bad farmer - 11/19/2014 07:41

this i assume was brought up from my response to a soil test yesterday. i guess i ask how do you define a good soil. i live on a farm that was a 3 to 1 when i bought it and now is a 7 to 1. which is a better soil? I for one can tell you and will tell your university pal that he is wrong and every milk cow i have ever met will give me a big moo moo on that one. this is one reason why i really dont listen to the crowd in the university nor the usda. just give them 35 years and then they will catch up is what i always say. i farm in the midwest where farmed soils are low on calcium and high on magnesium. I am going to do what works here, what my yield monitor says works here, what my water infiltration says works here, what my bacteria says works here, what my tractor pulling the ripper 4.5 mph faster says here, and most of what my end user says is better product. I dont know their soil that they are researching on nor really what they are growing, but when i look at recs from them i wonder when the milk cow is going to fall over dead. I think all you need to do to find out if a ca:mg ratio will make a differance is look at your yield maps and then look at your grid soil sample maps, tell me if there is a relationship between a wider ratio and yield. who knows what works here may not work on your farm and if so then take advice from the programs that work onyour farm, but i bet when you start to study your farm and pushing the yield goals, you will find maybe that ratio is the most important thing you can fix first to accomplish all other goals.

if you think about what they are saying and have any belief that there is life in the soil, then compare your soil to your own body. do any ratios of feedstuffs matter in your body, or is it just make sure you have a adequate ppm to stay alive for that day. good luck figureing out what works and hope it raises your yield.