soil fertility. This allows farmers to make better decisions on fertility management to get optimum yields.

To read the entire blog, visit: https://sustainable-secure-food-blog.com/2022/10/22/why-do-farmers-need-to-test-their-soils/

About us: This blog is sponsored and written by members of the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America. Members are researchers and trained, certified professionals in the areas of growing the world’s food supply while protecting the environment. Members work at universities, government research facilities, and private businesses across the United States and the world.