Soil Fertility

Chart depicting relationship between soil organic carbon and available water holding capacity in sandy soil.

The Water-Soil Health Connection

September 29, 2017
Cover crops, crop rotation, and other means for improving soil health are among the research areas pursued by the Soil Health Institute, a non-profit organization supporting soil stewardship and advancing soil health. Learn more about its work and the research it's spotlighting this week.

Read more

N losses

Managing Nitrogen to Reduce Losses as Nitrous Oxide

September 18, 2017
Nitrogen is a key factor in farm management and economics. One of the most expensive inputs for corn production, it can be easily lost to the environment. One avenue for losing N, as nitrous oxide, has an impact on our climate as a greenhouse gas. Successful strategies for reducing N losses, especially as nitrous oxide, benefit both farmers and the environment.

Read more

Wheat

Fertilizer Management for Winter Wheat

August 29, 2017
With winter wheat planting drawing near, it's time to collect soil samples and determine fertilizer needs. Use the nitrogen and phosphorus information to guide your strategy.

Read more

Taking the corn stalk nitrate test in the field

Evaluating N Management with the Corn Stalk Nitrate Test

August 23, 2017
When is this test best used? Often it may be well used to compare nitrogen uptake between two practices in corn.

Read more

Illustrating improved soil aggregates from manure applications.

How Manure Impacts Soil Aggregation

July 6, 2017
Researchers compare differences between soils fertilized with three types of manure versus commercial products and note four benefits, including an increase in water-stable large macro-aggregates that hold P differently.

Read more

Market Journal title

Market Journal on Nitrate Leaching, Marestail Control and More

June 9, 2017

On this week's Market Journal with host Jeff Wilkerson view these segments:

Read more

Cover of the new ISU Publication,

Iowa Releases New Publication on Use of the Late Spring Soil Nitrate Test

June 8, 2017
Following heavy spring rains, farmers may be interested in testing for soil nitrogen availability. This article notes a new publication from Iowa State University on using the Late Spring Soil Nitrate Test (LSNT) as well as other options for assessing soil nitrate.

Read more

Chart of potential for nitrate-N leaching in spring 2017

Risk of Nitrate Leaching Across Nebraska as of May 21, 2017

May 25, 2017
Following heavy spring rains UNL soil scientists model potential loss of nitrate-N to soil leaching, finding an average 14% loss from mid-April levels, with three sites with much higher losses.

Read more