Howard's corn made 214 bu per acre, on $195 of inputs, including seed! This was near La Mars IA.

Thanks for the update Howard!

I bought a reprint of this last year and really enjoyed it. Julius understood that finely ground limestone worked much better that coarse lime. While there are a few things that have proven to be false much of what he has written will be very valuable to many farmers.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to www.farmingsecrets.com for making this available!

Life is about change. Change you socks, change your shoes, make change, change a tire, change the channel, a change in the weather, change seed varieties, change implements. Every day we change hundreds of things, many without thinking about it. Change is not a bad thing. Driving to work today in almost blizzard conditions I cannot wait for the weather to change.

If things didn’t change farming would not be possible. Farming needs change. The sky changes from night to day, the soil changes from black to rows of green. If things didn’t change you could not grow a crop. If you don’t change the way you farm from year to year, how do you expect to stay profitable?

What about your input supplier? Have they recommend changes to keep you profitable? What about you supplier that has not been able to get ag lime spread for the past 3 years because the weather has changed? Many climatologist are predicting that winters will be much more severe than the past 10 years. If they have not been able to spread the past three, are the next 10 going to be any better?

SuperCal 98G is a big change for farmers and agronomists. I understand that it is difficult understand how applying less lime gets better results. This is a huge change in thinking. Over ten years SuperCal 98G has shown to increase soil pH and yields. We would love to Prove It to you. Contact one of our sales representatives to find out how you can conduct an on farm trial.

Greg Ervin, MN, WI, ND, SD, North East IA, Canada
Glen Howell, NE, South and East IA, IL, MO, KS
Craig Dick, all other areas

http://forums.qdma.com/showthread.php?p=257015

Proper Nutrients are Key for Proper Maturity and Disease Management

Supplying proper crop nutrition will ensure that your crop reaches maturity. If dry down, test weight, stalk quality, or disease is an issue for your customers, start with your fertility program.
 
There are of course many more nutrients to ensure proper plant growth and development, but we think getting these 10 right (in this order) will have the biggest impact on health and yield.

Boron is necessary for cell wall formation, membrane integrity, calcium uptake and may aid in the translocation of sugars. Boron affects at least 16 functions in plants. Almost every soil report I have read is low in Boron! More on Boron here
 
Silicon is found as a component of cell walls. Plants with supplies of soluble silicon produce stronger, tougher cell walls making them a mechanical barrier to piercing and sucking insects.

Calcium activates enzymes, is a structural component of cell walls, strong cells helps fight of disease. It influences water movement in cells and is necessary for cell growth and division. Soil reports typically measure all calcium, making sure calcium is plant available is key.
 
Nitrogen too much can delay flowering and fruiting. It is essential and needed for amino acid formation, which effects every other plant function.
 
Magnesium is a critical structural component of the chlorophyll molecule and is necessary for functioning of plant enzymes to produce carbohydrates, sugars and fats. High soil magnesium levels interfere with uptake of other essential nutrients.
 
Phosphorus is essential for flower and fruit formation. Low pH results in phosphate being chemically locked up, over application results in zinc deficiency. Without phosphors, chlorophyll is not converted to sugar, resulting in purpling of corn.
 
Carbon is essential to converting chlorophyll into sugar and for plant respiration. Proper soil biology ensures that the plant receive a constant supply of CO2. 96% of a plant is carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen!
 
Potassium deficiencies result in low yields, mottled, spotted or curled leaves, scorched or burned look to leaves. Is necessary to keep nutrients flowing in the sap.
 
Sulfur is essential for all nutrients be plant available. Sulfur is a natural disease fighter. Many plants require as much sulfur as phosphors. 
 
Zinc is a component of enzymes including auxins (plant growth hormones). It is essential to carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis and internodal elongation (stem growth). 
 
Manganese is involved in enzyme activity for photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen metabolism. It can be tied up with applications of glyphosate.
 
This is of course a very quick look into the functions of each nutrient, give anyone of our reps a call to discuss these nutrients and more in greater detail.

This is a three day event in Williamsburg, IA and includes Larry Acker, Dr. Dan Skow, Bob Streit, Dr. Michael McNeill, Dr. Arden Andersen, and Dr. Don Huber.

We are especially excited to have Dr. Huber in Iowa. Dr. Huber is Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University. His research has shown how herbicides tie up micronutrients and what you can do to minimize yield loss and disease.

For more information click on these links or go to BRT website.

Registration and Information

Speaker Biographies

With the wet weather it has not been easy, but our crews have been working overtime to get this building ready for production. There is still lots to do. we'll keep you posted.

Since Harold and his family live in Ohio, they elected to fly to Fort Dodge.  After staying overnight, the group toured the SO4 facility,  While there, they were able to observe the production process from start to finish.  They were impressed with the large storage area, bagging equipment, and emphasis on quality control.

Harold, Jeff, Josh & Corbin-thank you for coming to visit.  We enjoyed our time with you!

We are always pleased to introduce our people and products.  If you have questions, or would like to visit, just ask!

It is from the October issue of Iowa Farm and Ranch. The caption reads "Fall colors are abundant throughout western Iowa, with corn and soybeans maturing and drying. Vibrant green in the grass and tree leaves make a beautiful contrast of colors. (Photo by Bruce A. Binning)" .

I think they may have a misprint int the caption, the corn and soybeans are "dying" not maturing and drying. I have seen lots of this premature yellowing/dying of crops this year. Hill tops and side hills all over Iowa looked like this.

When crops die early, they don't make it to full matruity and yield is lost. The reasons can be many for the crop dying early but there is only one solution, proper crop nutrition. Ensuring that you have proper soil pH, and proper calcium, sulfur, zinc, and boron levels will help your crop go the distance.

If you have seen your crop "maturing earlier", poor stalk quality, and high disease pressure, give us a call. We can help.

My wife occasionally suggests that I am a pessimist.  I disagree, instead choosing the term realist.  The difference is that I think the critically important things, in whatever you are doing, get done.  Some of the less important ones do not.  The ability to identifiy & target the most important things are what make farmers, farmers.

I am in awe of the diversity, aptitude, skills, and persistence of the American Farmer.  From personal experience, I know that farmers somehow, someway, get things done, and done well.  This fall will be no different.  The harvest will be completed, crop nutrients will be applied, and some tillage will be performed.  Will everything get done?  No, but the things that need to get done, will.

A safe harvest to all!

The new scale is in, though it will not be ready for service this fall.

We are looking forward to having more capicity to serve our customers!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/01/60minutes/main5356202.shtml

Excerpts from the article.

Environmental scientists tell us that the concentrations of mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals are considerably higher in coal ash than in ordinary soil. The summer heat can bake the ash into a fine talc-like powder that can wreak havoc on your lungs.

Asked if there are any environmental concerns, the executive told the mayor, "No, sir. We at Dominion Power are fully in compliance with all the federal and state regulations."

Two years later, an internal company study about handling the ash for the golf course recommended that workers use "impervious gloves" and "particulate-filtering respirators" due to "potential health...risks."

Coal ash disposal is regulated by the states, some of which have strict rules, some hardly any at all. The new head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, is reviewing whether the federal government should get involved by labeling coal ash a "hazardous waste," which would mean much tighter regulations and oversight.The industry opposes calling coal ash a hazardous waste. They're pushing for another solution: recycling.

Most power companies rely on recycling because it cuts the 130 million tons of coal waste every year in half. The industry calls recycling "beneficial use." "Ugh! Don't even… The only people it was beneficial for were for those utility companies that had to get that stuff off their hands because they were already in violation with stockpiling too much. That is what 'beneficial use' meant," Robyn Pierce said.

But the EPA in the Bush administration endorsed beneficial use and now coal ash is recycled in dozens of ways: as cement substitute, it's also placed under roads and in deserted mines and it's added to products from carpets to bowling balls to bathroom sinks.


While the industry says the uses have been studied, Stahl asked Lisa Jackson whether the EPA knows if some of the recycled products are safe.

"Schoolroom carpeting," Stahl asked.

"I don't know. I have no data that says that's safe at this point," Jackson replied.

"Kitchen counters," Stahl asked.

"The same," Jackson replied.

"Fifty thousand tons of coal ash byproducts have been used in agriculture. What's being done through EPA to look at the use of coal ash in agricultural products? Anything? Is there a study?" Stahl asked.

"I'm not sure that there's any study out there right now," Jackson said.

"How did we get to a place where coal ash is in products without anybody knowing?" Stahl asked.

"We're here, now, because coal ash at this time isn't a regulated material by the federal government," Jackson replied.
 

"But you're not saying they are safe. You're playing word games with me. You're not saying, 'They are safe,'" Stahl said.
 

"You want me to guarantee that…they're absolutely safe," Roewer asked.

"I think everybody…yes, I do," Stahl replied.

"Well, what I can say is the state regulations and the utility management practices are put in place to ensure with a goal of safe management of coal ash," Roewer said.

"I don't think many people really trust the utility industry, I'm sorry to tell you," Stahl remarked.

Roewer's reply? "You're not the first one to tell me that."
 

Why are some ratios important and others not? Why are the proper ratios of nutrients important in animal and human nutrition and not in plant nutrition?

Research on Ca:Mg ratio was often based on total calcium and magnesium levels in a soil. The Mehlic 3 method of testing does not relate to the 'functional' fraction of calcium and magnesium in the soil, i.e. that proportion actively being exchanged between soil colloids, soil solution, plant roots, microbes etc.

A better way to truly determine Ca:Mg ratio would be to measure the soluble cations in the soil and take plant tissue samples. This would help to better determine a true plant available ratio. It is also important to point out that using Ca/Mg Ratios in isolation (without taking into account ppms) can lead to erroneous interpretations, calcium and magnesium levels can both be low, yet have an ideal ratio; or both can be high, yet have an idea ratio.

What is the correct Calcium to Magnesium ration?

As stated above, there is no definitive ratio, but our experience has shown that as long as the calcium and magnesium ppms are sufficient a Ca:Mg ration of 4:1 to 7:1 should offer a soil with better structure, better aeration, and better productivity.

Problems with high Mag Soils

Calcium is the element that causes the soil particles to move apart for aeration and drainage. Magnesium makes the particles stick together. One soil consultant has determined that is some soils the excess magnesium is held as trimagnesium ortho phosphate, Mg3(PO4)2-22H2O. Notice that the last part of the formula is twenty-two molecules of water. Is it any wonder that soils high in magnesium tend to dry and crack when water is tied up in a compound instead of available to plants? Note the two phosphates that are tied to the magnesium.

High mag soils cause potassium and calcium deficiency in plants. Soils with high magnesium tend to have poor structure. Typically these soils will have more sodium cations attached to the clay as well. Having high magnesium and sodium causes the clay particles to disperse when wet and set like concrete when dry.

The magnesium ions sitting on the clay surfaces have a 50% greater hydrated radius than calcium which causes these soils to absorb more water. This excess water tends to weaken the forces that hold soil particles to together resulting in less aggregate stability and greater dispersion of soil particles reducing infiltration rates and hydraulic conductivity (drainage). These soils tend to swell when wet and become very hard when dry, often forming a hard surface crust and becoming very difficult to till.
 
Excess magnesium causes a collapse of soil structure

Soils containing greater than 300 ppm of ammonium acetate extractable magnesium are considered high as well soils with base saturations greater than 15%. Soils that are saturated with magnesium can also show low potassium levels as of less than 100 ppm.

The addition of high rates of potash fertilizers can actually make matters worse and cause even more dispersion of soil particles. Potassium and sodium have similar properties, in sodic soils sodium causes lack of structure by causing dispersion of soil particles, soils tend to remain saturated and poorly drained.

For corn, 50-100 Mg ppm in soil and .25% to 1% in tissue is sufficient.

Correcting/Improving High mag soils

One solution for high mag soil is managing for soil quality with manures, crop rotation, and applying gypsum in an effort to displace magnesium. Gypsum is calcium sulfate, the sulfate ion mobilizes the magnesium out of the root zone, with calcium taking its place. Adding calcium carbonate can improve the structure of soil and build calcium levels faster.

Lime High pH Soils?
In the case of high mag soils the high pH is due to magnesium hydroxide, sodium hydroxides, and potassium hydroxides. pH has nothing to do with calcium, it only measures the hydrogen or hydroxide ion. Adding lime adds calcium, the stronger binding calcium cations displace the weaker held sodium (or magnesium) cations from the clay particles. Clay particles can then bond together with the calcium to form a well structured soil.

Application of potash in the starter at rates in the 30 pound range have shown much greater response than large application rates.  High rates of potash in the presence of high levels of magnesium (>600 ppm) can aggravate the dispersion of soil particles if crop rotation and manure additions are not practiced. Moderate rates of K applications are needed when potash is low to medium.

Guideline for Soil amendment use.

Photo credit DONTSOVA-PURDUE

My fall checklist includes:

1. Winterize all equipment
2. Finish maintenance/pre-season inspections
3. Review application lists & field maps
4. Order SuperCal 98G & SO4

I anticipate a busy fall season for lime application, and have been encouraging dealers to bring in product as soon as they are able to do so.  I fully expect the fall movement to increase significantly in 1-2 weeks, just when the availability of trucks decreases.  Getting product in now allows for flexibility in inventory management, greater control over supply, and less chance of logistical challenges (i.e. less stress)!

Please be safe this fall.  Take a little extra time to remind others to be safe also.

Dr. Borlaug, who was widely credited with saving hundreds of millions of people from starvation, upended conventional wisdom among scientists of his era both by the way he created super strains of wheat that have since spread across much of the developing world, and by proving that the world’s harvests can grow faster than the human population. His breeding techniques are now routinely embraced by the world’s biggest seed companies and by some estimates have created billions of dollars of crop value. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

Growing up as an Iowa farm boy, there were several people that I used as example, including Roswell Garst, Henry Wallace & Norman Borlaug.  All were great people, but Dr. Borlaug did it on a huge scale & taught me that perseverance will overcome. 

Our world continues to need all the food we can grow, and to use it all efficiently.  Dr. Borlaug taught me that production efficiency and environmental quality go hand in hand. 

Thank you, Dr. Borlaug.

On Monday I attended the Verity Farms Field Day. Howard is doing is really doing some tremendous things to and for his soil. The field that the following video was taken in is Corn on Alfalfa ground. Notice all the earth worm casting, worms, and worm holes. It has been a long time since I have seen a shovel able to be put into the soil its full depth. 

Fertilizer Applications:
 

What's really stunning is these results were acheived with so little applied fertilizer, no fungicide. Notice how green and blemish free the stalk is. There was absolutly no stalk rots to be found any where in this field! Expected yield is 200+ bushels.

We were very excited to be a part of the field day and see the dramatic changes that Howard's program and SuperCal 98G have achieved.  Please contact us or Verity Farms to find out how to return your soil to the soft fertile sponge it was ment to be!

*Pretty exciting that Howard will net close to $400 per acre this year ($3 corn*200 - $200 inputs).

Bill Walker with CPS, pointed this out to me a number of months ago. Dan Gabig wrote me recently with similar comments: "Now as to the increase in propane usage associated with the higher specific heat of ammonia gas versus ambient air.  Craig forgets to factor in that his example barn had 125 PARTS PER MILLION of ammonia.  Hence one would only have a mixed specific heat of 1.55 times the ammonia content of only 125 divided by 1,000,000 and .885 times 999,875 [1,000,000 - 125] for the remainder of the barn air.  So the increase in propane usage as a result of the higher specific heat associated with the tiny percentage of ammonia instead of lower specific heat for the non-ammonical air (e.g. nitrogen and oxygen) is incredibly little!!!!!  Definitely not a economic consideration for litter treatments."

I admit Bill and Dan are right. It is not that your heating the ammonia in the air that is the big savings. However there is big cost savings associated with exhaust fans not running as much, not venting heated air and reheating fresh air. Add that to the fact the increase in bird health, rate of gain and lower death loss from less ammonia in the air, and the costs and savings start adding up.

I was also wrong the the cost of PLT, it $398 per ton not per 50 lb bag. Even at that price SuperCal SO4 cost less than half of what PLT does! Still a huge savings.

I will stand by SuperCal SO4 as a great, inexpensive poultry litter treatment. We currently have it in laboratory testing and the tests are backing us up. I look forward to publishing that information latter this fall. If your a farmer and want to test it for yourself, give us a call, we would love your feedback.

Again, I just didn't have it quite right, and I appreciate Bill and Dan's attention to detail and willingness to let me know that. Thanks for setting me strait!

From Dr. John Sawyer, Iowa State University, calcareous soils:

• have a pH of 7.2 to 8.5
• contain various amounts of solid calcium carbonate (1 to 20% CaCO₃ by weight)
• CaCO₃ controls soil pH
• CaCO₃ (solid) + 2 H+ = Ca⁺² + CO₂ + H₂O

If calcium carbonate is present (as a solid), then how much soluble (i.e. plant available) calcium is there?  I don't know, but will be working to find out.  It seems to me, that it would be conceivable to need more calcium for plant growth & development, even though the pH is above neutral.

International Ag Labs is having a field day Wednesday the 26th, We will be there!

http://www.aglabs.com/events.html

Also Verity Farms is having field days as well

Friday, August 28, 2009 at the farm of Ron Kaufman

From Oldham, SD go 9 miles west

The new expansion will additional 98G storage, an additional 98G load out, and room for an additional pellet plant in the future. The addition is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and operational for the Spring fertilizer run.

"Not only will this addition will allow us to load out trucks faster, it will give us opportunity to make custom products for our customers", stated Larry Moore, President of Calcium Products."

While this addition will give Calcium Products more storage it will not solve the lack of trucks during the fertilizer season. We also have programs in place to help our dealer expand their storage so they can be sure to have enough 98G or SO4 on hand.

If you have questions about increasing your storage contact your sales rep or give me a call!

Depending on the crop, but for corn, shoot for 20 ppm in the soil. I have talked with many consultants in the past week and 5 ppm should be plenty. Boron can have negative impacts on soil biology when it gets to high. Many soils routinely test less than 5 ppm and in many cases under 1 ppm.

Read the whole article here http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/boron-.cfm 

Sodium has a dispersive effect on soil clays.  It can cause the clay particles to separate from each other, the particles will clog the soil pores, and cause a thin layer of slowly permeable material near the soil surface.  This effect is more serious in fine-textured soils than in coarse textured.  Soils with a high water table or poor drainage are more susceptible to salt or sodium accumulation.

Salinity can make plants work harder.  They must expend more energy to extract water from the soil.  Excess salinity can retard cell enlargement and division, as well as the production of proteins.  

Visible crop injury symptoms, such as leaf burn, are likely to occur only at high salinity levels.  However, yield losses can occur at lower levels, depending on the crop's sensitivity.  Corn & alfalfa are classified as "moderately sensitive", while soybeans are classified as "moderately tolerant."

Have more questions?  Start with a soil test.  If you or your agronomist suspect this may be involved, then talk with the lab where the samples are going.  I recommend Midwest Labs (www.midwestlabs.com), but most labs will be able to help you with this.  They may have specific guidelines that they recommend following to help you identify what is going on.

Only a few of Earth's naturally occurring chemical elements make up living matter. Just six of them; carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and sulfur, make up for 99% of all living tissues. Nevertheless, other minerals or trace elements are crucial for all vital functions even if this may be in extremely low dosages. Some of these, such as iron, copper, cobalt, zinc or manganese, are required by all living forms. Boron is one of those crucial elements, proven essential for the structure of plants.

Any soil test you conduct should be a complete soil test such as Midwest Labs S3C test. That test includes, base saturation, including sodium, and a full micronutrient package. In many of the tests we look at, we see more and more test coming back with very low boron readings. Boron has been much overlooked in the past, but many are discovering the benefits of this micronutrient.

