Soil Testing

One of the most powerful tools a farmer has isn't actually a tool at all, it's the data gained from soil testing. The vast amount of information soil tests provide, allows farmers to see the true potential of their fields and soil fertility is one of the most important factors in crop productivity. Experts say the best way to gauge soil fertility is through soil sampling. Producer Robert Hunter says sampling provides valuable data for his farm. "When I soil test, I am really looking at a road map. This is a roadmap from where I have been to where I want to go."

Not sampling could cost farmers tremendous yield and limits the accuracy of fertility recommendations, according to John Watkins, a crop consultant with Van Horn, Inc. "We have nowhere to go until we know what the productivity of that soil is on that farm. We don't know what the pH levels are, we don't know what the phosphorus and potassium levels are, we don't know the exchange ability of the soil. So basically without a soil test, we can't make any recommendation moving forward."

Yet, according to a 2015 best management practices survey, only 45 percent of farmers say that they soil test a majority of their acres.