Life In The Soil
We would like to talk literally about the topsoil that brings our sustainability.
I find it very interesting that so many farm related folks like to talk about regenerative farming, life in the soil, and beneficial microbes. They spend a lot of money for all types of plants to cover their ground and then test the soil to see what the crop needs are and apply fully according to soil test recommendations. Many times, the recommendations include 200 pounds or more of nitrogen for corn, phosphorus fertilizers containing the heavy metal cadmium, and potash which contains 47% chloride. This test normally shows a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5, and a calcium exchange level at 55 to 65%. When the soil test recommendations don't work, they try a bug in a jug product with no success. Also, they complain that their soil seems to be getting harder and more compacted. Sound familiar?
Now, if we are serious about promoting life in the soil, then our goal should be providing a habitat for this life. Let's forget what we were taught in the last 25 years, because now we need new thinking. Recently, research using a microorganism bio-meter has provided information as to what the habitat for beneficials should be. A soil pH of 6.8-8.0 and a calcium exchange of 80%! Remember, we are not pushing nutrients out of the exchange capacity or restricting the availability of nutrition by raising pH; we are creating a habitat for our beneficials. The beneficials then provide nutrition for the plants we're growing.
If you take a corn silage analysis, you will find that the percentage of nitrogen in the silage is approximately 1.3%. the phosphorus is .28%, the potash is 1%, and the rest of the familiar elements are just traces that create a total of about 4% of the total crop.
These facts should create a lot of questions:
Is corn silage really only 1.3% nitrogen?
Then where is the 200+ units we put on?
Then what is the other 96% of that silage if only 4% is minerals?
Answers:
Yes, the silage is only approximately 1.3% nitrogen x 6.8 which converts the nitrogen to protein.
Where is the 200+ units we put on? Nitrogen is very unstable by itself. You can find it in the wells, streams, creeks, and lakes.
The other 96% of the corn silage is made up of 3 elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (sunshine, water, and air).
The air we breathe is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen and is fully available to every crop, even in the desert, if there are no restrictions in the soil. You can put a bag over your head, and you might have 3 minutes to live. If you have a hard, tight, heavy clay, high mag soil, the beneficial life in your soil is limited by the lack of oxygen, and the free 78% nitrogen in the air is not usable to your crop.
The 200+ units of nitrogen on crops is the biggest soil mining operation in row crop farming because it not only burns out available calcium, but also burns out your carbon-which is the future humus for future crops in future years.
Calcium in the soil provides veins for 78% atmospheric nitrogen and 21% oxygen to travel to the crop roots and beneficial microbes. Hi-mag soils require much more fertilizer and more nitrogen because the roots struggle to branch out and magnesium has a bad habit of physically making the soil more dense. A density layer about 6-8 inches down will complicate matters even if the top soil is porous. Most farmers do not even want to deal with this, but it restricts yields big time. This happens especially in dry years.
So where do we start? Soil tests are really good to see what your pH is and where your calcium exchange falls in line, and how much Hi-Cal lime you may need. The soil test does not tell you if you have a density layer. The soil test, which is a chemical test, does not tell you the number of beneficials you have in your soil. The soil test won't tell you if your program is helping mellow up that hard, tight soil, and letting nature return to its desired path.
The soil test seems to pretend that its recommendations will provide 96% (carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) of nutrients a plant needs for growth. In reality, the soil test only provides 4% of the elements needed for this season. We know this is true because, in a dry year like we had last year, they hydrogen and oxygen molecules (water) come up short, and the crops and yields suffered greatly.
We have to admit it. We have screwed up the system the Lord provided for us. For some, it's a long way back. The soil is very forgiving, but for some it will take drastic measures which no-till and cover crops may not fix.
Our goal should be providing a safe house for our beneficials to enhance the symbiotic relationship between our biology and our plants. The microbes' house should be just as safe as the house you live in.
There was a woman who worked as a medical scientist studying the human microbiome, and the treatment of immunotherapy for most of her career. She studied the different strains of biology and their potential to fight of invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and chronic disease. After retirement, she had an interest in researching the same protocol in different soil types around the world. This included the different species and their role in the rhizosphere. What she found was horror and terror to the atheist society, but provided comfort and hope to the believer. She found the biology in the soil and the biology in the human body are practically identical in every way. This reassures mankind that we were created from the dust of the earth.
Enough for now. Hope all readers have a profitable season.
This is an excerpt from the Late Fall Growers Solution (2025) written by Curtis Knepper, Growers Sales Representative.
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