Eighteen year Growers Program veteran, Alton Stephens of Ohio talks about soil tests and his fertility program for 2009.

My sister Theresa and I have a 153 acre farm near Waterford in northwest Pennsylvania. We raise corn, oats, hay, 13 Hereford beef cows, and we milk 40 Holstein Dairy cows. We also breed Registered English Shepherd pups which are sold throughout the U.S. Our web site is: http://kaschak-kennels.tripod.com/

In the spring of 2010 I bought 500 tons of high calcium lime and decided to spread it on some rented land with a poor soil test. I have a 10 ton lime-litter spreader and need to have the door all the way open, or the lime will bridge and not spread correctly. And because of field conditions, I couldn't drive very fast, so, all that together, made the rate 4 tons an acre.