Boron Function

Adequate boron nutrition is critical for high yields and quality crops. The main functions of boron relate to cell wall strength and development, cell division, fruit and seed development, sugar transport, and hormone development. Boron affects sugar transport in plants, flower retention, pollen formation, and germination. Boron is needed in protein synthesis and is associated with increased cellular activity that promotes maturity, increases flower set, and fruit yield and quality. Boron also affects nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism and water and sap flow in the plant.

Photosynthesis transforms sunlight energy into plant energy compounds such as sugars. For photosynthesis to continue, the sugars must be moved away from the site where they are made and stored or used to make other compounds. Boron increases the rate of transport of sugars to actively growing regions and to developing fruit (grain). Boron is essential for providing sugars which are needed for root growth in all plants and also for normal development of root nodules in legumes such as alfalfa, soybeans and peanuts.

Since boron is non-mobile in plants (like calcium), a continuous supply from the soil is required in all plant growing points. In mineral soils, release of boron is usually quite slow. Much of the available soil boron is held rather tightly by soil organic material. As organic matter decomposition occurs, boron is released with a portion being absorbed by plants, some leaching below the root zone area (especially in acid soil), or tied up under alkaline soil conditions.

Boron Deficiency and Excess

Boron deficiencies are found in acid soil, sandy soils, soils with low organic matter, and in regions of high rainfall. Borate ions (soluble boron) are mobile in soil and can be leached from the root zone. Boron availability also decreases on heavy clay and high pH soils. Soils with a high pH (at 7.5 pH boron becomes fixed) or which have just been heavily limed, have a limited amount of boron available for plant growth. Boron deficiencies are more pronounced during drought periods when root activity is restricted.

Plants deficient in boron continue to undergo cell division in growing tips, without cells changing into the proper type of cell. This results in cells that fail to becoming stem, leaves, and flower cells. As boron becomes deficient the vegetative growing point of the affected plant becomes stunted, deformed or altogether stop.

Boron does not often occur in toxic quantities in most arable soils. When toxic levels are reached, excessive boron can cause off color and stunting of plant growth. As boron concentrations in plant tissue increase to toxic levels, older foliage may exhibit leaf edge burning or necrosis. Some plants will also develop black spots on older foliage. High levels of boron can only be removed from soils through the leaching action of water flushing it below the active plant root zone.

Target Boron Levels

Depending on the crop, but for corn, shoot for 20 ppm in the soil. I have talked with many consultants in the past week and 5 ppm should be plenty. Boron can have negative impacts on soil biology when it get to high. Many soils routinely test less than 5 ppm and in many cases under 1 ppm.

For treating boron deficiency during the growing season apply 1-2 lbs of soluble boron. Plant tissue should read 2-75 ppm depending on the crop. More research will need to be conducted to further narrow the range.

Plant needs for boron can be applied as Granubor preplant broadcast to the soil or as Solubor or Solubor DF foliar sprays during the growing season.

Reference and Additional Reading

Boron, The Overlooked Essential Element

Boron is Essential for the Growth of Plants and Animals

US Borax

Midwest Labs Agronomy Handbook 

An article in the Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907240378 talks about a delay in arrival, but suggests there will not a decrease in quality or taste.

I am hesitant to agree.  Our garden at home is filled with tomato plants ( I spent most of Saturday caging them with woven wire for containment & more support), and the plants are huge.  Many of them are at least 4' tall.  If you look really close, there is a 55 gallon drum, standing on edge, underneath the sprinkler.

I have also observed the onset of calcium deficiency, also known as blossom end-rot (http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/blossom-end-rot-.cfm).  I have broadcast SO4 in 3 separate applications this year, but intentionally omitted 2 plants.  These plants are showing symptoms of deficiency (water soaking on the fruit & leathery looking leaves).

My conclusion?  Many plants, including tomatoes, are growing more slowly this year.  Quality will also be affected, but having adequate nutrient availability (calcium) will help mitigate this.

I decided last week that our garden was needing some calcium.  The soil structure had declined considerably since earlier this spring, and it was becoming difficult to till (hoe).  I was also wanting to increase the quality of the potatoes and reduce the onset of blossom end rot in tomatoes(http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/blossom-end-rot-.cfm)

Thursday evening I applied SO4.  It was very difficult to get between the rows of potatoes, so I top spread the area, and then turned on the water for 2 hours.  Friday morning, my wife harvested some onions, which were near the potatoes, and was surprised that she couldn't stand to eat them.  She also couldn't stand to cut the tops off of more than 2-3 at a time without tears. 

Conclusion: the sulfur level in the onion had increased significantly.  Link:(http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/onion.asp)

Lesson learned & a very evident (tearful) demonstration of the solubility of SO4.  In this case, less than 12 hours & 0.4" of water were sufficient for the product to break down & be taken up by the plant.  If you have plants that you don't want to more pungent (radishes, peppers), please take care when applying SO4.

After faxing me his soil tests we made recommendations. Due to the high cost of freight Alberto was unfortunately not able to use or products. He did follow our recommendations and he has called me twice this year to inform me of the dramatic improvements. Here is the last email I received from him.

Thanks for the note and call Alberto, helping farmers grow better yields and better quality is what it is all about!

Ammonium sulfate (AMS), 21-0-0-24S, was costing $0.75 per unit of sulfur (nitrogen value set to 0).

Calcium sulfate (SO4), 0-0-0-17S-22Ca, was costing $0.59 per unit of sulfur (calcium value set to 0).

If the sulfur requirement for 5 Ton alfalfa removal is 30# (6# sulfur per Ton), the cost for sulfur nutrition from AMS was $22.50 per acre, with the SO4 providing the same 30# of sulfur, but for a cost of $17.70 per acre.  Net difference (savings) to the grower of $4.80 per acre.

Not a huge difference, but still a 20% decrease in cost.  With the economic challenges of livestock production today, every little bit helps.

SuperCal SO4, the right fit, right now. 

The term fertilizer divide is being used to describe the differences in fertilizer use between countries.  In a report published in the June 19 issue of Science, China is specifically chided for using too much, according to Peter Vitousek, a professor of biology at Stanford University and senior fellow at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment.   Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-06/su-shm061609.php

"Some parts of the world, including much of China, use far too much fertilizer," Vitousek said. "But in sub-Saharan Africa, where 250 million people remain chronically malnourished, nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrient inputs are inadequate to maintain soil fertility." 

In the report, Vitousek and colleagues compared fertilizer use in three corn-growing regions of the world-north China, western Kenya and the upper Midwestern United States.  The area in China used 525 pounds of nitrogen per acre (588 kilograms per hectare) annually in growing corn.  200 pounds per acre (227 kilograms per hectare) of excess nitrogen is released into the environment.  By comparison, Kenya only used 6 pounds per acre (7 kilograms per hectare), in a 2004 study. 

Statistics show that from 2003 to 2005, annual corn yields in parts of the Midwestern United States and north China were almost the same, even though Chinese farmers used six times more nitrogen fertilizer than their American counterparts and generated nearly 23 times the amount of excess nitrogen.

So why is the United States' farmer always the bad boy of fertilizer use?  Sounds to me like China deserves more scrutiny & Kenya deserves more support. 

Jean-Christophe Sandoz led a team of researchers from the CNRS, the Universit� de Toulouse and the French Calcium Research Network, who carried out the neurological honeybee experiments. Sandoz and his colleagues studied a learned behaviour in the bees, extension of the proboscis in response to olfactory stimuli associated with food. Three days after decreasing calcium levels during learning, the bees stopped responding to the odor, and three days after increasing calcium during learning, bees' response to the odor were stronger. In addition, the researchers found that the increased memory performance in bees induced by increased calcium depended on protein synthesis. According to Sandoz, "We have found here that the modulation of calcium during learning affects long-term memory specifically while leaving learning and short-term memory intact".

Link: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/30/abstract

I wonder if this applies to our memory also?

In many years the eaiest way to take care of weeds in alfalfa was to wait until first cutting. In the mowing process weed pressure is eleminated. But have you really done any good?

While weeds may not be visiable for the remainder of the year (in most years), you still have not solved anything. The soil conditions have not changed because you cut alfalfa. Also you give up quality of the first cutting, which is costing you money!

Second cutting is near, Yellow Rocket taking over

So this year cutting alfalfa didn't get rid of Yellow Rocket, you might choose to spray your alfalfa with a hherbicide. While this may get rid of the weeds, you will also have a harvest interval, and the possiblity of killing soil biology which will reduce yeilds.

Since spraying will cost $20-$30 per acre why not treat the soil imbalances which is causing the Yellow Rocket outbreak? SuperCal SO4 will reduce magnesium in the soil, making it drain better and reducing the amount of Yellow Rocket germination.

As an added benifite your adding calcium and sulfer, two of the most used nutrients by alafalfa. The increase in quality and tonnage will more than pay for the cost of the product.

Other Alfalfa Blog Articles

Fertilizing Alfalfa

More on Yellow Rockect  

Nitrite is absorbed into the red blood cells and combines with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin. Methemoglobin cannot transport oxygen as effectively as hemoglobin, so the animal's heart rate and respiration increase. The blood and tissues of the animal take on a blue to chocolate brown tinge, muscle tremors can develop, staggering occurs and the animal eventually suffocates.

"Fertilizer is good for plants, but not good for cattle," Stoltenow says. 

I wonder what he thinks about using urea or urea-based feeds as a protein source in finishing cattle?

According to the article, the best way of preventing fertilizer-related nitrate poisoning in cattle is by controlling access to fertilizer. Avoid letting cattle graze immediately after spreading fertilizer and clean up fertilizer spills. Areas where the fertilizer spreader turns or areas where filling (and consequently spilling) take place may have excessive quantities of nitrate available to the cattle. Also, do not allow cattle to have access to areas where fertilizers are stored.

You can read more here:

 www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/fg/news/2009/Fertilizer/

SuperCal 98G & SuperCal SO4 are produced from products that are commonly found in nature (calcium carbonate & calcium sulfate, respectively).  They are not toxic to humans or animals. 

This will be an outside sales position with territory to be determined. Could include but not limited to; Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and parts of Wisconsin.

Final territory will be determined based on candidate quality. We are looking for the most qualified candidate and will tailor a territory that is mutually beneficial.
 
What you'll be doing:
Represents the company as needed to accomplish sales goals
Continuously promotes the quality and performance advantages of CPI products and services
Develops product strategies and identifies products or services that would allow for growth while achieving maximum impact on profitability
Coordinate product marketing programs, facilitate quotations, and ensure all pricing information is communicated
Develops internet based communications on product information, capabilities and applications.
Assist in the development of print based communications on product information, capabilities and applications
Work with management to determine trade show participation and develop marketing plans to make shows a success
Coordinate conference and trade show activity including preparation and participation in the shows and conferences
Arrange miscellaneous promotional events and opportunities
Coordinate R&D trials and participate as required
 
What we expect:
Maintains open communication with the management team as to the need of the customer
Represent the Company, as appropriate, in its relationships with major customers, prospects, and key influencers to promote a positive image
Is aware and understands competitive products. Reviews, assesses and evaluates surveys, articles, patents, sales reports, competitors publications and similar information
Develop a thorough understanding of pricing schedules and customer contracts
Is flexible and open to new challenges and experiences
Has an entrepreneurial sprit and is dedicated to lifelong learning

What you'll need:
A high degree of personal motivation, a desire to make an immediate contribution and possess a distinct sense of urgency
Demonstrated credibility and ability to build solid client-focused relationships
Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business, marketing, or agronomy
3-5 years sales and marketing experience working in an agronomic/horticultural environment
Knowledge of agronomy industry, centers of influence, distribution, retailers, market structure and dynamics
Good strategic influencing skills to coach, train and mentor, with staff and customers
Highly proficient computer skills MS Office
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics is helpful
CCA accreditation or ability to obtain designation
 
What you'll get:
We offer competitive performance based wage
Generous benefits package, including health, 401k, car, and expenses
Opportunity for personal and professional growth
 
Who to contact:
craig@calciumproducts.com

Jim & I talked with farmers about why they have problems with high potassium levels in their forages (need more calcium), how to overcome high magnesium soil levels (need more calcium), and ways to reduce the impact of high potash prices combined with low milk prices (need more calcium sulfate). 

All in all, a good day.  Crowd was a little less than I anticipated, but still a good day overall.

If you have the chance, look us up on Thursday.  We're in the Hay Industries Tent, on the north side.

We were in attendance last year and met many top quality hay and forage producers. If you looking to increase production or reduce costs, this is the place to start.

Glen and Jim will be there to answer all you questions about producing high quality forages.

See what this customer has to say about using SuperCal SO4 on pastures

Watch a video on Alfafa that is still producing 6 tons per year after 25 years

Find out how to eleminate yellow rocket from your allfafa

1st cutting alfalfa is underway.  Where I live in Northeast Iowa, the farmers have been working at it since Memorial Day.  I thought this would be a good time to review alfalfa's nutrient needs.

In general, alfalfa removes 12.5# Phosphorus (P), 40-50# Potassium (K), 30# Calcium (Ca), 6# Magnesium (Mg), 6# Sulfur (S) and 0.08# Boron (B) per ton of dry matter yield. Plants may remove higher amounts of these nutrients if soil test levels are in the High (H) or Very High (VH) levels.  This is known as luxury consumption.

Growing 5 Ton hay?  Then your crop will remove 62.5# P, 250# K, 150# Ca, 30# Mg, 30# S, 0.4# B.  With today's fertilizer prices, many growers are making sure that all nutrients are at optimum levels.  Sulfur deficiency is being diagnosed much more often than previous years. 

Where does SuperCal SO4 fit in?  With 22% Ca and 17% sulfate sulfur, it helps build and maintain plant structure, while also providing sulfur for use in protein synthesis.  I typically recommend 200# per acre annually.  This will provide 44# Ca and 34# S.  If you are experiencing problems with too much K in your forage, then increasing the amount of calcium available will help.  This has been a recurring problem with dairy cows in many operations.

SuperCal SO4, the right fit, right now.

This weed is Yellow Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris). A winter annual or biennial with shiny green foliage and bright yellow flowers that may reach as much as 3 feet in height.  Primarily found growing in winter small grains, forages, and pastures. 

The preference of Yellow Rocket is full sun, moist conditions, and a fertile loam or clay-loam soil. Growth is less robust at drier sites with poor soil. A little shade is also tolerated. Most vegetative growth occurs during the cool weather of early to mid-spring.

Yellow Rocket is Also Known As...

winter cress	bitter cress
rocket cress	yellow-weed
herb barbarea	wound rocket
water mustard

 
If you have yellow rocket it's because your management practices have made a great environment for it. Once we know what kind of conditions it likes we can take steps to select against it.

According to Weeds and Why They Grow, Yellow Rocket (Winter Cress) likes soils very low calcium, low in phosphate, high in potash, very high in magnesium. It likes soils low in humus, soils that are anaerobic, and moist.

To reduce the vigor and eliminate Yellow Rocket in alfalfa, cut the amount of potash applied and increase the amount of SuperCal SO4. Based on the type of environment that Yellow Rocket likes this makes a lot of sense.

Muraite of potash reduces humus, calcium and soil porosity, making it less aerobic and water logged. This makes for a perfect environment for Yellow Rocket. SuperCal SO4 increases soil calcium, porosity, and sulfur levels, exactly what alfalfa needs.

Did we mention that SuperCal SO4 cost a fraction of potash? That SuperCal SO4 increases feed value of alfalfa?

What are you waiting for the countdown is on to growing high quality alfalfa, now if the perfect time to apply SuperCal SO4 and launch yellow rocket out of your fields!

Back in college when I was an intern for the no longer American Cyanamid, I attended a field day about white grubs. As part of my internship, I was also charged with writing a paper about what I learned. Long story short, I never wrote the paper, I felt like I didn't really get any answers other than use seed treatments.

A couple of days latter my uncle called me, he had some pretty severe stand loss. After scouting it was determined that in one area of the field he had 2-3 white grub larvae per sq ft. In addition to root feeding, raccoons had managed to dig up the remaining corn in search of the grubs.

So ten years later I am writing about white grubs.

At the field day I attended we looked at white grub damage with thresholds in the 4-5 per sq foot range. The field was on a side hill, with a grassy tree filled creek at the bottom. This was very similar to the field my uncle had problems with.

What do we know about the white grub?
White grubs are the larvae of scarab beetles, otherwise known as June Bugs.

White grubs feed on fibrous-rooted plants, such as corn and grass. 

Larval infestations are greatly influenced by soil type or texture. Infestations by white grub are reported to be more common in light, sandy soils that are well-drained than in poorly drained, heavy clay soils.

White Grub normally takes three years to complete its life cycle in most areas.
The June beetles fly from willow and poplar tress to grassy areas to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch and over winter. In the second year the most damage is done.

Preventative insecticides are not recommended, and shelter belt removal is foolish. Planting tolerant crops and tillage (exposes grubs to birds) might be an option.

What have I learned after 10 years of thinking about a project I never completed and no one missed? Pproper fertility is actually key to white grub management. In soils that have low calcium and soil with an imbalance of soluble salts, grasses like foxtail can predominate, regardless of herbicides use.

Soil with proper pH and proper calcium insure herbicides control foxtails, and reduces weed vigor, making a poor environment for the June beetle to lay eggs. Sounds too simple I know, but in most cases the simplest solution is usually the best.

Visit http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/entomology/entupdates/whitegrub/whitgrub.htm for more info on white grubs.

This may allow for the opportunity to improve the quality of food grown in greenhouses, especially during the winter.  It may also be used to maintain the quality of food already in storage.

Link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172659.htm

Historical anecdotes of the red soils from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan tell of people using the soils to treat skin infections and diaper rash. A multinational group of researchers suggest the healing power may be due to antibiotic-producing bacteria they have found living in the soil. This discovery may ultimately lead to new antibiotic treatments against harmful pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. The researchers report their findings in the May 2008 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518222202.htm

A reasons why soil quality, while hard to measure, is of huge importance.

The brassinosteroids (BRs) have a major impact on how large the plant grows, says Yin. 

"Previously, we knew that steroids promote growth," said Yin. "In model plants like Arabidopsis (a relative of mustard) and crops such as corn and rice, if you have more steroids, you have more growth, and if you have less steroids, you have less growth and the plant is smaller."

Now Yin knows that the HERK1 (named for Hercules -- the Greek and Roman god who possessed superhuman strength) pathway, induced by BRs, is controlling much of that growth.

Identifying what makes plants bigger could have several effects, including improving biomass or grain yields, and forage yields.

If we can build a bigger plant, the importance of having enough calcium for cell formation will be significant.

Wonder what could happen if increased plant growth is combined with increased quality, such as provided with calcium???

Calcium Products, helping you build your plants.

"The researchers found that the two types of manure had at least 17 different chemical forms of phosphorus that varied in concentrations. The organic dairy manure had higher levels of phosphorus, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium.

Organic dairy manure also contained more types of phosphorus found in association with calcium and magnesium. Such forms are comparatively slow to dissolve and would thus gradually release the nutrients. Slow-release fertilizers generally increase the likelihood that they eventually will be taken up by crops, rather than being washed out of fields into nearby surface or groundwater sources.

Because of this, slow-release fertilizers often can be applied at comparatively low rates. Manure produced by cows in organic production systems may show similar characteristics compared to manure from conventional systems."

 Read more here-http://www.ars.usda.gov/IS/pr/2009/090422.htm

I am happy to say I am finished. It's not that it is a bad book, it has tons of useful information in it. It just really reads like a technical journal article. I really do not enjoy reading journal articles.

