Author: Edwin Ritchey
Major Program: Soil testing
This short publication was developed to supplement the 4-H Land Judging publication in 2015. The publication has been downloaded over 38,000 times since it was developed and over 7,000 times during this cycle. This includes downloads from 180 different countries and over 2,000 institutions. This publication continues to be used heavily all over the world as an easy to follow method to determine soil texture in the field.
Author: John Grove
I was invited by Philip Konopka to give a Zoom presentation on "Everything but N, P and K - plus CEC" to a large audience in northeastern Kentucky. One of the topics was sulfur (S) fertilization, which is controversial both as to the actual need for S and S soil testing. Several audience producers were applying S prophylactically, without regard to soil test or plant tissue analysis results. After the Zoom presentation I stayed on to answer questions and concerns. One individual in par
Author: Glen Roberts
Participants: Farmer Producers, ANR Agent Glen Roberts, Assistants Terry Bertram and Steps employee Lynn Slagle and KSU Small Farms, Danny Adams. Farmers are not adopting soil testing to the degree they should be. Part of this is due to the time involved. The average age of farmers, especially beef cattle farmers, is getting older and all of the walking involved taking soil tests is a barrier.The educational program response to this problem is one of demonstration and of
Author: Dee Heimgartner
Crittenden County Extension District Board voted years ago to pay for up to 12 samples for each landowner. This program had been utilized by many in the past, however in recent years the amount of soil samples had declined. The cost of fertilizer has risen and producers are seeing a decline in production due to various issues including low soil fertility. Crittenden County ANR agent Dee Heimgartner has pushed for several to get soil test, just to know where the fertility levels are. Hay producer
Author: Daniel Carpenter
The success of any crop requires planning and efficient use of all required resources. One of the most important resources in agriculture is fertilizer. Whether it is applied through a commercial product or an organic source such as animal manure, a baseline is needed to enable the producer to efficiently and economically apply any type of fertilizer. Soil testing is the only way to accurately set up this baseline.The soil testing program in Hardin County has been free to resident
Author: David Appelman
The pH of soil is one of the most important factors when determining the yield potential for most all crops. Not only does it determine yield potential, but it also has a dramatic impact on the effectiveness of fertilizers added for plant growth. To either raise soil pH or maintain soil pH, Agricultural Limestone is one of the most reliable additives to achieve the proper soil pH. There are a number of factors that determine the quality of Agricultural Limestone and this will g
Author: Philip Konopka
Farm fertility programs have always been an important management program for farming operations. Lewis County takes in between 250 to 300 soil samples per year. This tool allows farmers to dial in their fertility program for each crop that is grown on their operation. By applying a proper amount of fertilizer farmers can ensure what is only needed to grow their specific crops. The soil test recommendations are research based so that each farmer can apply fertilizer based on their crop need
Author: April Wilhoit
The post COVID-19 pandemic environment revealed a continuum of inflation on many goods and services. One commodity in particular that saw a great increase in price was fertilizer. The much needed input in the agriculture community almost tripled in price. With the increase in cost, farmers began to look at their soil management practices to weigh options to weather the "storm" financially. As farmers thought of ways to make changes on their farm, they began reac
