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| mhagny--I don't sell or use any "special ferilizers". I dry band 11-52-0, 0-0-63, and anything else the crop needs. I have fields that when I started renting them had been beaned to death for almost 30 years. P&K levels were very low(hardly any fertilizer used), organic matter from 1- 1.5%, terrible stucture (couldn't find an earthworm). We started a rotation of 2 years milo and one year soybeans, banding all nutrients at planting. There was no way to get results broadcasting and the rent was from year to year. Soil tests were every 3 years. After 2 rotations (4 years of milo-100,000 population), organic matter levels rose to 2.5-3.0%, P&K levels rose on all fields, structure greatly improved, and earthworm pop came back, also yields improved. All this happened with fertilizer rates at removal or less. What made available nutrient levels increase on soiltests--It wasn't what I applied and it wasn't from tied up fertilizer applied in the past. It had to be released from the soil by microbial and chemical processes that were increased by the extra organic matter, decay, structure(air and water). No "snake oils" were used. It all came free. Our own universities show we have huge reserves in many of the soils we farm. If we are going to grow crops at a profit, we need to exploit some of these processes, but sense they are free, you won't find much conventional research on the subject. We need to be able grow crops without having to "pay" for every bushel we grow. We'll look back some day and see that some of the conventional wisdom we took for granted wasn't all true. | |
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Reduced Rates of Fertilizer - In reference to Ron's posts