By short comings aside, one of the more interesting aspects of this book are the experiments that Dr. Albrect did over 50 years ago. Many of his finding are now just being rediscovered.

Dr. Albrect had an experiment that showed what animals eat makes a very big difference in the quality of manure for fertilizer. Just today Glen Howell highlighted an experiment http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/differences-in-organic-manure.cfm that USDA-ARS conducted showing that is also the case.

Reading the Albrecht papers was very forward thinking for its time. I felt like I was reading the future written 50 years ago. If you want to unlock the secrets of soil fertility and know what soil prinicples will finally be validated in the near future, pick up a copy of Soil Fertility and Animal Heath, by William A. Albrecht.

An article by Timothy Telleen-Lawton, with the Wisconsin Environment Research & Policy Center, suggests some signifcant effects on corn yields by increases in temperature. Their numbers project a yearly damage in corn production of $1.4 billion, due to global warming.  Iowa is the most affected, with losses of $259 million annually. Follow this link- http://www.wisconsinenvironment.org/newsroom/global-warming/global-warming-news/global-warming-will-cost-millions-for-wisconsins-corn

However, there exists some skepticism over this report.  "A lot of the conclusions they draw really, really stretch the evidence," says Dr. Matt Roberts, Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics at Ohio State University. Roberts says the study portrays "an unfamiliarity with the way agriculture works. The conclusion that the University of Illinois looked came to is actually very benevolent weather, that in fact the last ten or twelve years we've seen some of the most peaceful weather we've seen in the last hundred years," says Roberts. "From an agricultural perspective, weather is getting better." You can read more here: http://www.wrn.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=E8DAD98F-5056-B82A-375D43A0848AA492

So which point of view is accurate?  We probably won't know without the benefit of hindsight.  I believe that much of the increases in yield, are attributable to genetic improvements & crop breeding techniques.  But, as everyone associated with agriculture understands, Mother Nature holds the trump cards.

From Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511122416.htm 

"Contrary to the prevailing view, cereal crops derive the majority of their nitrogen from the soil, not fertilizer. Soils differ considerably in microbial activities that determine nitrogen-supplying power, and these differences must be taken into account if nitrogen fertilizers are to be used efficiently. "

Having proper pH and high levels of available calcium are two of the basic steps to increasing the biological activity of your soil.

Have questions about increasing biological activity, give us a call we can help you increase nutrient availability!

800-255-8196

Pennycress is receiving attention in Illinois & other areas because of its high oil content.  Its seeds contain more than 35% oil, while soybeans typically have 16-18% oil.  This means that an acre of pennycress could produce 115 gallons of biodiesel per acre, according to www.growpennycress.com.  Another significant potential benefit is that pennycress is a winter annual, meaning that it completes its life cycle in the spring.  That may lead to the opportunity to produce two crops on the same area of land in one year, also known as double cropping.  If it happens, double cropping offers farmers the opportunity to diversify, helps in reducing crop sensitivity to weather, and spreads out the overall risk.

Pennycress.  Does it offer promise for the future?  Maybe, but there will be a number of associated challenges.  Agronomic, economic, and perhaps most importantly, social considerations will all have a significant impact on the ultimate outcome.

African lines of white corn have been modified by Spanish scientists to produce high levels of beta carotene, a nutrient critical to protecting eyesight.  The grain, which has an orange tint because of the beta carotene, also contains significant levels of vitamin C and folate.

"This achievement, which vastly exceeds any realized thus far by conventional breeding alone, opens the way for the development of nutritionally complete cereals to benefit the world's poorest people," said the article's abstract.

The scientists are working on adding other nutrients to corn, as well as breeding rice for better nutrition.  They are also working on adding other nutrients, including iron, zinc, vitamin E and calcium.

Will this be the answer to world hunger?  Probably not.  Could it be a signifcant improvement in nutrition?  Absolutely.

It seemed like the season started earlier every year, and it did not end until the end of the growing season.  One of my observations was that some fields seemed to be a magnet for infestation, while nearby fields remained nearly free of aphids.  I was unable to figure out why.  Now, researchers at Penn State have identified that the choice of bacteria used to inoculate soybeans , may  provide protection against aphids.

Read more about what they have found here:   www.cornandsoybeandigest.com/e-digest/0429-natural-nitrogen-fixing-bacteria/?smte=wl

I found this article quite interesting.  This is an example of how little we understand about the complex relationships found between plants, bacteria, and the soil.  It also illustrates the importance of soil health and management.

Their answer included less cost (questionable) and higher concentration of sulfur (true), along with better agronomic benefits (what???). There was a definite opportunity to provide basic agronomic education, regarding a) what can plants utilize, b) what else is present in the material and do we need it, and c) what other effects does the material have.

Sulfur is taken up by plants only in the sulfate (SO4) form, through the roots. Elemental sulfur must be oxidized in the soil to SO4 before it can be taken up by the plant. The time it takes for this conversion depends on the weather, the soil, and the product used. A great reference is found on the Back To Basics website, www.back-to-basics.net/agrifacts/pdf/b2b29a.pdf and www.back-to-basics.net/agrifacts/pdf/b2b29b.pdf. These 2 articles talk about the differences between sulfate and elemental forms, along with the conditions necessary for the conversion to sulfate.

Elemental sulfur has a place in crop production. It also has some drawbacks including being a very acidic product, and taking a long time before it is plant available.

If you need a plant available sulfur source, you need the sulfate form (calcium sulfate, potassium sulfate, ammonium sulfate). Make sure you understand all of the details about elemental sulfur, before making it part of your crop nutrition program.

This article reminds me of a book I had read, Bread From Stones. In the book they talk about how a Calvary group had a number of their horses mysteriously die. They found out that if they didn't keep the bedding straw clean that the horses could be overcome by ammonia.

The ammonia comes from the animals urine and in realatively low amounts can be fatal to horses. The OSHA guidelines for humans is 15 minutes at 35 ppm. Many of our confinement animal operations are much higher than this for the life of the animals.

At Calcium Products we take the health of animals seriously, but we also do not disregard the needs of the farmer. SuperCal SO4 can help keep ammonia low, bedding material high quality for fertilizer, animals happy, and farmers profitable.

I am in Fayetteville, Arkansas today to meet with Dr. Susan Watkins and her team to see how effective SO4 can be in poultry operations and to see if any of our experimental manure treatments are any better. We'll keep you posted on the results.

This summer we will be teaming with Dr. Sawyer, and Extension Agronomist Mark Wuebker to continue their sulfur research on corn. http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/iowa-state-sulfur-research.cfm

"We are excited at Calcium Products to team with Dr. Sawyer and his staff." stated Larry Moore, President of Calcium Products. "It will be of great importance to Iowa farmers to finally quantify the impact of sulfur on production. I have seen a yield increase from sulfur on the farms I own and for many of our customers, SuperCal SO4 is the last thing they would cut from their fertility programs in tight years."

SuperCal SO4 is high quality natural gypsum finely crushed then pelletized. It contains 17% sulfur and is one the least costly sulfur products on the market today.

Additional Information

Sulfur is a structural component of amino acids, proteins, vitamins and enzymes and is essential to produce chlorophyll. It imparts flavor to many vegetables. Deficiencies show as light green leaves. Sulfur is readily lost by leaching from soils and should be applied with a nutrient formula. Some water supplies may contain Sulfur. For more information of the 20 other important crop nutrients click here.

Past blog post on sulfur and Iowa State

The story from the AP only confirms our position of why you should avoid by-product gypsum. The imported Chinese drywall was made with fly ash, also known as flue gas gypsum. Now everyone is scambling to figure out what to do with the toxic drywall.

My guess is that someone will be hired to entice farmers to let them dump the millions of pounds of poison wall board on their farms. 

At Calcium Products, we have looked at recycling drywall a number of times. We have always come to the conclusion that the things that make good drywall, make for really bad soil ammendments.

Don't be fooled-things are free or cheap for a reason.!

Read the full article: AP IMPACT: Chinese drywall poses potential risks

A) Pelletized Lime, Can I Get Away with Lower Rates? - R. Mullen and K. Diedrick

This question comes up every year - can I put down a lower rate of pelletized lime and achieve the same result as typical ag-lime at a higher rate?  Perhaps, but using a fraction of the recommended rate (say a fourth or a third) will likely not achieve the desired result.  It is not that pelletized lime is a poor lime source.  It is an effective lime source because it is very fine material as well as easy to handle and apply using broadcast fertilizer spreaders; however, it simply cannot neutralize soil acidity any better (or faster) than conventional ag lime materials. SuperCal 98G pelletized lime does change the pH of soils faster and more effectively than ag lime. In trials we have seen adjustments to the soil in as little a 2 weeks. Last year when applying 98G to a grid sampled field we changed the pH 1 point (not 0.1 but 1.0 whole point) in one growing season. This customer's father applied 2 tons of lime to his farms and there was no pH adjustment a year later.  Ohio uses a term - effective neutralizing power (ENP) - to compare the strength of different liming materials.  The ENP of a given liming material is a function of three things - total neutralizing power (TNP-depends upon purity of the source and the ratio of calcium to magnesium), fineness (size of the particles), and moisture content. ENP does not give more value for a finer grind of lime. Since lime is not very soluble the finer its ground the more effective it is. ENP gives 100% credit for 60 mesh lime. Because 100 mesh has a surface area almost twice that of 60 mesh it should get a rating of 200% on the ENP scale. Most ag lime averages 25 mesh which makes it 5 times coarser than SuperCal 98G and 1/5 as effective. Lime recommendations can be found in an OSU Extension Factsheet titled "Soil Acidity and Liming for Agronomic Production"
(<http://agcrops.osu.edu/fertility/documents/AGF505.pdf%3Ehttp://agcrops.osu.e
du/fertility/documents/AGF505.pdf).

Pelletized lime is typically finer than ag-lime, so its ENP value may be higher.  Higher ENP means that it will take fewer pounds of pelletized lime than ag lime to neutralize the same amount of soil acidity.  If the soil test lime recommendation for a field is 3 tons per acre, and you have pelletized lime with an ENP of 2000 (which is what most pelletized materials
approach) you would need 3 tons of pelletized lime per acre to achieve the desired neutralization.  Let's consider that same 3 ton recommendation for ag-lime with an ENP of 1000.  It would require 6 tons of ag-lime to achieve the desired change in soil pH.  Though it is more effective on a pound-per-pound basis than ag lime, applying 300 to 500 lb of pelletized lime per acre would not result in the desired change in soil pH because the required amount is 3 tons per acre.  Just because you needed twice as much ag-lime as pelletized lime does not necessarily make pelletized lime the best choice based on cost, especially when pelletized lime can cost 5-7 times more per ton than ag lime. With SuperCal 98G you can use 1/5 of the ag lime rate, this is because it is very pure and five times finer than most ag lime.  Price comparison using ENP is the best way to evaluate liming materials (unless a soil has a low magnesium level in which case you should utilize dolomitic lime).  Select the product that will give you the desired results for the best price.

Another question we get: "is the use of lime in a starter band useful?"  First of all we must realize one thing about lime - we are not supplying a nutrient like a typical fertilizer,
Whoa, whoa, whoa, since when was calcium not a nutrient? Calcium is essential for germination, root growth and helps the plant with uptake of all other nutrients.  we are amending the soil with an additive.  The reason for banding nutrients is to improve their positional availability and/or to decrease soil interactions that affect plant availability. Banding a highly available lime like SuperCal 98G will make nutrients more available in the root zone as well as reduce interactions of aluminum which tie up phosphates. This is not a benefit to a lime addition, in fact, it would be a detriment because you will not be altering soil pH, In almost every case there is no detriment to applying small amounts of lime. but are incurring a considerable cost. The cost of banding SuperCal 98G is usually under $5 per acre and in our customer's testing results in 3-10 bushels per acre return.  Lime is quite insoluble and that is why we recommend lime to be incorporated with soil by tillage whenever possible. The smaller particle size of SuperCal 98G makes it more available to solubilize, become available to plants and soil biology. This increases the volume of soil that will react with the lime and achieve the desired neutralization.  Applying lime in a band will only neutralize a small volume of soil, and will not achieve the desired results of raising soil pH. Yes it will not change a large volume of soil, but for a farmer on a limited budget or rented ground he is only farming for a year it can be a money maker.

An additional note: urea and liming compounds do not mix when surface-applied; substantial nitrogen losses can occur when urea is deposited on a high pH area.  Also, remember that gypsum (calcium sulfate) does not have the capacity to change soil pH, and thus is not a liming compound. Urea and calcium sulfate can be a very good mix when applied together. SuperCal SO4 is a pelletized calcium sulfate and stops ammonia volatilization by converting Nh3 to stable ammonium sulfate and calcium hydroxide, a naturally occurring liming agent. Though its liming ability is offset by the ammonium sulfate.

------------

SuperCal 98G building soils, faster, better, more profitably.

They have found it to be more economical and more effective than broadcasting.

Congratulations on the article guys, and thanks for the business!

Read the article "What I've learned from No-Tilling" 

For those of you that experienced flooding last year, you may be wondering how your soils will perform this year.

An article in Science Daily, discuss the impact of floods on soil.

Key Points From the Article:

• Soil aggregation is an important soil attribute that is related to the physical-chemical state of the soil, and is one of the essential processes that determine soil quality.
• Loss of soil aggregation impacts agriculture by decreasing soil quality and crop production.
• The research revealed that the aggregate stability of upland soils was decreased under reducing conditions from short-term water ponding. The decrease in aggregate stability reached approximately 20% during a 14-day ponding period, which is quite significant in terms of soil disaggregation. Changes in redox sensitive elements (increases in Mg, Fe), alkaline metals, and dissolved organic carbon (reductions in carbon) under reducing conditions contributed to the decrease in aggregate stability.
• Overall, the aggregate stability of cultivated soils was more affected by the reducing conditions than that of uncultivated soils. This indicates that the management system plays an important role in the stability of aggregates.
• The authors believe that once the reducing reactions take place in the field and disaggregation has occurred, the process will not reverse itself because the natural drainage will carry away the released chemicals and the chemistry of the soil-water system will not return to the original state. The disintegrated aggregates may clog the soil pores and further degrade the soil structure.
  

What does all this mean?

Soils that have been flooded need more nutreints replaced since more than N-P-K are leached. You should think about calcium, sulfur, zinc, boron, and organic carbons when looking to restore flooded ground.

Keeping you soil free of hard pans will help to reduce the chance that soils will flood. Don't work soils when wet and deep rip when needed.

I had some internet connection problems this morning. One of the difficulties from working out of different locations!

It has been fixed and you can access the article on how floods affect soils here, http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/how-floods-affect-soil.cfm 

Craig

By applying it for "free" on your field, it saves them thousands of dollars per ton, and gets rid of the hazardous material. Be suspicoius of free product, have your own complete analysis run on the product by a reputable lab. Avoid anything with heavy metals or aluminum in it, as this will cause nutrient tie-ups and imbalances.

In addition to receiving "free" product you also get too much of it and spread poorly.

For maximum yield you want a proper spread pattern. It does you no good to have a large amount of product right behind the spreader.

In our experience "free" products can show advantages the first year, then as nutrient imbalances develop, yields can crash. This leads to a more expensive treatment of the soil to correct the imbalances caused by over applying free/waste products.

1. Soil Test

According to Midwest labs only 1 in 6 farmers are soil testing. You soil is the most important part of your farm. If you don't know what's in it, how do you know what to add? It takes more than a good CSR or knowing you soil type to grow high yields.

2. Understand Soil Life

They have been referred to as the livestock of the soil. I prefer to think of them as free help, if you help them out once in a while. The little creatures that make soil (they literally make soil form organic matter, rocks, and air) will make farming a lot easier for you if you let them.

3. Don't be a More-On

If a little is good a lot is better, right? WRONG, applying more and more N-P-K will not get you to the next yield plateau. Only by knowing what is missing in your soil and adding it in the proper amounts will you gain significant yield.

4. Avoid Compaction

This is probably the biggest yield robber of all-time. Many soils have hard pans 8-12 inches deep. This dramatically limits the amount of soil roots come into contact with, reduces water holding capacity, increase diseases and lodging.

5. Avoid Potassium Chloride (KCl)

Some crops need a little chloride, most do not need the dose that 0-0-60 (muriate of potash provides. In addition to keeping soils wet and killing beneficial soil life, it increases leaching of soluble calcium. Avoid this or risk spending more money on other fertilizers and soil amendments.

6. Keep soil oxygen levels up

Soil by volume need to contain 25% oxygen. This increase nutrient uptake to plants, increases beneficial soil life and reduce diseases like rhizoctonia and fusarium. Soil should be thought of as a living breathing organism, and as such needs oxygen.

7. Keep your soil sulfur high

Keeping good levels of sulfur in your soil ensures greater N uptake and nitrogen efficiency, keeps sodium and magnesium levels in check, builds organic matter, and helps produces higher protein crops.

8. Dig plants and inspect roots 

If you do this periodically you will quickly be able to tell if you have compaction, disease, insects, and low calcium levels. Roots should be bright white, if not you need more calcium. Like eyes are the way to the soul, roots will give a quick indication of how happy your plants are.

9. Leave test strips

I always hear farmers say, "I don't really know if it worked, it seemed to be better." With today's market you cannot afford to have something "seem" to work. If you make a change on your farm you need to be able to measure it and know it worked or didn't.

10. Adjust your corn head

There are very few properly adjusted corn heads being used in the country today. How can I tell? Too many fields with 3-foot plus stalks still standing in them after harvest. You need your stalks in contact with the soil to be recycled. Set your head to crush stalks and pull them through the head and drop them on the ground.

I know this was quick, we'll come back and elborate on all these thoughout the growing season!

Soil pH is the measure of potential Hydrogen. It is simply a measure of how much hydrogen is in the soil and tells you nothing else. It has nothing to do with whether you have high or low levels of cationic nutrients.

In high pH we are measuring the OH ion. That ion can be tied to a limitless number of other ions, such as nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, sodium, or calcium to name a few.

Here is a quick rundown of soil compounds that cause high pH.

The Carbonate (CO₃) molecule can also be a source of high pH soil. Carbonates can occur in high pH soils that have low oxygen and high carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels. Water (H₂O and CO₃ interact to from OH ions and CO₂. In aqueous solution, carbonate, bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and carbonic acid exist together in a dynamic equilibrium. In strongly basic conditions, the carbonate ion predominates.

Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) - Is an extremely strong base. KOH becomes tacky in air because KOH is hygroscopic.  KOH generally contains varying amounts of water as well as carbonates. Adding potassium chloride (muriate of potash) to wet soil increases soil KOH, making soil higher in pH. If potassium is needed in high pH soils it is best to use a potassium sulfate. To reduce soil KOH use a fertilizers that create sulfuric acid.

Potassium Carbonate (K2CO₃) - Is a white salt, soluble in water which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It is hygroscopic. Soils high in KOH and have poor aeration can lead to increased amounts of Potassium Carbonate It is a main component of soap, and is correlated with reduced biological activity. Keeping soil oxygen levels up and avoiding KCl fertilizer applications will reduce potassium carbonate build up.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) - Also known as lye, is a common component of drain cleaners. Sodium hydroxide forms a strong alkaline solution when dissolved in a solvent such as water. It is hygroscopic and readily absorbs carbon dioxide from the air further increasing soil pH. A sodium hydroxide solution will leave a yellow stain on fabric and paper.

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) - Is formed by combining sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide. Aqueous solutions are mildly alkaline: Sodium bicarbonate may also be used as an anti-fungal. It has disinfectant and antiseptic properties. Keeping soil oxygen levels up, limiting raw manure applications, and using sulfate containing fertilizers will help to reduce sodium soil levels.

Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂ ) - Is best known for low solubility, and is considered a strong base. Magnesium hydroxide interferes with the absorption of folic acid and iron, necessary crop nutrients.

Magnesium Carbonate (MgCO₃) - Is formed by combining Mg(OH)₂ and CO₂. It is practically insoluble in water and ammonia. All forms of magnesium carbonate react in acids. Due to its insolubility, high magnesium soils often have magnesium deficient crops growing on them. MgCO₃ is a potent liming agent, but should be used with caution to avoid build up of magnesium in soils. MgCO₃ is hygroscopic and can cause soils to stay wet and sticky.

Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) is formed in soils by that have calcium chloride (by product of KCl) and an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide present. In some cases calcium hydroxide can be a flocculent, though it is also an ingredient in mortar, and plaster. It does not solubalize in water, and therefore cannot be available to plants. Calcium hydroxide is an ingredient in long lasting fungicide mixes and has a strong anti-microbial effect.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) � The main ingredient of SuperCal 98G and limestone. It will react with water that is saturated with carbon dioxide to form calcium bicarbonate. CaCO3 reduces the effects of chlorine gases that can be released from potassium chloride fertilizers. Having high amounts of calcium present on a soils test is no indication that it is available to crops. In solution at normal atmospheric conditions the availability of calcium decreased dramatically with increasing pH.

pH	7.0	7.2	7.4	7.6	7.8	8.0	8.2	8.27	8.4
Ca2+](mg/L)	6390	2540	1010	403	160	63.9	25.4	18.9	10.1

      
Decreasing the pH from 8 to 7 increases the maximum Ca2+ concentration by a factor 100. This is why at high pH you can have lots of calcium in your soil but it is not available to your crops.

Many chloride and hydroxide salts (MgCO3, NaOH, K2CO3, and KOH) are hygroscopic. This means that they attract water from the atmosphere making them sticky. Calcium Sulfate (SuperCal SO4) is a natural drying agent for these soils. SuperCal SO4 adds sulfate that can work to reduce OH ions, leach sodium and magnesium.

Since high pH soil are wetter and have less natural oxygen, anaerobic bacteria, fungus, and molds (fusarium, rhizoctonia, and pythium) can abound. Further complicating the problem is that the OH ions can act on beneficial oxygen loving bacteria (Mycorrhizae azotobacter rhizobia) killing them off and reducing yield.

Eliminating KCL application from high pH soils is one of the first steps to reducing pH. Using fertilizer sources high is sulfate (K₂SO₄, (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CaSO₄) is the next step.

No, there are no easy fixes when it comes to high pH, continuing to do what you have always done will definitely not help you increase yields.

I am pleased to announce that SuperCal 98G and SuperCal SO4 are officially OMRI Listed.

"Since we didn't have to make any changes to our production there won't be any big changes in price or availability", stated Larry Moore, President of Calcium Products. He continued, "Becoming OMRI Certified will make it easier for our organic customers to use our products."

You can access documentation of our certification by going to the analysis pages of SuperCal SO4 and SuperCal 98G, or by going to http://www.omri.org/.

Now what?!?

If you need lime, there is no substitute. The University of Wisconsin says that if you need lime you should see a 20%-40% increase in yields.

But my P and K numbers are low? If I can't get lime shouldn't I at least apply P & K.

No, if you pH is below 6.0, 25%-50% of N, P and K are unavailable to you crop. Only liming will make these nutrients available to your crop.

Applying fertilizer to soil that has low pH is like trying to bail out a boat before you fix the hole in it. Fertilizer is the main cause of acidity.

In test conducted by one of our customers, applying 600 lbs of SuperCal 98G to a soil pH of 5.1 increased the K by 23% and  P 8% in the soil. No other P or K was applied. The pH was increased to 5.7, while this is a big increase there is still work to be done on this field. Application of another 600-1000 lbs will bring this field into optimal range.

Don't let the quarry cost you money in lost yields and higher fertilizer bills. Apply SuperCal 98G up to planting to increase yields and make soil nutrients available to plants this year.

Every year you wait to apply lime could cost you $200 or more per acre in lost opportunity. Ask your dealer to apply SuperCal 98G today or find one that will on our dealer locator.

http://www.lesspub.com/cgi-bin/site.pl?332&ceNews_newsID=6043

This article discusses the role that calcium, when bound to a protein, has by prompting plants to make salicylic acid when it is threatened by infection or other danger.  Salicylic acid (SA), let's see, it has been a while since chemistry class.  Oh yeah, it is related chemically to aspirin!  According to the director of the study, B.W. Poovaiah, it has been known that plants make SA for quite a while (> than 100 years), but the role of calcium in telling a plant to make SA has been unknown up to now.

Wow!  This is good stuff!  I mean one of the biggest reasons that I chose agronomy over animal science was a remark that I remember from freshmen orientation.  Animals give very specific, unmistakable indications when they are not feeling well or under stress.  Plants, well let's just say that they are often more subtle about it.  But this article helps us understand that they too are not passive about putting together a defense plan to ward off infection.

The downside?  Plants that have high levels of SA will be very resistant to infection, but have slower growth.  Plants with too little SA will grow very rapidly, but are susceptible to infection.  Makes sense, many things in life & nature follow the rule that some is good but too much or too little causes problems.
 
Another great reason to make sure that you don't neglect calcium nutrition when finalizing your crop plans for 2009.  SuperCal 98G & SO4 are both great sources of calcium, that's why they are called Super!  Why not try some today & give your crop a head start (but not a headache).

"We will focus on our strengths: increasing sales, maximizing margins, capturing service revenues, and implementing new technology."

I would think that they would want to focus on increasing patron income, maximizing yields, reducing input costs, and working for the success of the patron.

The goals of a company shouldn't be at odds with that of their customers. In fact the really successful companies focus on creating customer value, not just selling them products.

If your supplier is more interested in selling you a product and increasing their bottom line than increasing yours, I'd look for a new supplier.

SULFUR FERTILIZER RESEARCH TRIALS ON CORN Summary of Research Trials 2007-2008 Summarizing results of 45 trials across the 2 years, 62% of the sites had a statistically significant yield increase to applied S fertilizer.  The across-site yield increase averaged 13 bu/acre for all sites.  Analyzed across S rates, the economic optimum S rate was 16 lb S/acre for fine-textured soils and 23 lb S/acre for coarse-textured soils. The research indicates that S application is an economically viable fertilization practice on many soils.  However, the research also shows that corn does not respond to S application in all fields or field areas.  The best way to determine this is to conduct 1 or more sulfur fertilizer strips trial on your own farm.   The research confirms that (1) The S soil test is no help in determining need for S fertilizer; (2) Plant analysis of %S in ear leaves sampled at VT is not accurate enough to determine S need either; (3) While organic matter is an important source of S, it is not a clear deciding factor either for S fertilization.  (4) The only absolute has been the need for S on a sand or loamy sand soil lacking a recent manure application.  In addition, this work indicates that more research is needed regarding plant and soil S tests, plant canopy S stress sensing, site characteristics, and S deposition in order to develop better predictive indices of S deficiency and need for S fertilization.  Hopefully one of these tools conducted that right way could provide better decision making and enhance positive economic return to S fertilization for producers.   I Need a Few Serious Cooperators for 2009 ISU wants to establish 6 on-farm field scale replicated strip-trial in northeast Iowa in 2009.  I am looking for the following: 1)  Fields with no manure or sulfur fertilizer applications for at least the last 5 years. 2)  A farmer &/or ag supplier willing to take the time to make sure that the field gets spread properly.      a)  The product must be calcium sulfate (gypsum).      b)  Application most likely done with a spinner spreader as a separate application from other fertilizer applications, alternating strips the entire length of the field with a minimum of 4 strips with sulfur and 4 strips without sulfur.      c)  Application best done early April (or late March if field conditions are okay), before other spring field operations pick up speed.  It could be applied before or after any secondary tillage passes, or also surface applied on no-till.      d)  The strips are properly flagged. 3)  Harvest could be done with a yield monitor (preferred) or weigh wagon.  If by yield monitor, we would like a copy of the harvest data file.   Please email me if you are interested.  As usual, I have no money to put towards this project.  Any interested individual should be interested because they want to know if sulfur fertilizer can help their operation.  Currently we do not have any analytical tool (soil test, plant analysis, etc.) that helps us determine if the corn crop needs sulfur.  So this trial will help you on your farm, but you would have to afford the sulfur fertilizer and the extra time to harvest the trial.  ISU would be 100% responsible for conducting some additional tasks in these trials, including:  soil test, plant analysis, plant sensor readings, and a small plot multiple-rate sulfur trial overlaid in an untreated check strip. Brian J Lang ISU Extension Agronomist 911 S. Mill Street, Decorah, IA 52101 Ph 563-382-2949 Fax 563-382-2940 Email bjlang@iastate.edu

Mark Wuebker will be conducting similar trials in the Des Moines/Ankeny area. Anyone interested in participating in these strip trials should contact Mark or Brian.

Mark Wuebker
ISU Extension Agronomist
1625 ADVENTURELAND DR STE A, ALTOONA, IA 50009-2249
Phone: (515) 957-5778
Fax: (515) 967-6164
Email: mwuebker@iastate.edu

Calcium Products will be assisting Iowa State in this research.

Stem Canker and Charcoal Rot in Soybeans Mar. 4, 2009 Source: University of Wisconsin By early August 2008, reports started coming in to county Extension offices and the University of Wisconsin of soybean fields with symptoms similar to Phytophthora root rot (PRR). Because many of these fields were planted to varieties containing the Rps 1k gene, serious concern arose over the breakdown of resistance to PRR conferred by this gene. The 2008 growing season was one of extremes. Heavy rains early in the year led to flooded field conditions and anxiety about diseases caused by Pythium and Phytophthora. Then the rains stopped, fields dried out, and drought-like conditions occurred throughout much of the state. In spite of these dry conditions, by early August reports started coming in to county extension offices and the University of Wisconsin of soybean fields with symptoms similar to PRR. Because many of these fields were planted to varieties containing the Rps 1k gene, serious concern arose over the breakdown of resistance to PRR conferred by this gene.

Phytophthora root rot is a disease commonly a associated with low avialable soil calcium and low soil oxygen. See our previous article on root rot. Increasing the calcium increase root growth and vigor. Adding calcium to the soil will also increase oxygen to the soil helping to slow the pathogen.

Even if you have high pH you may be short on calcium. Hydrogen is the only thing that pH measures and has nothing to do with calcium availablity. SuperCal SO4 increases soil calcium and doesn't rasie pH.

SuperCal SO4 is an excellent way to inexpensivly reduce root rots. As an added benift you'll see a reduction in white mold too.

Spring is closer than the weather would have us believe and to get the most out of your soil applied herbicides you'll need proper soil pH. I wrote a great article on this a few years ago and think many of you will find it helpful

http://www.calciumproducts.com/eletters/0705_eletter_print_version_for_blog.pdf

Another great resource is the book Weeds and Why They Grow. Careful planning now can save resprays and yield!

Think there might be a reason someone would pay you to use a product?

Wonder what else you get for "free" in power plant gypsum (coal ash, fly ash)?

This is a great article discussing the problems with power plant gypsum.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-in-soil

SuperCal SO4 95% pure, has no Arsenic, and is currently under organic review.

We added 400 lbs of SuperCal 98G in one strip. The farmer has a yield monitor and we weighed the strip. It was 20 bushels better than the field average. This was on soybeans.

When looking at the soil analysis it is not hard to predict such a response.

When half of the cationic nutrients are hydrogen, which isn't used for growth, it's no suprise that you would have a dramatic yield increase.

When  I spoke to the farmer recently asking if he was liming this the rest of the field he astutly said "Yes, liming doen't cost, it pays!"

Books bought but unread;

• Roots Demystified, Robert Bourik
• Building Soils for Better Crops, Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es
• More Food From Soil Science, The Natural Chemistry of Lime,  V. A. Tiedjens
• From The Soil Up, Donald L. Schriefer

Books bought and worthy of your attention;

How Soils Work, Paul Syltie, PH. D.  This book is a very basic introduction into the workings of the soil. I read about 2/3rds of it the first time I picked it up. It's a quick read and much of this is a refresher for me. This is a great book for anyone who has not taken a university soils course

Weeds and Why They Grow, review here

Soil Fertility & Animal Health by William A. Albrecht, Ph.D.  , I have read a few chapters of this book. I have been told by many well known consultants that this is "the" book to read on soils. However, Dr. Albrecht was a great scientist and as such his papers read like a science journal. You have to want to read this one, and be ready for some work. While I have to force myself to pick up this book and read a chapter from time to time, I always pick up extremely useful information.

Last night I started Bread From Stones, by Julius Hensel.  This book was originally written in 1893 in German, and has since been translated to English. It is a quick read, though a little tough as grammar and names for elements are a little different today than over 100 years ago.

Hensel goes into detail the dangers of over applying nitrogen to fields, the dangers of ammonia to animals and how to raise high quality meat, dairy and eggs, and backs it up with chemistry that still holds truth today, even if we've forgotten that basic chemistry principles.
The benefits of fine ground stones where known as far back as Roman times, and Hensel expands " �every little particle may be rendered accessible to the water and the air, and can, therefore be used as plant food. Thence it follows that one single load of the very finest stone-meal will do as much as twenty loads of coarser products, so that by reducing to the finest dust the cost for freight and carriage�would amount to one-twentieth."

We have known the benefits of finely ground stone dusts (meals) for decades. Many consultants still say it takes tons of lime to change tons of soil, if this were true; wouldn't it take a tone of MAP to raise your phosphorus levels? The reason it doesn't is because MAP is fine particles in prills, very reactive in the soil� kind of like SuperCal SO4 and SuperCal 98G!

We also talked to farmers from central Illinois and Michigan that we using our products. They have found that its worth the drive for SuperCal 98G and SuperCal SO4, the highest quality lime and gypsum anywhere.

And this picture caught my eye.

What does rims and calcium chloride have to do with soils and crops? Well Phil Globig with Rim Guard discovered years ago that the calcium chloride used to add ballast to tires is highly corrosive. Phil's company developed a better product that doesn't ruin your rims.

So what happens when you apply 0-0-60 (KCl, muriate of potash) to your soil? Ever wonder what the Cl in KCl stands for? It is chloride. When you apply KCl to high pH soil you create calcium chloride. Wonder why that high priced seed corn keeps falling over? It's tough to grow roots in soil that can rust tire rims.

Specific Heat is the measure of the heat energy required to increase the temperature of a unit quantity of a substance by a certain temperature interval. In simple terms it is how much propane does it take to raise the temperature in your barn 1 degree.

When you use SuperCal SO4 to stabilize ammonia in the manure, it is not released to the atmosphere of the barn. The specific heat of ammonia gas is 1.55. Water's specific heat is 1. Normal atmosphere is comprised of mainly Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%). The specific heat of Nitrogen gas is 0.777 and Oxygen is 1.33. Their combined specific heat is 0.885.

It takes 1.75 times more energy to heat ammonia as it does air! WOW!

Normal air has 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 0.9% Argon, 0.03% Carbon Dioxide and the last 0.7% is comprised of 13 other elements. In poultry barns ammonia can quickly become the 5th or 6th most abundant element, when it should be the lest abundant. Ammonia levels can get as high as 220 ppm but generally range from 7 to 177 ppm

Simply put if it would take 88.5 gallons of propane to heat a barn with normal air content and it would take 155 gallons to heat a barn that is 125ppm ammonia. In barns that have high ammonia there is the added cost of running exhaust fans, and the cost of heating air only to have it sucked out.

You thought fertilizer was expensive!

There are also other costs of high ammonia:

During winter, when ventilation rates are low, the ammonia concentrations in many houses will exceed the levels recommended by industry groups of maximum 50 ppm at bird level. However Anderson et al. (1964) showed that ammonia levels as low as 20 ppm compromised the immune system of chickens, making them more susceptible to diseases and damaged the respiratory system of the birds.

Treating your manure with SuperCal SO4 will result in higher rates of gain and lower death loss.

Ammonia emission of more than 100 lb of ammonia per day per site triggers federal reporting requirements through the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). According to Iowa State you could be emitting 1.5 lbs to 11.66 lbs per hour of ammonia.

Treating your manure with SuperCal SO4 will keep the government and paper work out of your life.

The U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a 15-minute exposure limit for gaseous ammonia of 35 ppm by volume in the environmental air and an 8-hour exposure limit of 25 ppm by volume. Exposure to very high concentrations of gaseous ammonia can result in lung damage and death.

So for about $0.12 per 100 birds you can make your own Ammonium Sulfate fertilizer, reduce the cost of heating and ventilating and increase your flock health, make more money and live to enjoy it!

I number of experienced agronomists spoke on many items. Here are some of the notes I took;

• Drying soil when doing a lab analysis increases sulfur readings
• Greatest soil S loss when K and Na are high
• Stunted plants and uneven crop emergence can be caused by sulfur deficiency
• 2010 should be a bad white mold year for soybeans
• Sencor can worsen white mold
• If your roots are not bright white you do not have enough available calcium
• May take 3 years to improve soils
• P:K ratio of 1:1 for proper growth and to reduce weeds

To Control Insects:

• Control Nitrate levels in the plant
• Keep plant Sugar high
• Keep available calcium high
• Use the right form of phosphate for your soil

For Higher Yields on Beans

1. Break Compaction
2. Get oxygen into the soil
3. Lime or Gypsum and apply manure
4. Meet early needs of the plant
5. Identify diseases and insect problems
6. Foliar Feed

And what you been waiting for my notes from Kip's talk (In my words)

• Crops should ripen with a green stalk, if not your not fertilizing properly
• Accurate planting is key, drills do not do this
• All seed emerging within 48 hour of the first plant
• 2" tall weeds remove 10% of yield that cannot be recovered

There was much more discussed but my key take-away was fertilize properly first, get your soil balanced and working then move on to other things. This was a great meeting for any farmer looking to improve yields. I highly suggest trying to make it to one of International Ag labs next meetings.

Ag lime is at best a 50% effective liming agent. That is on its best day, but what about the drift on application day and uneven spreading? What about the drift after application? What about the water that's in the ag lime when you bought it? How much water did you buy? What about the big boulders that show up in you lime load? In the field you might get 25% effectiveness from a ton of ag lime.

Lime Drifting off the field	Lime applied in small piles around the field

SuperCal 98G is proven to increase yield when applied with potash when lime is needed. Having the proper pH makes phosphorus more available. Having enough calcium in the soil increases root mass and improves plant health.

You're going to spend $5-10 per year on lime anyway, why would you wait until you have a problem to add lime? Maintain proper pH like you maintain proper P and K levels and make more money this year, not 7 years from now.

SuperCal 98G is a fertilizer grade lime, it is 98% pure calcium carbonate, ground extremely fine to make it a 91% effective liming agent. It is pelletized to standard fertilizer grade prills, making blending with all dry fertilizer easy. It's effectiveness means you get results in this cropping year.

SuperCal 98G maximum efficiency in uncertain times

So for those of you who cabin fever, garden or farm, here is a nice video from our fiends at International Ag Labs.

Bob Siems runs a small vegetable farm, hear in his own words how correcting soil problems has lead to huge increases in yields, and more importantly increases in quality of the produce and customer satisfaction.

Bob's big increase is mainly due to the large increase in available calcium in his soil. While Bob is working with vegetable crops International Ag labs works with many row crop farmers and has proven success in helping to increase productivity by correcting soil problems.

Nice video guys!

One person who has done some great research is L. Darrell Norton of the National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory.

