Be Confident in Soil Sampling Results
Every year, you make a significant investment in fertility for your acres, writes Jodi Jaynes, Manager at SureTech Laboratories. Whether you had soil samples taken this past fall or will do so in spring, you need those samples to be taken properly and in a consistent manner. Being able to trust those results will lead you to make better fertilizer decisions.
At SureTech Laboratories, we always say quality starts in the field. A testing lab can have the best processes and the most advanced quality control. But if there are inconsistencies in the way samples are taken, inconsistent results will occur.
To ensure accuracy, soil samples need to:
- Be taken at the same time of the year.
- Be taken at the right depth (consistently 6 to 8 inches).
- Contain an adequate number of soil cores to accurately represent the area.
- Use the most appropriate sampling method depending on a farmer’s strategy. Most farmers use a grid sampling method, where samples are taken every 2.5 acres. This is advantageous to understanding soil variability in a field or if the farmer is going to do a variable-rate fertilizer application.
If you are basing fertility decisions on poor soil samples, you might overapply fertilizer, which translates into dollars wasted. You could also underapply, resulting in a yield-limiting situation, lost revenue or both.
Consider the Consequences of Not Soil Sampling
Soil testing typically accounts for a small percentage of your total cost per acre when you consider seed, fertilizer and crop protection products. (A typical soil test costs about $7 per sample, representing a 2.5-acre grid.) Yet some of the most critical decisions you make during the season are based on that information. If you’re not soil sampling and you’re applying fertilizer, you’re operating blind.
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