March 2019 - 12

Buying
in on
Soil Health
Creating healthier, more productive soil
one step at a time
By Zeke Jennings
MANAGING EDITOR
H
all-of-Fame quarterback Dan
Marino once did a TV commercial
endorsing Isotoner gloves. In it,
he gifted gloves to his offensive linemen,
who were responsible for keeping Marino
from getting sacked every Sunday.
Marino's tagline went: " Take care of
the hands that take care of you. "
Just like an offensive line, everything a
grower hopes to accomplish starts with
soil health. Equipment, top-of-the-line
seed, expensive fertilizer - healthy,
productive soil makes all of it more
effective.
" Really, it's about ROI (return on
investment), " said Edwin Suarez,
agronomist at Midwestern BioAg.
Suarez gave a presentation on soil health
during Potato Expo 2019 in January.
" As growers, we know that soil health
means better ROI, " he said. " It's getting
more for every dollar you spend on
fertilizer and soil amendments. It's all
related to nutrient efficiency. "
12
Spudman.com
STEPS TO TAKE
Healthy soil practices lead to more
organic matter compound, which makes
for easier soil to work with and losing
less of it. Less erosion and runoff, higher
nutrient and water absorption are traits of
soil with high organic matter compound.
Suarez cited several areas farmers
can focus on to improve the biology of
their soil.
* Manures/compost incorporation
* Tilling and compaction management
* Water management
* Adequate Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
* Cover crops and rotation
* Soil and plant fertility (carbon-based
fertilizers)
None of these are new developments,
Suarez said. All of them are known to
impact biological efficiency in soil. The
variables are the history and current
state of the soil and to what extent
a farmer is willing to invest in the
known technology.
" People always ask, 'Should I drink
the Kool-Aid on soil health, or should
I just dip my toe in?' " Suarez said. " It's
both. Mentally, you should drink the
Kool-Aid. You have to prepare. You have
to study. You have to go to workshops.
" There is money in soil health, so you're
going to see more companies jump into
it. You have to become an expert yourself
so you can read between the lines. "
The dipping the toe in part comes
in early financial investment. Growers
should analyze their systems and focus
on small changes first, Suarez said.
" Try one thing. ... Say, 'I'm going to
commit $40 per acre to soil health,' "
Suarez said. " It might be a carbonbased
fertilizer.
It
might
be
cover
crops. ... Check the ROI and, if it works,
you commit to it. You have a better
system now than it was before. ... Then
the next year, you add (something else). "
FEED AND PROTECT
Soil health is two-fold. It's not only
about what can be done to improve the
biology within the soil, but also what
should be avoided, or at least minimized,
to keep from breaking it down.

http://www.Spudman.com

March 2019

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