Darrell conducted a two-year demonstrating successful results in reducing runoff volumes in agricultural applications. Addition of Gypsum to the soil not only improved infiltration, but also reduced run-off concentrations of Phosphorous and Atrazine. The study concluded that use of the gypsum amendment during application of fertilizer and herbicide treatments is a practical management approach in making agriculture more sustainable with respect to surface water quality. The findings were presented at the 9th Biennial Conference on Stormwater Research and Watershed Management.

The benefits of this type of grazing are increased gains and health of cattle as well as improvements to the soil. For more information go to http://www.carbonfarmersofamerica.com/index.htm

They found that Alum reduced the bacterial population by 50% and a 3x increase in the fungal population. While the bacteria reductions lower the ammonia volatilization loss, the increase in fungus increases the N mineralization.

The story reports that this study will help researchers develop better litter amendments. View the report at http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/37/6/2360

Ok, so what is Alum and what are the other choices in treating litter?

Alum is caustic, makes soil acidic, reduces the ability of crops to grow once spread on your fields, and is expensive.

Another choice for treating poultry litter is PLT. In addition to being astronomically expensive, anyone who willingly applies PLT treated litter to their fields is going to experience massive increases in sodium levels (a much bigger concern than ammonia).

While research is good, there is currently a product on the market that will treat ammonia for pennies, is easy to handle, doesn't cause soil problems, and is safe and natural.

We introduced SuperCal SO4 for treating manure in past blogs, The Smell of Money and Treating Manure with SuperCal SO4, here is what really happens when using different products to treat manure.

Warning - Significant amounts of chemistry below!

Alum

Also known as hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate, and Aluminum Sulfate

Carries an OSHA safety warning of Hazardous

Cost $70 for a 50# bag

How it works
10 NH₃ + 10 KAl(SO₄)2 + 12 H₂0 = 10 NH₄(SO₄)2 + 10 KOH + 10 Al 

Ammonia - NH₃ is produced in animal manure by the breakdown of urea and in poultry manure by the breakdown of uric acid. The gaseous emission of NH₃ can be inhibited if converted to ammonium - NH₄. Alum - KAl(SO₄)2, is an acid that produces hydrogen ions - H when it dissolves. The hydrogen ions produced by this reaction will attach to ammonia to form ammonium, which further reacts with sulfate ions to form ammonium sulfate - NH₄(SO₄)2
Ammonium sulfate - NH₄(SO₄)2, is an inorganic chemical compound commonly used as a fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen as ammonium ions and 24% sulfur as sulfate ions. In the soil the sulfate ion is released and forms bisulfate, lowering the pH balance of the soil while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth.

Potassium Hydroxide - KOH, also known as Caustic Potash is also produced. KOH is used in cleaning and disinfection.

Aluminum - Al, the final component of the reaction is a precipitation of aluminum.

Soil tests provide some great information to producers and consultants.  They ususally include such things as pH, buffer pH, and CEC along with nutrient levels like Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).  Some agronomists and producers look at the pH and then ignore everything else except for the recommendations based on yield.  This might not be the best strategy for long term soil health.

There are some people who advocate looking at the relative proportions of the cations (Hydrogen, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium) in the soil and trying to achieve a balanced level of fertility.  This would be equivalent to achieving a balanced livestock ration or human diet. 

A Virginia website which talks more about cation balancing can be found here:  www.vabf.org/soilre1.php . I think the author makes two very important points in the conclusion:

1) A foliar or tissue test will show what the plant is actually using.  This may be different than what a soil test indicates.

2) There is no substitute for the knowledge that a farmer has about the land he is managing. 

The main component of the smell is ammonia, a nitrogen source. While your neighbors may call it a nuisance, it's really the smell of crop nutrients evaporating. This is called volatilization loss. With the cost of fertilizer high and the price for corn low, everyone is looking to reduce the cost of applied N.

Ammonia losses following land application of manure could reach up to 95% of the total manure nitrogen-ammonium (N-NH4) content. The amount of N-NH4 lost depends on the manure characteristics and the environmental conditions.

Research has demonstrated that SuperCal SO4 can effectively reduce ammonia losses through a binding effect. SuperCal SO4 combines with ammonia to create a complex salt that prevents ammonia loss, while increasing plant N uptake. Our customer's claim they are saving over 50% of the ammonia normally lost to volatilization.

In addition to saving expensive nitrogen, SuperCal SO4 also adds sulfur to the manure making it a better fertilizer when applied to your fields. Our customers also report less foot problems in feedlot cattle and less disease in dairy dry stalls.

Do your bottom line a favor, repair relations with neighbors by adding SuperCal SO4 to your barns and lots. For rates and applications check out our past article Treating Manure with SuperCal SO4.

On our page you will find a number of reports from past years. The Fertilizer bureau does not check every quarry every quarter so you may have to check some old reports to find your quarry.

If your soil test calls for 2 tons of 90% ECCE ag lime, and your local quarry only has 45% ag lime then you will need to apply 4 tons to meet the requirements of your soil test. This is why many farmers complain that they applied ag lime and saw no results... they didn't apply enough to do any good. More importantly they applied too much product that will never do any good for them, wasting valuable input dollars.

Much of the limestone in Iowa either has too much inert ingredients (clay, sand, marl, etc.) or is not crushed fine enough to get results in your life time. Make sure your money is working for you and not buying garbage.

SuperCal 98G is crushed to minus 100 mesh, meaning it's finer than ag lime and pelletized to reach the field where it goes to work making you money instantly. The purity and fineness combine to make it 5 times more effective than 1 ton of ag lime.

Take a day to listen to Kip Cullers and other talk about what it takes to grow high yielding soybeans.

International Ag Labs is sponsoring the Soybean Summit - Pushing the Yields on Soybeans, January 19th, 2009 in Fairmont, Minnesota.

You can bet that I will be there!

This time of year many growers are determining their game plan for next year. Some will do what it takes to grow a winning crop and some have been watching too much news and will make dramatic cuts, already planning on not topping last year.

I know the markets are low and inputs are still high. This year things are a going to be a little tougher than the past few years, and planning for the worst only ensures it. Planning to succeed, and looking for a new solution is the only way to maintain production and income in an environment like today.

So when you turn on a bowl game this week and it's a blowout, take those 3 hours and start planning on blowing out the bins next fall.

Merry Christmas

Glen has spent a number of years in retail agronomy management, sold and serviced GPS equipment, farmed and served in the Iowa Army National Guard. We know Glen's background in leadership, sales and agronomy will be an asset to Calcium Products and our dealers.

Welcome aboard Glen!

Hwy 6 is dedicated to the Rural Lifestyle, not just farming. What does that mean? Hwy 6 is dedicated to all those living out side of a large urban area, to those people that have the country in there blood. To anyone with a garden, a few cattle, to the guy who works full-time and farms the other 16 hours in a day.

If your up by 8am next Sunday, check it out while your having your morning coffee, and if you can't wait, check out the interview I had here

Did you know you have options other than replanting� if you start now with fall fertility.

Current recommendations to control root rot are:

• Choosing the right variety
• Improve soil drainage
• Fungicide seed treatments can be used to reduce the early season damping off
• Avoid applying high levels of potash

Many growers will not want to reduce their applied potash for fear of yield loss, fungicides have shown to help, tilling can improve drainage, and the variety that may yield the best under normal conditions may not have resistance to root rot.

What if there was a product that could improve soil drainage, making tile work better, add nutrients to increases soybean yields, and helps with potash uptake? What if you could replace a fertilizer you are already using and it costs less?

Lucky for you there is, its called SuperCal So4 pelletized gypsum. You can use it as your primary sulfur source since it has 17% sulfur in the sulfate form. That means it works right away in any pH. SuperCal SO4 help drainage tile works better, increases yields, and increases nutrient uptake.

While no University is currently doing any research on reducing root rot on soybeans with gypsum, lots are looking at gypsum on other crops. Gypsum has shown to reduce root rot on many other crops.

Root Rot in Avocado
Infection of avocado seedlings by Phytophthora cinnamomi in infested soil was decreased by 71% by the addition of gypsum soil amendments in replicated greenhouse experiments.
 
From: Effects of Gypsum Soil Amendments on Avocado Growth, Soil Drainage, and Resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi. B. J. Messenger, J. A. Menge, and E. Pond, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92521

Red Stele in Strawberries 
Gypsum applied at 6 tons/acre either in the fall or spring prior to planting strawberries significantly reduced the incidence and severity of red stele (Red stele is caused by the soil borne fungus Phytophthora fragariae) in the spring, one year after planting compared to untreated soil. The severity of red stele remained significantly lower in plots amended with gypsum applied at 6 tons/acre in the spring, compared to untreated plots for up to 2 years after  application.

 From:  Effect of rate and timing of gypsum soil amendments on the incidence and severity of red stele in strawberries  M.J. Celetti,  C. Kessel, P. Fisher, J. DeEl, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Guelph, Ontario; Simcoe, Ontario

Note: Customers of ours have reported better results with 300# of SuperCal SO4 than 3 tons of gypsum sourced on the west coast.

Raspberry -- Root Rot
Cause: Root rot is a major disease complex of raspberry in the Pacific Northwest. Many fungi and fungus-like microorganisms associated with cane fruit root rots are associated with strawberry black root rot. Phytophthora fragariae var. rubi causes a typical wet-soil root rot on some red raspberry cultivars throughout the region.
Cultural Control: Amend soil with gypsum (6 tons/A) before making raised beds and planting.

From: http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=954

Note: Customers of ours have reported better results with 300# of SuperCal SO4 than 3 tons of gypsum sourced on the west coast.

In a world of high priced fertilizers it's nice that you have alternatives. Not only will SuperCal SO4 cost you less per pound of sulfur than anything on the market, you have the benefits of increased soil drainage, increased nutrient uptake, and reduction in soil borne disease!

SuperCal SO4 a real bargain in a high priced market.

With commodity prices sliding, farmers have been questioning every input. One that we deal with is, isn't ag lime cheaper and lasts longer than SuperCal 98G?

In many cases for equivalent rates of SuperCal 98G is actually cheaper than ag lime. This is because since 100% of 98G works in the field, you have to haul less to the field. Most ag lime is only 50% effective, but you'll pay the truck freight for the whole ton. Since SuperCal 98G is pelleted it can be spread with other fertilizers reducing application costs. Also you do not lose hundreds of pounds of 98G to drift like with ag lime.

What about longevity of lime? Isn't ag lime the best choice for a landowner? We don't think so, and here's why. The longevity of ag lime is due to how coarse it is. Since most ag lime averages 20-30 mesh, after 4 years is only 45% available. Or to put in another way you spend $40 per acre for 2 tons of lime and don't get a payback for 8 years.

Think of lime like phosphates, you could put 8 years of phosphate out and you technically wouldn't be wasting your money, it becomes available over a number of years. Is that really the most efficient way to apply phosphates? Not only do you tie up a tremendous amount of money, you could be throwing your soil out of balance and making some nutrients unavailable. This is exactly what happens when you only lime every 3-5 years.

There is a much more efficient way to lime, a way the returns money on your investment in the same year. In a test plot I had with a neighbor we applied 400# of SuperCal 98G after the corn was planted and received a 30-bushel gain. That's a return of $150 for $25 investment in the same year.

"Our findings should help scientists understand how plant ecosystems respond to soil calcium depletion and to design appropriate strategies to protect the environment," said Zhen-Ming Pei, a Duke University biologist who led the study, which is published in the March 9, issue of the journal Science."

To grow, a plant needs a reliable supply of calcium, which enters the plant dissolved in water the roots take in from surrounding soil. As the water circulates through a plant, dissolved calcium gets shuttled where it is needed to give the plant's cells their structural rigidity. But calcium supplies coming into the plant cycle up and down over the course of the day, dropping to a minimum at night.

"Calcium is a key regulator of vital physiological functions in both plants and animals," said Maryanna Henkart, director of NSF's Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. "The discovery of the relationship between calcium in soil, in plant cells, and cellular mechanisms sheds new light on the role of this important mineral in plant growth and development."

Plants use molecular sensors and flows of chemical messengers to detect and regulate the storage and distribution of vital nutrients such as water and calcium. To track the calcium sensors in the laboratory plant Arabidopsis, Pei and his coworkers used molecules originally found in jellyfish that emit light in the presence of calcium. To deduce the calcium sensor's role, the researchers also introduced an altered version of the sensor protein that abolishes the sensor's effects.

According to Pei, the sensors try to detect how much calcium there is and coordinate that level with growth and development. "If the sensors detect there is not enough calcium, they may tell the plant to hold off on growing, at least until it gets more calcium."

Although acid rain robs soil of much of its calcium, enough is still left for plants to live on, Pei added. But he suspects that sensors may misinterpret "less" as "too little" in those plants and unnecessarily signal for growth shutdowns.

"Some soils have lost as much as 75 percent of their calcium during the past century," Pei said. "One way to respond is to add new calcium to the soil. But we can't do that everywhere that it's needed, and it is also expensive. Perhaps a plant's calcium sensors could instead be tricked into interpreting "less" as "still enough" and keep building new cell walls."

Read the full version here: -NSF-

When Under Attack, Plants Can Signal Microbial Friends For Help

The finding quashes the misperception that plants are "sitting ducks"--at the mercy of passing pathogens--and sheds new light on a sophisticated signaling system inside plants that rivals the nervous system in humans and animals.

and

From: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041005075521.htm

How Roots Control Plant Shoots: Biologists Discover Gene That Helps Roots Limit Leaf Growth

University of Utah biologists discovered a gene that allows a plant's roots to tell the leaves to stop growing, presumably when water is scarce, soil is too compacted or other conditions are bad.

I found these two article very interesting, but what does that mean to a corn and soybean farmer? To grow higher yielding crops we really must focus more on the soil. These means much more than just N-P and K, it means making sure that the 20 nutirents for growth are available, that you do not have a hard pan, that the soil drains properly, has a good soil density so that benificial bacteria and biology can thrive to help you crops grow better.

We've been helping farmers develop better soil quality for over 10 years, SuperCal 98G and SuperCal SO4 is a good start... once you've taken proper soil samples. Contact one of our dealers or give us a call, now is the perfect time to get started making better soil!

So what are you going to do with your fertility plan? Cut dramatically due to the drop in commodities? Shoot for maximum yield as always? Cut P and K and wait for the drop in fertilizer? Do you even have a plan?

Yes fertilizer is expensive, yes the commodity market is tanking, but are you going to take a double hit of lower yields and lower prices? While it may not be a yield to build your P and K levels, if they are low (under 15ppm Bray P and 100ppm K at 10 CEC) then it will more than pay to add them in.

What about your pH? Think you can afford to forgo the lime. At a pH of 6 you could be missing out on an additional$200 of income at today's prices , even more if you pH is lower.

The cost of SuperCal 98G has remained relatively unchanged over the past 3 years making it this year's best value. The University of Wisconsin has stated that liming where needed can increase yield 10%-40%.

So even if corn is $3 next year, and you can raise you yield from 150 to 165 a 10% increase and about a 2 to 1 return on investment in the same year when 98G is used (very conservative numbers used). Why spend $50-$100 per acre for tons of aglime and then wait 2-7 years for a return. Apply SuperCal 98G for a fraction of the cost and put grain in the bin in the same season.

Plants use inorganic minerals for nutrition. Complex interactions involving weathering of rock minerals, decaying organic matter, animals, and microbes take place to form inorganic minerals in soil. Roots absorb mineral nutrients as ions in soil water. Many factors influence nutrient uptake for plants. Ions can be readily available to roots or could be "tied up" by other elements or the soil itself. Soil too high in pH (alkaline) or too low (acid) makes minerals unavailable to plants.

FERTILITY OR NUTRITION

The term "fertility" refers to the inherent capacity of a soil to supply nutrients to plants in adequate amounts and in suitable proportions. The term "nutrition" refers to the interrelated steps by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and replacement of tissue. Previously, plant growth was thought of in terms of soil fertility or how much fertilizer should be added to increase soil levels of mineral elements. Most fertilizers were formulated to account for deficiencies of mineral elements in the soil. The use of soilless mixes and increased research in nutrient cultures and hydroponics as well as advances in plant tissue analysis have led to a broader understanding of plant nutrition. Plant nutrition is a term that takes into account the interrelationships of mineral elements in the soil or soilless solution as well as their role in plant growth. This interrelationship involves a complex balance of mineral elements essential and beneficial for optimum plant growth.

ESSENTIAL VERSUS BENEFICIAL

The term essential mineral element (or mineral nutrient) was proposed by Arnon and Stout (1939). They concluded three criteria must be met for an element to be considered essential. These criteria are: 1. A plant must be unable to complete its life cycle in the absence of the mineral element. 2. The function of the element must not be replaceable by another mineral element. 3. The element must be directly involved in plant metabolism. These criteria are important guidelines for plant nutrition but exclude beneficial mineral elements. Beneficial elements are those that can compensate for toxic effects of other elements or may replace mineral nutrients in some other less specific function such as the maintenance of osmotic pressure. The omission of beneficial nutrients in commercial production could mean that plants are not being grown to their optimum genetic potential but are merely produced at a subsistence level. This discussion of plant nutrition includes both the essential and beneficial mineral elements.

WHAT ARE THE MINERAL ELEMENTS?

There are actually 20 mineral elements necessary or beneficial for plant growth. Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) are supplied by air and water. The six macronutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) are required by plants in large amounts. The rest of the elements are required in trace amounts (micronutrients). Essential trace elements include boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni). Beneficial mineral elements include silicon (Si) and cobalt (Co). The beneficial elements have not been deemed essential for all plants but may be essential for some.

The distinction between beneficial and essential is often difficult in the case of some trace elements. Cobalt for instance is essential for nitrogen fixation in legumes. Silicon, deposited in cell walls, has been found to improve heat and drought tolerance and increase resistance to insects and fungal infections. Silicon, acting as a beneficial element, can help compensate for toxic levels of manganese, iron, phosphorus and aluminum as well as zinc deficiency. A more holistic approach to plant nutrition would not be limited to nutrients essential to survival but would include mineral elements at levels beneficial for optimum growth.

With developments in analytical chemistry and the ability to eliminate contaminants in nutrient cultures, the list of essential elements may well increase in the future.

THE ELEMENTS OF COMPLETE PLANT NUTRITION

The following is a brief guideline of the role of essential and beneficial mineral nutrients that are crucial for growth. Eliminate any one of these elements, and plants will display abnormalities of growth, deficiency symptoms, or may not reproduce normally.

Macronutrients

Nitrogen is a major component of proteins, hormones, chlorophyll, vitamins and enzymes essential for plant life. Nitrogen metabolism is a major factor in stem and leaf growth (vegetative growth). Too much can delay flowering and fruiting. Deficiencies can reduce yields, cause yellowing of the leaves and stunt growth.

Phosphorus is necessary for seed germination, photosynthesis, protein formation and almost all aspects of growth and metabolism in plants. It is essential for flower and fruit formation. Low pH (<4) results in phosphate being chemically locked up in organic soils. Deficiency symptoms are purple stems and leaves; maturity and growth are retarded. Yields of fruit and flowers are poor. Premature drop of fruits and flowers may often occur. Phosphorus must be applied close to the plant's roots in order for the plant to utilize it. Large applications of phosphorus without adequate levels of zinc can cause a zinc deficiency.

Potassium is necessary for formation of sugars, starches, carbohydrates, protein synthesis and cell division in roots and other parts of the plant. It helps to adjust water balance, improves stem rigidity and cold hardiness, enhances flavor and color on fruit and vegetable crops, increases the oil content of fruits and is important for leafy crops. Deficiencies result in low yields, mottled, spotted or curled leaves, scorched or burned look to leaves.

Sulfur is a structural component of amino acids, proteins, vitamins and enzymes and is essential to produce chlorophyll. It imparts flavor to many vegetables. Deficiencies show as light green leaves. Sulfur is readily lost by leaching from soils and should be applied with a nutrient formula. Some water supplies may contain Sulfur.

