Soil Sampling for Next Year

Soil samples provide a baseline for understanding a significant part of the yield equation – the soil’s nutrient status. With proper collection and handling, soil sampling and analysis can result in recommendations to supply adequate fertilization to meet soybean nutritional needs. This is important because under-fertilizing may cost farmers money through lower yields, while over-fertilizing may add costs to the operation that are not recouped through increased yields.

With higher yields in recent years, adequate fertilization becomes even more important. Producing more bushels per acre removes more nutrients from the soil. When implementing a soil-testing program, follow these best management practices:

• Collect soil samples soon after harvest.
• Test the soil in each field at least once every three years.
• To ensure sampling consistency, sample at the same time of year and following the same crop in a rotational system.
• Soil tests should be used mainly to test for phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and pH. However, they can also be helpful in determining micro-nutrient levels when proper correlations exist.
• Note: Most university and private laboratory fertility recommendations are based on soil sampling at a 6-inch depth. Some do not, however, so be aware of the soil-testing-depth requirements for the laboratory you are using, and sample at that depth. Sampling at an improper depth will lead to faulty or improper fertilizer recommendations.
• Consistency when collecting samples and keeping records from year to year is critical to fully understanding the nutritional status of your yields. The more data generated over time, the better fertility recommendations will be.

Getting a good soil sample is critical to the accuracy of your soil-test results. Visit www.mssoy.org and www.MSUcares.com for specific soil-sampling protocols.