Soil sampling

[dfarms11]

How does everyone do their soil sampling? Do you do it yourself? Hire it out? If you do it yourself, what are your procedures? Contemplating doing it myself but never tried myself before.

[foragefarmer]

How does everyone do their soil sampling? Do you do it yourself? Hire it out? If you do it yourself, what are your procedures? Contemplating doing it myself but never tried myself before.

I did it myself, does takes a bit of time. I used a tubular soil sampler taking 8-10 samples throughout the field.

I took 6 inch samples this year. I'm not an expert but this is what I did.

[jazz]

Let Nutrien and SynergyAG do it for us. I hired both of them this year just to see if they find the same thing.

[seldomseen]

I have done my own for years. I just like knowing where the probe goes.

I use a tube probe and a quad and make 10 stops angling across a field. at each stop i will take two probes about 10 paces apart. Never do the bottoms of low spots or the top of hills.
For years did 0-12 inch but have switched 0-6 last few years because of the company I was working with.

[biglentil]

Cordless drill, 18 inch 1" augur bit, hole in a bowl. The more test holes the better, mix it all up for that piece of land.

[macdon02]

I used to do it for Cargill. Everything was gps referenced. Used an auger bit which is better then pulling cores, especially if it's dry. Just a 12 or 18" concrete bit. Cordless drill will do the job, and just sweep up the cuttings. I have a foot probe as well but it's a pita. The biggest thing is be consistent, you are benchmarking the levels year to year. I quit doing it and just used AGPHD fert removal app based on bushels removed, but i'll pull some this year just for reference.

[helmsdale]

If I can get it in I use a 12" step on probe, then split each core into 2 different pails, one 0-6, the other 6-12. Mix thoroughly, bag, and put in a fridge till i can get to the city.

All fields are gridded out and gps'd with about 30 holes per half section, or 15 spots with two holes at each location for 30 holes total on a quarter. I go back to the same spot every year, so results should be fairly consistent.

If ground is too dry or frozen, i pack a generator, 1/2" drill, and a 1"x16" ship boring bit and a pail lid with hole cut out in the center. Sink it to 6, pull the dirt off the bit, then sink it to 12. 16" let's you regrind the cutting surface a few times. When you catch a rock it gets your attention...

[Partners]

Independent where we buy are fert.
Does sampling for free..

[blackpowder]

My private agronomist does it for $150/ lab in.
Auger rig to 24" i believe. GPS referenced to same locations.
Nice to see the recent graduates at my independent dealer read and interpret the tests the way my agronomist does finally. Using same lab too.

Back checked with past tests, yields, and current test results.

[WiltonRanch]

Can’t afford what they tell me to put on but that said farmers edge recommended far less than I thought. I like them now lol. Not a super big fert user but general area puts down 60 to 80# n and makes 50 to 70 wheat and 35 to 45 canola. It’s hilly so moisture is more important than juice. Level ground get the kitchen sink thrown at it just saying.

[jamesb]

Have used Decisive farming for years now. Soil test every field ever year. I have checked and with them sampling for 5 zones in each field they do at least 60-70 probes per field. It is very interesting to watch changes in fertility. I am satisfied that we are putting the right fertilizer in the right places for the yield goal we set. In a year like this for sure there is going to be left over nutrients on most (but not all) fields. We used to sample ourselves but I feel that the accuracy is better with the larger number of samples taken and the ability to map the changes over the years.

[poorboy]

so where should cores be pulled from

Dry year so fertilizer didn’t migrate far from the place it was put in the ground. Mid row band in my case. If you don’t do some cores from the seed row you don’t get any of the seed row fert in the soil test, do too much and it skews numbers the other way.

Hit the mid row band too many times the test reads high, go 3” from the band and the fertilizer might not have got there this year.

I find it very, very hard to be random when using a manual sampler. Truck mount units just hit the brakes and sample wherever. As long as they do lots of cores per sample, I think they are more accurate.

When I used farmers edge a few years ago they tested 0-6” and 6-24” for me. It was way more accurate than my old 0-6” testing. Amazing how some years had huge reserves in that 6-24” and other years nothing. I no longer use Farmers Edge, and it is really, really hard to get 24” deep in dry clay soil, but I recommend finding a soil sample outfit that can do it.

Those who grew 50-60% of a normal crop and very high protein might have to use somewhat normal rates of fertilizer next year. A lot of us with 10-35% of a normal crop can cut way back.

Crops after the droughts of 2001 and 2002 I cut way back on fertilizer and grew the same yielding crops as my neighbors who didn’t cut rates back as they were too scared.

A lot of crop marketing guys and agronomists should be looking for new jobs next year. Idiot agronomists locally had their clients spraying fungicide on crops that at best looked like 40% of normal yield at application time, with no rsin forecasted. I think a lot of these guys must be getting kick backs from suppliers.