Magnesium is a critical structural component of the chlorophyll molecule and is necessary for functioning of plant enzymes to produce carbohydrates, sugars and fats. It is used for fruit and nut formation and essential for germination of seeds. Deficient plants appear chlorotic, show yellowing between veins of older leaves; leaves may droop. Magnesium is leached by watering and must be supplied when feeding. It can be applied as a foliar spray to correct deficiencies.

Calcium activates enzymes, is a structural component of cell walls, influences water movement in cells and is necessary for cell growth and division. Some plants must have calcium to take up nitrogen and other minerals. Calcium is easily leached. Calcium, once deposited in plant tissue, is immobile (non-translocatable) so there must be a constant supply for growth. Deficiency causes stunting of new growth in stems, flowers and roots. Symptoms range from distorted new growth to black spots on leaves and fruit. Yellow leaf margins may also appear.

Micronutrients

Iron is necessary for many enzyme functions and as a catalyst for the synthesis of chlorophyll. It is essential for the young growing parts of plants. Deficiencies are pale leaf color of young leaves followed by yellowing of leaves and large veins. Iron is lost by leaching and is held in the lower portions of the soil structure. Under conditions of high pH (alkaline) iron is rendered unavailable to plants. When soils are alkaline, iron may be abundant but unavailable. Applications of an acid nutrient formula containing iron chelates, held in soluble form, should correct the problem.

Manganese is involved in enzyme activity for photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen metabolism. Deficiency in young leaves may show a network of green veins on a light green background similar to an iron deficiency. In the advanced stages the light green parts become white, and leaves are shed. Brownish, black, or grayish spots may appear next to the veins. In neutral or alkaline soils plants often show deficiency symptoms. In highly acid soils, manganese may be available to the extent that it results in toxicity.

Boron is necessary for cell wall formation, membrane integrity, calcium uptake and may aid in the translocation of sugars. Boron affects at least 16 functions in plants. These functions include flowering, pollen germination, fruiting, cell division, water relationships and the movement of hormones. Boron must be available throughout the life of the plant. It is not translocated and is easily leached from soils. Deficiencies kill terminal buds leaving a rosette effect on the plant. Leaves are thick, curled and brittle. Fruits, tubers and roots are discolored, cracked and flecked with brown spots.

Zinc is a component of enzymes or a functional cofactor of a large number of enzymes including auxins (plant growth hormones). It is essential to carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis and internodal elongation (stem growth). Deficient plants have mottled leaves with irregular chlorotic areas. Zinc deficiency leads to iron deficiency causing similar symptoms. Deficiency occurs on eroded soils and is least available at a pH range of 5.5 - 7.0. Lowering the pH can render zinc more available to the point of toxicity.

Copper is concentrated in roots of plants and plays a part in nitrogen metabolism. It is a component of several enzymes and may be part of the enzyme systems that use carbohydrates and proteins. Deficiencies cause die back of the shoot tips, and terminal leaves develop brown spots. Copper is bound tightly in organic matter and may be deficient in highly organic soils. It is not readily lost from soil but may often be unavailable. Too much copper can cause toxicity.

Molybdenum is a structural component of the enzyme that reduces nitrates to ammonia. Without it, the synthesis of proteins is blocked and plant growth ceases. Root nodule (nitrogen fixing) bacteria also require it. Seeds may not form completely, and nitrogen deficiency may occur if plants are lacking molybdenum. Deficiency signs are pale green leaves with rolled or cupped margins.

Chlorine is involved in osmosis (movement of water or solutes in cells), the ionic balance necessary for plants to take up mineral elements and in photosynthesis. Deficiency symptoms include wilting, stubby roots, chlorosis (yellowing) and bronzing. Odors in some plants may be decreased. Chloride, the ionic form of chlorine used by plants, is usually found in soluble forms and is lost by leaching. Some plants may show signs of toxicity if levels are too high.

Nickel has just recently won the status as an essential trace element for plants according to the Agricultural Research Service Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory in Ithaca, NY. It is required for the enzyme urease to break down urea to liberate the nitrogen into a usable form for plants. Nickel is required for iron absorption. Seeds need nickel in order to germinate. Plants grown without additional nickel will gradually reach a deficient level at about the time they mature and begin reproductive growth. If nickel is deficient plants may fail to produce viable seeds.

Sodium is involved in osmotic (water movement) and ionic balance in plants.

Cobalt is required for nitrogen fixation in legumes and in root nodules of nonlegumes. The demand for cobalt is much higher for nitrogen fixation than for ammonium nutrition. Deficient levels could result in nitrogen deficiency symptoms.

Silicon is found as a component of cell walls. Plants with supplies of soluble silicon produce stronger, tougher cell walls making them a mechanical barrier to piercing and sucking insects. This significantly enhances plant heat and drought tolerance. Foliar sprays of silicon have also shown benefits reducing populations of aphids on field crops. Tests have also found that silicon can be deposited by the plants at the site of infection by fungus to combat the penetration of the cell walls by the attacking fungus. Improved leaf erectness, stem strength and prevention or depression of iron and manganese toxicity have all been noted as effects from silicon. Silicon has not been determined essential for all plants but may be beneficial for many.
 

Source: http://retirees.uwaterloo.ca/~jerry/orchids/nutri.html

I found this great article from Greg Patterson on Calcium Nutrition in Plants. If there are other crops calcium can improve the quality and longevity of storage why should grain be any different.

A number of our customers have mentioned that grain storage problems have all but disappeared once they started using our products. This is something we will be doing research on in the future.

While I have not run the numbers, but if your spending lots of money on drying costs and fumigation, you likely have low plant available calcium. Why not fix you soil, reduce your drying and storage costs and avoid a crop loss due to spoilage.

The third is "Weeds and Why They Grow", by Jay L. McCamon. I finally decided to finish this one when out at Husker Harvest Days 2 weeks ago, some colleagues and I were walking through the corn plots and noticed an abundance of black nightshade. I told my colleagues that that indicated a fertility imbalance. None really took me seriously.

It's tough for many to accept that weeds grow because of certain soil conditions. Weeds are not the problem; they are the symptoms of problems. The origin of the word "weed" is "weod" meaning "little herb" If herbs are intended for healing, then weeds are also for healing of the soil.

I have personal experience with this. I am conducting a test plot on the field surrounding my house. The main weeds are foxtail, dandelion, and curly dock. The soil samples came back showing low organic matter, and low calcium. Infield observations were hard pan 6-8" little water infiltration, and poor soil structure.

What does Weeds and Why They Grow say, foxtail, dandelion, and curly dock are all weeds that grow in low calcium soils. Foxtail and curly dock like low humus, curly dock also likes hard soils, and foxtail likes poor drainage.

Many weeds act as collectors of minerals. When they die and decay the minerals from the plant are added back to the soil in a form available to plants. The roots systems of many weeds can penetrate deep into the subsoil to loosen it. They also bring up minerals and make it possible for the root systems of less vigorous plants to follow.

Fredrick Clements, an eminent botanist stated, " Each plant is an indicator". The purpose of weeds is to correct soil problems. The common dandelion seems to thrive on bringing calcium back to the soil surface to become available as the plant decays. Broad leaf weeds like a soil environment in which the available potash exceeds the available phosphate. If the potash continues to increase relative to the phosphate, a point may be reached where herbicides cannot control the broadleaf weeds.

Calcium is the element that causes the soil particles to move apart for aeration and drainage. Magnesium makes the particles stick together. One soil consultant has determined that is some soils the excess magnesium is held as trimagnesium ortho phosphate, Mg3(PO4)2-22H2O. Notice that the last part of the formula is twenty-two molecules of water. Is it any wonder that soils high in magnesium tend to dry and crack when water is tied up in a compound instead of available to plants? Note two that phosphate is tied to the magnesium.

What about that field at Husker Harvest Days? Well without a soil test it is hard to know for sure but according to "Weeds and Why They Grow", Black Nightshade likes low calcium, low phosphates, very high potash, very high magnesium, low humus levels, low soil porosity, anaerobic soils, hard sticky soils, and high levels of aluminum.

To find out about other weeds check out this great reference book. As I finish the other 7 books I will comment on the ones that are worthy.

Because of this tremendous growth we are currently looking for a couple of sales people. If you or anyone you know is looking to make a career change have them click on the links to view and apply for the jobs:

http://www.agcareers.com/job.cfm?task=view&id=116842
or
http://www.agcareers.com/job.cfm?task=view&id=115213

Thanks for making us a part of your open house and good luck this fall!

We will be at many shows this winter, check out our calendar to see which ones we will be at. Stop by with your questions or just let us know how our products have helped on your farm.

In fact we are so sure that we will "Prove It" to you. Work with one of our qualified dealers, apply SuperCal SO4 or SuperCal 98G, soil and tissue sample, (we'll pay for them) record the yield at harvest.

For more details, go to http://www.calciumproducts.com/prove-it.cfm

Find out if your dealer sells SuperCal 98G and SuperCal SO4 on our dealer locator.

Potassium availability, and/or rate of exchange, can be enhanced by one or more of the following:
1. Optimum potassium soil test levels per C.E.C. range and percent magnesium values.
2. K2O fertilizer applied in bands.
    a. Starter
    b. Surface band
    c. Subsurface band
    d. Combination of (a) + (b) or (a) + (c).
3. Improve soil aeration
4. Adequate exchangeable soil calcium.
    a. Calcium increases potassium adsorption into the plant (2).
    b. Use calcitic lime on acid soils excess in magnesium.
    c. Use gypsum where soil pH is greater than 6.4 on soils with excess magnesium.
    d. Calcium additions can help alleviate soil compaction zones and promotes good soil structure

From: SOIL & FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOILS EXCESS IN MAGNESIUM

See more information from Midwest Labs

New pastures are known to be high in nitrate, especially the faster they grow, the more toxic they can become. Hybrid ryegrass is one of the most dangerous. If reseeding pastures this fall make sure to add edible clover which normally do not have high nitrate levels.

Nitrate poisoning has been on the rise in the past decade, this could be due to the reluctance of today's generation to lime pastures (molybdenum levels drop with acid soils), increase use of urea on pastures, and less sulfur naturally being applied due to clean air laws.

Nitrate Toxicity is aggravated by:

• Excess N application in the autumn after a dry period of no growth
• Rain and warmth after a no-grow period
• Fast plant growth
• Stressed plants, from drought, hot wind, frost, and hail
• Low sunshine
• Fast eating by underfed, hungry animals
• Low pasture molybdenum - below 0.5 ppm, 1.6 ppm is optimum
• Molybdenum levels above 4 ppm, especially if pasture sulfur is low
• Low sulfur levels, below 0.25 ppm
• Low calcium and phosphorus levels
• Nitrate is highest in the morning, when rotating cattle wait until mid afternoon

While environment can have an impact on nitrate levels, having the proper soil nutrients in the proper levels is great insurance from nitrate poisoning. As a bonus you'll enjoy better pasture performance, and high gains from your animals.

Wednesday afternoon, CNBC's Fast Money program interviewed Mike Wilson, CEO of Agrium. Mr.Wilson Stated that demand is not falling off, supply will not meet demand for 3-5 years, they are in effect sold out, their inventory is so low they can't produce enough.

Might be time to really think about your fertilization program for next fall. You certainly don't want to short your yield with the price of corn, but does it really make sense to keep putting on high levels of expensive fertilizer (P-K)?

When was the last time you applied lime? When was the last time you soil sampled? Might be worth a couple of dollars an acre in lab costs to find out what you need and what you don't. When is the last time you applied micros like sulfur, boron, or copper?

Now is the time to start planning that fall fertilization. Lime prices are relatively unchanged and is a bargain compared to potash. It will also make any fertilizer you apply work better!

Call us, or one of our dealers, they can help you reduce your fertilizer costs, and still maintain yields, maybe even increase it!

From Ohio State: Fertilizer Prices Continue Higher - Barry Ward, Brian Freytag Retail fertilizer prices in Ohio continue to surge as a combination of strong world demand, supply shortages, supply disruptions, high energy/transportation costs and a weak U.S. dollar make for a bad combination for farmers looking to make purchases. Retail fertilizer price surveys show anhydrous ammonia prices to be 16% higher than they were in mid-March. Anhydrous Ammonia prices averaged $910 per ton on July 2nd compared to $782 per ton on March 26th. Retail UAN (28%) averaged $425/ton on July 2nd while UAN (28%) shipped direct to farm storage averaged $402/ton. Urea prices are significantly higher (36%), averaging $705/ton on July 2nd compared to $520/ton on March 26th. Phosphorous fertilizers prices continue to hit new records as MAP and DAP both are averaging over $1000 per ton. As of July 2nd our survey showed MAP averaging $1092/ton and DAP averaging $1195/ton. This compares to the March 26th spot prices of $914/ton for MAP and $917/ton for DAP. Potash is also experiencing big run-ups in price as the average price on July 2nd was $686/ton. This is a 24% increase over the March 26th price of $557/ton. Prices as of 6/17/08 Cost per lb. of actual N: Anhydrous Ammonia: $910/ton = $0.555/lb. of N UAN (28%): $425/ton = $0.759/lb. of N UAN (28%) Direct: $402/ton = $0.718/lb. of N Urea: $705/ton = $0.766/lb. of N Cost per lb. of actual P2O5 (value of N not considered for this illustration): MAP (11-52-0): $1092/ton = $1.05/lb. of P2O5 DAP (18-46-0): $1195/ton = $1.15/lb. of P2O5 Cost per lb. of actual K2O: Potash (0-0-60): $686/ton = $0.572/lb. of K2O

With the Fourth of July coming up, we are heading down to Hebron Nebraska to spend time with family. We are planning on spending a day with my brother and his wife and four kids. One of the things I have planned is to tell them the story of Jack and the Bean Stalk.

You may have heard it, or tell it pretty often. If you plant these "special seeds" all your dreams will come true, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, better standablity, better roots, all leading to higher yield, and more piece of mind.

Ok so it's not the popular version you heard as a kid, but sounds pretty similar.

Deep down we all want an easy solution to our problems. It would be really nice to solve all our problems with planting a different variety or brand of seed. We all know this is a fairy tale and can't possibly come true.

While it is important to plant the proper genetics on your soil, the point to not forget is the soil. If you don't know your soils pH and fertility levels it will be really had to match the right genetic to it. More over having soil that is properly fertilized will always out perform soil of poor fertility, in conditions of drought and heavy rainfall.

Properly fertilized corn and beans will also have higher sugar content. This is a natural deterrent to insects, as they cannot digest high sugar plants. The sugar ferments and turns to alcohol killing the little buggers. The good news is high sugar corn and beans will make a better feed source for livestock, have a higher test weight, and dry down better with less storage problems.

So when you get done listening to fairy tales thank the seed salesman for the fond memories of childhood, then get out your soil text books and start solving your problems.

Have a great Fourth of July!!

http://lancaster.unl.edu/ag/Crops/storm.shtml

The reason for my trip was to meet the owners of Wallace Laboratories. Calcium Products has long relied on the expertise of Dr. Arthur Wallace and Dr. Garn Wallace.

Many agronomists and researchers in the Midwest may not have heard of the Wallaces, however west of the Rockies they are well known.

The Wallaces have over 70 years of combined experience in plant physiology, soil science, ecology and plant nutrition with over 600 publications. They have authored special issues in Soil Science, Journal of Plant Nutrition, Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis.

These articles cover, revegetation of disturbed lands, plant analysis to assess mineral needs of plants, determination of normal and abnormal nutrient concentrations, chelated micronutrients in plant nutrition, iron nutrition, excess trace elements in soil and plants, multiple action factors on plant growth and improvement of the physical properties of soil.

In addition to numerous publications and laboratory services, Dr. Garn Wallace also offers consulting. When we at Calcium Products have a question that we can not find the answer to, 9 times out of 10 Dr. Garn Wallace will be able answer it.

Thanks again for letting us visit, and keep up the good work!

From left to right, Morris Marsolek, Craig Dick, Dr. Garn Wallace, Jim Milam, Dr. Arthur Wallace

Arthur Wallace, Ph. D., Professor Emeritus, UCLA, Department of Agricultural Sciences (Soil Science and Plant Nutrition). Dr. A Wallace organized the first Iron Symposia, which is still held every year at a different location around the world. He has written many paper about he benefits of gypsum and PAM.

Garn A. Wallace, pH. D. earned his doctorate degree from UCLA in the Department of Biochemistry. He worked as a research biochemist in the Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental sciences before forming Wallace Laboratories with Arthur Wallace. Garn has over 100 publications in the fields of plant nutrition, soil science, microbiology, plant physiology, ecology, soil conditioners, mineral excesses, water relationship in plants, mineral toxicities etc.

Wallace Labs is located at 365 Coral Circle, El Segundo, CA 90245, (310) 615-0116.

http://www.wlabs.com/default.cfm

Many of the books written by Drs. Wallace are available on their website.

White mold, also known as sclerotinia stem rot, is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. It appears as fluffy white mycelial growth, most prominently on the stems.
White mold is heavily influenced by weather and microclimatic conditions. Progress of the disease is favored by below-average air temperatures, high relative humidity, and soil moisture. When these conditions occur during the two weeks prior to peak flower on the lower stems, the disease incidence can be especially severe.

With higher commodity prices growers have been managing for higher yield levels. Many of the practices associated with these trends� shorter rotations, narrower rows, earlier planting�create a less healthy environment that favors white mold development.

At the Iowa State ICMC conference it was suggested to avoid white mold don't try and grow high yielding soybeans. Thanks for the help!

You could try a variety that is resistant to white mold, but those varieties are usually lower yielding than the susceptible genetics.

If you want high yielding white mold free soybeans, start with the soil. I showed Craig Grau, Professor of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin- Madison our research on stopping white mold. He told me that yes gypsum applied before planting is a great preventative to white mold.

See our research on white mold. Don't give up on high yielding soybeans, start with Super Cal SO4, pelletized gypsum

The rain continues to fall and questions related to replant decisions are common these days. The following are a few Iowa State University resources that will be of interest to many of you.

1.  Effect of Flooding on Emerged Soybeans (6/1/2008)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2008/0531PallePedersen2.htm

2.  Soybean Replant Decisions from Hail Damage and Flooded Fields (6/1/2008)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2008/0531PallePedersen.htm

3.  Replanting Corn - How Do You Get Rid of the Existing Stand? (6/1/2008)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2008/0531MikeOwen.htm

4.  Replant Options in Corn Fields (6/1/2008)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2008/0531MikeOwen2.htm

5.  Flooded Corn and Saturated Soils (5/30/2008)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2008/0530RogerElmoreLori+Abendroth.htm

6.  Now Grow! (No, Not You, Weeds) (5/27/2008)
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2008/0527pope.htm

While hoeing maybe your only option at this point in the season, wouldn't be best to adopt practices that reduce or eliminate crusting. Applying 150 to 300 pounds of SuperCal SO4 will prevent crusting on most soil types.

Think you can't afford it? For $15 to $30 per acre you can apply SuperCal SO4. What is the cost of hoeing, according to the University of Nebraska's 2008 Custom farming rates, $12 per acre? What about yield loss due to stand count? What if the field is crusted enough that stand is reduced enough that you have to replant?

200 bushel corn, 10% yield reduction due to stand loss, at $5 corn = $100 per acre lost to crusting.

SuperCal SO4 is not just insurance for crusting and yield loss. SuperCal SO4 provides 17% sulfur. It is the only source of sulfur that does not cause soil acidity, is plant available and will cost you less than other fertilizers. Iowa State reports that 82% of the sites had a statistically significant yield increase to applied S fertilizer, and yield increases averaged 15, 18, and 38 bu/acre.

