Farmers often ask me if it makes economic sense to invest their limited financial resources in building up their soils. It’s a question I have no problem answering.
When we first got in to soil health, we were fortunate enough to work with a producer who used my recommendations to transition a low fertility, low performing field into one that, within five years, was getting twice the yields of his neighbours while requiring half the nitrogen.
There’s no magic to it. If a grower who produces 150 bushels in a low productivity area of their field and 200 bushels in a high productivity area compares soil samples taken from each area, they’ll find differences in fertility. By matching nutrient levels in the low yielding area to those in the high yielding one, a grower can add 50 bushels of productivity to an existing field, increasing their revenues without increasing their land base.
Our research has shown that when fields are built up to a VitTellusTM Soil Health Index (SHI) over 40, they are more likely to deliver a consistent, high quality crop year over year. Crops are also more resistant to drought or pressure from diseases, insects and weeds; nutrients are used more effectively; and quality and storability improve, all of which translate into more money in a grower’s pocket.
But first growers must understand what their existing nutrient levels are and how they need to be adjusted. More importantly, they need to put together a fertility program that addresses how much of a nutrient their field needs for crop removal and how much it needs to build up their soil. Once it has been sufficiently built up, fertilizer inputs can be reduced to crop removal levels, lowering fertilizer costs substantially while keeping overall returns high.
Growers can also move their money around their field, building up soil health in a less productive area until nutrient targets have been achieved then shifting efforts to another part of the field where fertility needs improvement, increasing overall productivity without increasing input expenses.
Building soils isn’t about achieving high yields, but rather maintaining the consistent yields necessary for long term gain. Anybody can achieve great yields in an ideal year. But in backwards years when yields tank, growers who invest in improving the overall condition of their fields continue to get decent returns.
Building soils isn’t expensive. Think of it like putting money in the bank for a rainy day. Growers can make improvements over time as their budget allows, and if crop prices are low one year or farm finances are strained, the reserves they’ve built up can allow their fields to deliver a decent crop with limited inputs.
Read more about the economics of building soil in our Fall 2024 Agriculture Newsletter.