Use SuperCal SO4, eliminate crusting, increase yields, and sell the rotary hoe.

What's the difference?

This article from Early To Rise does a good job explaining it.

It's Good to Know: Brand Names So Good, We Use Them All the Time By Suzanne Richardson Recently, Google has been up in arms because people are using "google" as a verb. That's all well and good when you're talking about using Google to google something. But when "google" applies to searching on any search engine, they get a little testy. And no wonder. It IS possible for a brand name to become so popular that it slips into the common vernacular... and loses all traces of its corporate identity in the process. Do you use facial tissue... or Kleenex? And if you blow your nose with Puffs or Scott, do you still call it kleenex? When you use the copy machine, are you photocopying or xeroxing? Kleenex and Xerox aren't alone. Zipper, elevator, cellophane, thermos, and escalator are other examples of brand names turned generic.   This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

All "Pel-Lime" is not the same. Pel-lime is the generic term for pelletized limestone. Anyone can pelletize any quality of limestone. The pelletizing doesn't make it better.

SuperCal 98G has a higher purity and is ground finer than any other "pel-lime" in the country. This makes it much more effective than all others. When applying pelletized lime, ask for SuperCal 98G.

I might have over done it on brats, burgers, cookies, and ice cream this weekend!
By Monday afternoon the only thing that sounded good was a couple of Rolaids and a nap.

The same thing happens when you over feed your soil. You don't get near the yield (enjoyment) from the last 50 pounds of nitrogen as the first 50. In fact adding too much nitrogen requires that you add lime to you soil. Liming your soil works like Rolaids in your belly. It reduces the acidity of the soil, so when you add more food (N), you enjoy higher yields.

With the costs of fertilizer inputs, now is the time to look at a program to lime fields that have proper fertility levels. By keeping you pH neutral you can increase plant available N, P, and K 25%-100% versus letting your soil get acid.

Avoid low available fertilizer, poor root growth, and low yields by keeping your pH neutral with SuperCal 98G

 "The Story of the Soil," by Cyril G. Hopkins, Professor of Soils and Crops, University of Illinois, 1910.

How well do you know the soil? If you're a professional farmer, agronomist, or consultant you should know it very well.

Just as you would expect your doctor to know the human body, or your tractor mechanic to understand electrical and hydraulic principles, you as a farmer, should know the soil.

Not knowing the soil and applying the same fertilizers as your neighbors is like taking the same medication your doctor prescribes your neighbor. Not very wise and potentially detrimental.

Planting is nearing and we'll soon be done with spraying. How will you spend your spare time this summer, watching baseball, or fishing? Will you decide that now is the time to really understand plant nutrition and what happens in the soil that creates your lively hood.

Where to start? Try these links.

http://books.google.com/books
Many free books available to read online

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
A number of free books to read online

I will be posting a list of books I am planning on reading this summer on a future blog.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Appropriate pasture management can enhance the nutrient cycle, increase productivity, and reduce costs. Two practical indicators of soil health are the number of earthworms and the percentage of organic matter in the soil.

Paddock design and stocking density can also affect the efficiency of nutrient cycling in a pasture system. Supplementation of natural fertility, based on soil tests, balances the soil's mineral composition, resulting in better plant and animal growth and increased soil health.

When nutrients cycle efficiently in a pasture system, they move through various soil organisms and pasture plants, then through the grazing animals, and back to the soil again as manure and urine.

With good management, nutrients can cycle quickly with minimal losses to air and water. Less fertilizer will be required, and this means increased profitability for the entire farm.

Good-quality soils produce good-quality pastures. Good-quality soils don't erode, since water flows quickly into the ground and is stored there. Good-quality pastures are springy underfoot, with deep green forage that covers the soil and a moderate amount of dead residue under the canopy. They produce nutritious forage with balanced mineral levels. Livestock find these forages palatable and thrive on them.

Producers create this kind of soil through good management. Using smart grazing strategies, testing soils regularly and applying fertilizers, lime, and organic amendments as needed.

Organic matter is critical for storing water and nutrients in the soil. It holds nutrients in plant-available forms that don't easily wash away. It creates an open soil structure into which water, dissolved minerals, and oxygen can move, ready for plants to use. It provides further nutrient storage in the soil and can disable certain plant toxins.

Trees, many broadleaf weeds, and forages such as alfalfa have taproots that go deep into the soil horizon where some grass roots cannot reach. The nutrients from these deeper soil levels are used by the plant, but become available at the soil surface once the tree leaves fall or the weeds die, decompose, and release their nutrients.

The roots constitute at least half the weight of a grass plant. Many native warm-season perennial grasses have root systems that reach six feet or more into the soil horizon. They occupy a huge underground area and form a network that holds the soil in place. Every year 20-50% of this mass, as well as all of the top growth in temperate climates, dies and becomes organic matter.

Grazing Livestock Affect Pasture Nutrient Cycles
Livestock feeding on pasture use a small proportion of the minerals they ingest in forages to build bones, meat, and hide. The rest is excreted in dung and urine. In general, urine contains most of the nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) wastes, and dung contains most of the phosphorus (P) the animals don't use.

Value Of NPK In Manure And Urine

One 1000-pound cow produces 50-60 lbs. of manure and urine per day, which contains:
0.35 lb. N @ 38�/lb.	= 13� N
0.23 lb. P @ 50�/lb.	= 11� P
0.28 lb. K @ 28�/lb.	= 10� K
Total NPK	= 34�
Therefore:
10 cows	$ 3.40/day
100 cows	$ 34.00/day
500 cows	$ 170.00/day
Note: If you add the value of organic matter and trace minerals in the manure, the total value of the manure doubles! Source: Salatin, Joel. 1993. One Cow Day of Manure: What's It Worth. Stockman Grass Farmer. September. p. 11.

When N and K are present at higher levels in the feed, they are excreted in manure. Phosphorus and some other minerals cycle through animals primarily in manure. It can take from six months to two years for manure to break down and for the phosphorus to cycle back into the plants. The speed of the cycle is affected by various biological agents as well as by mechanical means.

Grazing behavior has a big impact on nutrient distribution. In smaller paddocks, with high stock density, urine and dung are more evenly distributed than in large ones. Livestock are less selective in their grazing habits and space themselves more evenly within the area allotted for a grazing period. They will graze closer to dung piles and exhibit less avoidance of urine spots so that more forage is used for animal production.

In large areas, cattle act as a herd and go to water together. When water is available nearby, however, animals drink individually and return to graze in other areas. If they must travel in a lane to the water, manure will concentrate in these non-productive areas en route.

When there is not enough room at the water tank for all to water at once, those waiting will manure that area, concentrating nutrients where they are less likely to contribute to plant and animal productivity.

Good management helps distribute nutrients that will feed your pastures. Locating water, minerals, shade, and fly-control devices in different parts of the paddock also discourages nutrient concentration. It is even more beneficial if these high-use areas can be relocated for each grazing cycle or placed in areas that would not otherwise attract livestock use.

Supplemental feed, likewise, should be placed either where nutrients are needed or under the fence. The location should vary with each feeding.

Good management determines how effective the water cycle will be in pastures. If rainwater can enter the soil easily, runoff losses are less. Maximum infiltration of rainfall keeps groundwater tables charged up, wells running year round, and drought damage to a minimum.

Soil surface conditions that foster high rainwater intake are abundant ground cover (by living plants and surface litter) and good soil aggregation. The best-aggregated soils are those that have been in well-managed perennial grass. Though aggregation can be maintained under crops, the perennial activity of grass provides both aggregate-forming processes and aggregate-stabilizing humus.

Lime is a particularly important amendment in pasture management. While it has always been considered necessary for adjusting pH, there is growing evidence that the amount of calcium has important consequences for plant production and animal health.

200-500 lbs. of finely ground, face-powder-consistency lime applied annually:

� Helps prevent weeds such as dandelion, plantain, chickweed, and buttercup. � Helps with the movement and absorption of phosphorus, nitrogen, and magnesium. � Benefits bacteria, fungi, protozoa and other soil life so important for nutrient cycling. � Releases important trace and growth nutrients by its pH-altering effect. � Helps clover, which requires twice the calcium of grass. Abundant calcium is necessary for clover nodulation. No lime, little clover. � Creates soil tilth and structure so that air and water can move more freely through soil by causing clay particles to stick together. Soil must be able to breathe to grow great grass. � Allows pastures to hang on longer in a drought. � Improves the palatability of grass and clover, makes the pasture softer for animals to graze, and lessens grass-pulling in new stands. � Reportedly makes an animal more docile and content.

Source: Nation, Allan. 1995. Quality Pasture-Part II. Stockman Grass Farmer. January. p. 13.

High fertilization coupled with frequent harvesting of hay speeds organic matter decomposition and releases minerals faster than plants growing on the site can absorb them. As a result, nutrients are leached deeper into the soil, out of the reach of plant roots, or they are lost to run off.

The use of some commercial fertilizer is always an option to be exercised when necessary. However, continuing to look for ways to use natural systems to produce nutritious forage and healthy animals, while lessening one's dependence on purchased, non-renewable resources, is worthwhile.

SuperCal 98G is finely ground limestone pelletized for easier handling and mixing with other dry fertilizers.

SuperCal SO4 is finely ground pelletized gypsum, allowing you to fertilize with calcium and not raise pH.

Sulfur is use to build proteins, amino acids and enzymes. Forages grown with adequate sulfur will have a higher protein content and lower nitrate content.

Fertilizing your pasture with SuperCal SO4 has many positive effects on the amount and quality of the grass. This leads to higher intakes, improved gains and higher stocking rates.

Increasing the sulfur content of your forages will result increase meat-, wool- and milk production. The higher production is due increased dry matter, and cellulose digestibility, increased feed intake and improved nitrogen balance.

Dairy cattle performance can be improved as well. Improvements included a higher production of milk solids, milk fat, and milk protein and milk casein. The higher casein content raised cheese yields.

Under conditions of a sulfur deficiency, increased sulfur of beef cattle rations not only improved average daily weight gain, but also decreased feed costs per pound of gain and increased the carcass grading

Don't let sulfur limit your production, add SuperCal SO4 your fertility program.

What does corn silage and grazing have in common?

What are the benifits to creating a natural herd environment?

How to be on the leading edge of grazing with UHSD.

It's four pages, but a quick read.

Diagnosing Emergence Problems in Corn - Peter Thomison, Pierce Paul, Ron Hammond

In some Ohio counties, corn planting is nearly complete and corn is emerging, whereas in others, little or no corn has been planted due to persistent rain and cool soil conditions.

Diagnosing emergence problems early is critical in identifying solutions and developing successful replant plans, if needed. Here's a list of a few common things to look for if you encounter an emergence problem in corn this spring.
(some of this information has been adapted from a newsletter article by Dr. Greg Roth, my counterpart at Penn State).

- No seed present. May be due to planter malfunction or bird or rodent damage. The latter often will leave some evidence such as digging or seed or plant parts on the ground.

- Coleoptile (shoot) unfurled, leafing-out underground. Could be due to premature exposure to light in cloddy soil, planting too deep, compaction or soil crusting, extended exposure to acetanilide herbicides under cool wet conditions, combinations of several of these factors, or may be due to extended cool wet conditions alone.

- Seed with poorly developed radicle (root) or coleoptile. Coleoptile tip brown or yellow. Could be seed rots or seed with low vigor. Although corn has just started to emerge or has not yet emerged, growers should carefully inspect seedlings for symptoms of disease. This is especially true in lower lying areas of fields where ponding and saturated soils were more likely. Seeds and seedlings that are brown in color, are soft and fall apart easily while digging are obviously dead or dying. Seeds and seedling roots or shoots that have a weft of white to pinkish mold growing on them are likely victims of fungal attack and will likely die. Pythium and Fusarium are common fungi that attack plants and cause these damping-off or seedling blight symptoms under wet, cool conditions. It is more difficult to diagnose disease damage on plants that also show abnormal growth caused by cold soil conditions or by crusting of the soil surface. However, dark, discolored roots and crowns, instead of a healthy creamish-white appearance, are typical symptoms of seedling diseases problems. So, it is best to check these seedlings very closely for dark brown or soft areas on seedling roots and shoots. Any discoloration will indicate a problem that could worsen if the soils remain cold or wet.

- Seed has swelled but not sprouted. Often poor seed-to-soil contact or shallow planting- seed swelled then dried out. Check seed furrow closure in no-till. Seed may also not be viable.

- Skips associated with discolored and malformed seedlings. May be herbicide damage. Note depth of planting and herbicides applied compared with injury symptoms such as twisted roots, club roots, or purple plants.

- Seeds hollowed out. Seed corn maggot or wireworm. Look for evidence of the pest to confirm.

- Uneven emergence. May be due to soil moisture and temperature variability within the seed zone. Poor seed to soil contact caused by cloddy soils. Soil crusting. Other conditions that result in uneven emergence already noted above, including feeding by various grub species.

Note patterns of poor emergence. At times they are associated with a particular row, spray width, hybrid, field or residue that may provide some additional clues to the cause. Often two or more stress factors interact to reduce emergence where the crop would have emerged well with just one present. Also, note the population and the variability of the seed spacing. This information will be valuable in the future.

Don't forget that corn may take up to 3 to 4 weeks to emerge when soil conditions are not favorable (e.g. temperatures below 55 degrees F, inadequate soil moisture). This was widely observed in many fields in 2005 when corn planted in mid April did not emerge until the first or second week of May. As long as stands are not seriously reduced, delayed emergence usually does not have a major negative impact on yield. However, when delayed emergence is associated with uneven plant development, yield potential can be reduced.

Summary from Evaluation of Corn Response to Sulfur Fertilization in Northeast Iowa, John Sawyer
Corn grain yield increase to S fertilization has occurred with high frequency in these studies. Also, the magnitude of yield increase has been large. Across the two years and three studies, 82% of the sites had a statistically significant yield increase to applied S fertilizer. By study, statistically significant across-site yield increases averaged 15, 18, and 38 bu/acre. Analyzed across S rate, the economic optimum S rate was 14 lb S/acre for fine-textured soils and 24 lb S/acre for coarse-textured soils. This research indicates a dramatic change in need for S fertilization in northeast Iowa, and that S application is an economically viable fertilization practice on many soils.

Read the whole article here.

In case you've never used sulfur products their price is rising along with other inputs. Many dealers have reported not being able to source enough sulfur. Fortunately since SuperCal SO4 is made in Iowa from a natural mined source, its price has not risen as dramatically as other sulfur products. In fact using SuperCal SO4 in bulk at the universities recommendations will cost you $7.50 to $10.50 per acre, quite a bit cheaper than other products on the market.

While we have been sold out for over a year we have just finished our plant expansion and should be able to meet demand for the coming years. As an added bonus, SuperCal SO4 doesn't cause soil acidity like ammonium sulfate, thiosulfate, or elemental sulfur does. Though we do sell lime is you want to add more cost to your fertilizer bill!

Blossom end rot:

Blossom-end rot is a nonparasitic disease of tomato, pepper and watermelon. Losses can vary from a trace to more than 50%.

Symptoms

The first symptom is a slight water-soaked area on or near the blossom end of the fruit. The affected area soon darkens and enlarges in a constantly widening circle until the fruit begins to ripen. The tissues are dark and shrunken and have a dry, leathery appearance. With pepper the rot is tan in color and should not be confused with sunscald, which is white. The affected area may be merely a speck or it may involve half or more of the fruit. Secondary microorganisms may grow on the decayed area.

Cause

Blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium in the developing fruit. This may be due to a lack of calcium uptake from the soil or to extreme fluctuations in water supply. Incidence of blossom-end rot is also increased where there is a low ratio of calcium to certain other nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen.

Control

Although the most desirable calcium levels for preventing blossom-end rot have not been determined, the application of lime (SuperCal 98G) to fields known to be low in calcium has helped to prevent the disease. Soil should be limed according to recommendations of soil analysis report, usually to pH 6.5-6.8. The use of gypsum (SuperCal SO4), at rates of 500 to 1000 pounds per acre (1 to 2 pounds per 100 square feet).

SuperCal 98G and SuperCal SO4 can be applied 2 weeks in advance of planting due to the fineness of the base material. Other lime and gypsum materials may need to be applied months in advance.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/vg19.htm

It's not the chemical companies fault that there chemicals don't kill foxtail in your fields if the pH is too low or soil calcium levels are low.

It's not the equipment dealers fault their planter balls up with mud if the soil is damp, has little organic matter, or low calcium levels.

It's up to you to take the steps to develep your fields into quality soils. It won't be done by phosporous or potash alone. It startes with a full soil analysis and applying the right fertilizers in the right amount.

When you start to get it right your enjoy farming alot more. It will be easy to beat the county average in yield, you'll be planting and harvesting 2 to 3 days sooner than your neighbors after a rain - without causing compaction. Rain won't pond on your fields, it will be absorbed by the soil waiting in reserve for hot dry days.

  The above picture was taken today, we have had over an inch possibly as much as 3 inches (it's been hard to tell, most of the rain has been comming in sideways).

You can continue to fight the seed, chemical, and equipment companies, or you can make a few simple changes that will have a much bigger reward than a few small product rebates. After all it's no ones fault but yours if your soil is in poor condition.

The reason it is interesting is because it is the only sentence in the whole article about fertility. I find it extremely curious that every article about NCGA winners talks about what seed type they use, what seed treatment and/or insecticide is used, and the herbicide and fungicides.

In almost every article about NCGA winners you are lucky to find 2 or 3 sentences about the fertility of the farm.

Since the champion growers are planting the same corn, at the same populations, with the same seed treatments herbicides and fungicides as almost every farmer uses, why doesn't every one grow 250+ bushel corn?

Proper fertility is hard work, results are hard to measure, and it's not as exciting as "I applied product x and I grew 20 more bushels of corn!" Why do some genetics result in record yields in some fields and the same genetics in your field falls down? Soil quality and fertility might just have something to do with it.

A few stats from the USDA

Total Production Expenses increased 10.5% in 2007 and are expected to increase 8.6% in 2008. The sixth strait year of increases since 2002. Expenses are expected to eat 75% of all farm income in 2008. Fertilizer up 20.2% in 2007 will increase 18.4% in 2008. Mainly due to 57% rise in potash and phosphates. Fuel and oil are expected to increase 12.6% in 2008 following an 11.5% rise in 2007. The annual average fuel price has increased by double-digit percentages, six straight years since 2002, and is projected to have risen 159% from 2002 to 2008. Electricity rates should rise almost 2 percent, which, combined with the increase in total output, should push electricity expenses up 4.0 percent. The good news is that net farm income is expected to increase 10.3%. Net cash income (cash income earned after out-of-pocket expenses) is money available to pay debt obligations, taxes, and family living expenses. It is an indicator of the farm sector's cash flow and liquidity.

With many farmers feeling relatively good about the economic forecast, making good money, even with record input prices, why change what your doing. Now is the time to try new things, adjust production practices and push yields. Many of the NCGA's corn growing champions are hitting the 300 bu mark. On many of their acres they have increased the farm average 20-40 bushels in a couple of years. Yes, there expenses did increase, but those expenses generated more income, not more bills. So if you spend $20 per acre to gain 20 bushels, then at $3 per bushel you have a 3x return on each dollar. At $5 corn it is a 5x return.

What are you doing differently? Are you actively seeking products and services to increase the productivity of the biggest income generator on you farm (soil)? Are you doing the same things you were 3 or 4 years ago, spending 40-50% more and not increasing yields. What will you do when the commodity prices drop and inputs stay high?

Another true story from a consulting company:

I wanted to share with you a story from a customer in the office yesterday. His father buys fertilizer from "Unspecified Fertilizer Dealer". The customer however does the soil testing on his father's field and asked for a recommendation and we recommended 500 lbs. of Super 98G with the urea nitrogen for corn. This field has extremely high P & K levels and the base saturation of calcium is in the 49 to 53 percent range. The agronomist at the "Unspecified Fertilizer Dealer" told the customer he should only put on 200 lbs of Super 98G and add more phosphorous. The customer is not going to allow this to happen, as he understands the need for calcium in this field. I just wanted to share this story with you.

Pelletized lime products have been characterized as short-term, a quick fix, and even snake oil. If improper rates are reccommended and used most any product will have poor results. 

Many professionals that sell products may not fully understand how to use them or recommend them. This is not just a problem in agronomy but in all aspects of life. From the parts man that sends you home with the wrong part, to the doctor that tells you "if it hurts stop doing it".

Certainly if a product is not used as it is intended poor results will follow. Glyphosate is was a great product. Improper use over the years has reduced its effectiveness. Proper use of any agricultural product is the only way to make sure it performs as promised. Making sure you have a consultant qualified to make recommendations is a topic for another day.

Treatment of mice with a 'friendly'  soil bacteria altered their behavior in a way similar to effects from antidepressant drugs, reports research published in the latest issue of Neuroscience.

This leaves us wondering if we shouldn't all be spending more time playing in the dirt.

When the team looked closely at the brains of mice, they found that treatment with M. vaccae activated a group of neurons that produce the brain chemical serotonin. The lack of serotonin in the brain is thought to cause depression in people, thus M. vaccae's effects on the behavior of mice may be due to increasing the release of serotonin in parts of the brain that regulate mood.

Go ahead, play in the dirt, your mom won't mind!

Before I get into it, let me say we are not eco-nuts. However you need to understand that proper soil fertility leads to improved yields, healthier crops and livestock, lower input costs, and higher per acre income. Even if lack of moisture is your biggest limiting factor!

What is the cost of not properly maintaining soil quality?

Soil should act as a sponge that holds and gradually release water back to the plant. If it is ponding, running off, or out a drainage tile, it is taking valuable nutrients with it. Having a quality soil that is soft increases infiltration and decreases loss of water and nutrients.

Average cropland erosion removes soil about 10 to a hundred times faster than it forms.

Land degradation and desertification may account for as much as about 30 percent of the world's greenhouse gas releases, according to researcher Rattan Lal of Ohio State University. A quality soil will raise higher yields resulting in more carbon being stored in the soil as organic matter (OM). During the growing season the soil can release CO2 slowly resulting in higher yields and increasing OM. Low quality soils produced lower yields, resulting in decreasing OM, releasing more gasses to the atmosphere.

Currently US farmers are feeding more than 150 people. However at the current world population growth rate they will need to produce more food within the next 50 years than during the last 10,000 years combined! Genetic engineering will help, but if we do not have quality soils left to plant them in, they will not yield their full potential.

The book "The Erosion of Civilization" by David R. Montgomery, sums it up best. farming was the foundation of the great flourishing of Mesopotamia, but it faced two great problems: salinisation from irrigation, and soil erosion. Such erosion was also a problem in Bronze Age and classical Greece. Montgomery quotes Plato on the region around Athens: "The rich, soft soil has all run away leaving the land nothing but skin and bone."

Protect your biggest investment, protect yourself from future government regulation, protect your source of income, take care of your soil first!

"This ability is governed by a self-reinforcing cycle. A protein at the tip of root hairs called RHD2 produces free radicals that stimulate the uptake of calcium from the soil. Calcium then stimulates the activity of RHD2, producing more free radicals and further uptake of calcium. When an obstacle blocks the hair's path, the cycle is broken and growth starts in another location and direction."

Have hard soil and/or low calcium soil, plan on a poor root system. Even the best genetics cannot over come hard or low calcium soil.

This article from Wells Fargo drives the point home.

A couple of key points:

In January, the USDA reported that the US exported 193 thousand tons of nitrogen fertilizer. To put this into context, from January of 2002 to December of 2007, the US exported 152 thousand tons. The US exported 27% more in one month than in the previous 6 years.

If the rest of the world wants N at today's price, it's not going to go down.

In the case of hedging future revenues against purchases of fertilizer, the producer only needs to sell as much as the fertilizer represents in their expected cost structure. If their total cost per acre is expected to be approximately $600/acre and fertilizer represents $150/acre of that cost, the producer should sell about 30 bushels per acre to hedge off the fertilizer forward purchase.

Prices of fertilizer will continue to increase. If you listen to Elwynn Taylor there is a 70% chance that the price of grain will be higher in the future due to drought. With the volatility of the markets and cost of inputs make sure you cover your are at least covering your cost.

The exciting times are just starting, what are you doing to offset increased fertilizer prices?

Drift

Unfortunately the best portion of lime is most likely to drift. Even if you're the one farmer that gets his lime spread on a calm day, the floater is traveling 10-15 mph, and throwing the lime out at 70+ pounds per square inch. There is no other way to avoid drift than to pelletize the lime (click on photos for large view).

Poor Spreading

You paid for VRT/GPS spreading, not stripped fields

In a University of Nebraska on Farm Research project they considered a 2-ton application of ag lime had a 7 year life span. It took 4 years to get a yield response and 7 years to get an adequate pH change. If I were spending $40 per acre I would expect that money to have a better return than 6 bushels in 4 years!

Large patches of compaction, piles of stalks, areas that are over limed. Do they do that for free�..

At equivalent rates SuperCal 98G is the same cost or less than ag lime.
Renters us it because it works, returning their investment the year it is applied.
You wouldn't put on 7 years worth of phosphates of potassium, put on what you need, spend you money on something else.

Reduce the headaches, increase yields, quickly, spread only the lime you need for the next couple of years.

Over 40 research papers are presented in this 2-day program. While the pace of the presentations is quite fast there is ample time to discuss ideas, and new agronomy techniques with many of agricultures best-known researchers.

Jerry Hatfield presented "The Implications of Biofuels Production on Soil Productivity". While removal of crop residue after harvest is viewed as a major source of cellulosic material, the implications need to be considered. Removal of large amounts of nutrients, decrease in soil organic matter, decrease is soil water holding capacity, leading to severe soil crusting and other environmental impacts.

Mr. Hatfield has authored many papers on soil quality, organic matter and carbon. So many I didn't even consider counting them. In one of his previous papers on achieving high yields he states,

"Achieving high yields is not an art but requires the implementation of an understanding of the principles that affect yield. To achieve high yields requires patience to first improve the soil and then begin to adopt management strategies that increase the efficiency of water, solar radiation, and N use. Evaluation of how these factors respond each season for the crops grown in the field and then compare against the county average will determine if progress is being made toward achieving the higher yields."

Understanding what you are doing, why your doing it, and measuring the results is what it takes to achieve high yields.

Dr. Robert Miller gave a great presentation on "Impact of Grid Point Sampling Intensity on Phosphorus and Potassium Uncertainty". What this means is, if you are grid sampling, are they pulling enough soil cores for the composite to be sure that it is an accurate test of what is actually in the soil. Though his research he found that full tillage, minimal tillage and no-till needed different amounts of cores to be sure of accurate sampling. Full tillage means the soil is more uniformly mixed so 6-8 cores per sample point gives an accurate test, in minimal tillage shoot for 8-12. For no-till the best accuracy will require between 26-40 cores. Since no one has the time to do that many, we have to settle for less accuracy and pull 12-14 cores. This gives a 20% variability in the sample readings.

While not all the presentations are directly related to the crops and climate most of our customer's farm, I always come away with new and helpful information. You must constantly looking for new information to increase yields, start with the basics, (soil sampling, liming, building nutrient levels) and build on that.

We have had a number of customers comment on the results they have witnessed with SuperCal SO4; higher stocking rate, reduced weeds, better cattle gains, and reduced vet bills. One skeptical customer applied SO4 to only one paddock of his rotational grazing pasture. When he moved the cattle off the SO4 applied section, the next day they busted down the fence to get back to that area. Cattle know where to find the best grass!

In grass legume mixtures SuperCal SO4 has many advantages of Ammonium Sulfate (AMS). First is cost, SO4 is almost half the cost of AMS, it doesn't cause acidity like AMS, and doesn't contain nitrogen. Established grass legume mixtures do not need extra nitrogen. If you fertilizer for the legume it will produce more than enough for the grass. If you fertilizer for the grass it will soon over-take and crowd out the legume.

Finally SO4 will increase water infiltration and holding capacity of your soil. By allowing more water to be held in the soil you can increase stocking rates since there will be more grass.

Forages the high priced fertilizers and find out what other cattleman have, SuperCal SO4 the better choice for pastures and forages.

Causes of Compaction:  

Raindrop impact - This is certainly a natural cause of compaction, and we see it as a soil crust (usually less than 1/2 inch thick at the soil surface) that may prevent seedling emergence. Having optimum amounts organic matter and calcium can alleviate crusting.

Tillage operations - Continuous moldboard plowing or disking at the same depth will cause serious tillage pans (compacted layers) just below the depth of tillage in some soils. Corn roots have a penetrating force of 350-400 lbs/sq in. Alfalfa roots can exert up 700 lbs/sq in. Many tillage compaction layers can exceed 750 lbs /sq in of force to penetrate.

Wheel traffic - This is without a doubt the major cause of soil compaction. With increasing farm size, the window of time in which to get these operations done in a timely manner is often limited. The weight of tractors has increased to 20 tons today, from less than 3 tons in the 1940's. This is of special concern because spring planting and fall harvest is often done before the soil is dry enough to support the heavy equipment.

Minimal Crop Rotation - The trend towards a limited crop rotation has had two effects: 1.) Limiting different rooting systems and their beneficial effects on breaking subsoil compaction, and 2.) Increased potential for compaction early in the cropping season, due to more tillage activity and field traffic.

Highway 6 is not really a farm show; it is dedicated to acreage owners. An interesting note from last weeks show, according to the USDA anyone that files a schedule F with more than $1000 in income is a farmer. That would certainly include anyone that has a few acres and sells some hay to a neighbor, rents some pasture, or sells fruits and vegetables at the local farmers market.

So what was the point of us being on the program? We discussed the importance of liming in any fertility program, how having the proper soil pH can reduce the amount of fertilizer needed, and how using SuperCal SO4 can reduce runoff.

Thanks to the crew over at WOW and to the host Michael Libbie, I had a lot of fun and look forward to being a part of the show in the future.

Using SuperCal SO4 as a poultry litter treatment. SuperCal SO4 keeps the ammonia gas in manure from volatilizing. This means that there is less venting of buildings, keeping valuable warm air inside. Since ammonia's molecular weight is less than normal atmosphere it takes less BTU's to heat a building. Performance of birds will also be enhanced since they will not be breathing ammonia.

While reduction in building odor, decreased heating costs, and increased animal performance are great reasons for using a litter treatment, SuperCal SO4 will increase the value of the litter as a fertilizer. Since SuperCal SO4 keeps the nitrogen from volatilizing it is available to the plants in the field, resulting in higher yields and less high priced chemical fertilizer.

Application Rates for Poultry: 3-5 lbs per 100 birds per week for layers, 2-5# per 100 birds per week for broilers.

It is best to do applications every 10 days, but you can spread all of it when you put down new bedding. Example: 1000 birds for 8 weeks 3 pound rate, 1000/100=10x 8 weeks x 3 = 240 pounds.

Dairy: Up to 2-3# per head per week in dry stalls

Beef Feed Lots: 1-2# per head per week for animals ranging from 600-1000#

Swine: � to 2# per head per week for fattening barns and brood sows

These materials can be spread by hand, with a yard sized fertilizer spreader, an ATV spreader, or full size fertilizer buggy. For dry barns a seed pro-box on a stand works great as a holding/storage container. Just fill a five gallon bucket from the slide and spread a scoop full in each stall.

Does not contain sodium, or alum, both of which are toxic to plants!

While gypsum does not solve all problems and can't work create miracles, many will find that it is useful in their fertility program.

Click here to see if you should expect a response to gypsum.

Also a couple of weeks ago in the Iowa Farmer Today, there was an article by Catherine Kling, professor of Environmental Research Economics, the gist of the article was that there needs to be more government subsidizing of conservation practices to solve all the run off in Iowa. I wrote Ms. Kling suggesting that for lees than their budget we could treat every acre in Iowa with SuperCal SO4. There has been a wealth of research in addition to that by the ARS

• The solute concentration from gypsum makes soil aggregates more stable.
• Gypsum prevents crusting and aids water infiltration. (shainberg et al. 1989)
• In a study by ARS gypsum has shown benefits in reducing P run-off.
• L. Darrell Norton is at the USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, has also done research showing the benefits of gypsum in reducing N and P run-off.

In addition we are exploring a new product that can be handled and spread like dry fertilizer. One pound of active ingredient (AI) can effectively flocculate up to 10 tons of soil under ideal conditions. This can be done very cost effectively.

• The Denver Water Board sponsored a study of sediment run-off, 10 pounds per acre of AI showed a 95% reduction in sediment run-off.
• Colorado State University sponsored a study with AI, and showed a 80% reduction in sediment run-off.
• In a study conducted by Wallace & Wallace dry-broadcasted AI reduced erosion by 75%-100%. 
• Using the combination of gypsum/AI can simultaneously improve crop yields 10-25% or more while reducing runoff, effectively making the cost of application free.

We could treat all the cropland acres in Iowa (27m) for approximately $20-$30/a, or $650 million, the cost being provided by the landowner, and recouped it in higher yields. As expected I have not recieved a response in almost a month.

Last week the Des Moines Register reported farm run off from Iowa is damaging the Gulf of Mexico. The question is now are you going to take action or wait for government mandates, taxes, and restrictions on fertilizer use.

You can work now to increase yields, increase organic matter and water infiltration and holding capacity, or continue to watch you soil erode, taking with it valuable nutrients and assuring more regulation.

Then last year about this time our marketing advisor Michael Libbie suggested updating our website and adding a blog. I was pretty reluctant at first. I wasn't sure I would have the time, or have enough to write about. Also in high school and college I was not a strong writer and I was even worse at spelling.

The more we discussed it the more it made sense. The eletters were 3 to 4 pages long, and most of us are just too busy to sit down for a good read. The blog allows many topics to be discussed in short articles. If you need more information I can give you the link, or post another article in a couple of days.

The main thing is, I am not trying to win any writing contests, or have my articles published in any scientific journal. I want to present ideas and information that you might not see in the traditional farm publications. I generally do not cite my references because if you think an idea my improve your operation, you need to research it thoroughly, making sure its compatible with other aspects of what your doing.

If there is a topic you'd like more information on or you think I am way off base, let me know. Also if your near Des Moines Iowa this week check us out at the Iowa Power Farming Show booth 2503 located in the hallway outside the Hy-Vee events center. We look forward to seeing you there.

I present Azotobacter

Azotobacter is a bacterium that can fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil without the aid of a legume. It is a great source of nitrogen to meet the needs of crops, has the capability rejuvenate the soil, and provides nutrients for other microbiology to max out nitrogen fixation. Its main fuel is carbon (organic matter), but it also requires calcium, and micronutrients for nitrogen fixation.

Besides N fixation Azotobacter improves seed germination, produces plant growth promoting hormones, and fungicidal substances. Azotobacter is the heaviest breathing organism and requires a large amount of organic carbon for its growth. It thrives in alkaline soils and is less effective in soils with poor organic matter content, low pH and high salts.

Azotobacter produces Thiamin, Riboflavin, B12, B1, Biotin, Gibberellins, and Cytocinins. Azotobacter produces substances that are required for Rhizobium bacteria, and Mycorrhize growth. Rhizobium is primarily responsible for nitrogen fixation in legumes. Plants growing in the presence of Mycorrhize have improved nutrient and water uptake, disease resistance and superior growth.

Azotobacter also has a symbiotic relationship with Phosphobacteria. Phosphobacteria as it's name implies transfers phosphate from insoluble soil particles directly to the plant in soluble from. Azotobacter and Phosphobacteria fix phosphate more efficiently together than alone. Phosphobacteria alone increased potato yields by 6%, while together with Azotobacter increased yields 33%.

Ensure that your not missing out on free nitrogen, keep your pH at 6.5 or higher, supply the necessary carbon and calcium that this extremely beneficial bacteria needs with SuperCal 98G pelletized lime.

Midwest Labs presented information on lime quality. This can be confusing for many agronomists as well as farmers. They did a great job explaining why the fineness of the product is more important than the TNV. For example you can have 3 lime sources;

	SuperCal 98G	8 mesh ag lime	60 mesh ag lime
% TNV	95.15	99.6	99.03
ECCE	92.3	9.96 *	39.81

* not a misprint, it's acctually that ineffective.

ECCE is measured by taking the TNV times a fineness factor. If the product is too coarse it simple does not work, no matter how much you put on. You can look up the quality of your ag lime on our website here, if you can't find it on one of those reports, Midwest Labs has a great program for testing the quality, or lack of it, of your ag lime. One last point, SuperCal 98G has always tested greater than 91% ECCE and less than 1% moisture.

Dr. Ray Ward of Ward Labs explained why it takes more sulfur on No-till acres. Here are some points I took away form Dr. Wards presentation:

• You can't build organic matter (OM) without sulfur
• It takes 140 lbs of sulfur to build 1% organic matter, it has to be stored in the soil, if it leaches or volatilizes it does not do you any good.
• When sulfur breaks down in anaerobic conditions it volatilizes off as hydrogen sulfide. One of the main reasons hog pits smell so bad.
• In no-till OM does not breakdown quickly in the soil. OM has to decompose to release the sulfur stored in it. Since it takes longer to decompose in no-till crops are more likely to show sulfur deficiency.
• Fertilizing with a sulfate source of sulfur close to planting can drastically decrease sulfur deficiency and increase yields.

One of the new friends we meet this week was Agronomic Solutions. They specialize in all types of precision ag services and products. They work with both growers and retailers, to offer unbiased solutions and services tailored to your needs.

Offering an array of services and products; from GPS soil sampling, crop scouting, GPS boundary measuring, Agronomic consulting, and GPS equipment sales and support. They can help make sure you are getting the most out of those expensive fertilizers. Many of our dealers are already offering their services, contact you fertilizer dealer or check out their website for more information.

One major components of any yearly plan is your fertility management plan. During droughty periods, or even when plenty of water is available, full yield potential is not realized if soil fertility is poor. With high input prices and talk of drought it can be tempting to cut corners, and pull back on fertilizer. The best way to lower risk is working to make sure your soil nutrients are in balanced in the proper amount and placement is timed for optimum uptake.

Having your soil nutrients in the optimum amounts (not sufficient) will;

• Increase water infiltration
• Stimulate root growth deeper and fuller to access water and nutrients
• Increase grain filling and yield

The starting point for any proper fertility management program is a Full Soil Analysis. (Grid sampling is a great way to apply lime, P, K, S, Zn, but if that is all your testing for you're missing at least 11 other key components of yield. You might even find that one of the micros will boost your yield for less than additional units of N, P, and K. The cost of doing a full soil analysis on every grid could be the best money you spend this year, but I know that cost scares people. At a minimum pull a full analysis on a portion of grids so at least you have a baseline.) Having a full analysis run is one of the best ways to make sure that your supplying your crop the right nutrients in the right amounts.

With N, P, and K ranging from $500-$800 per ton, can you afford to apply more than is needed for proper fertilization?

Here are three examples of things you can adjust in your fertility management that you can only figure out by doing a full analysis.(Courtesy of Midwest Labs)

• If P1:P2 ratio is greater than 1:2, you may see; a greater response to starter as the ratio increases, increasing response to the use of sulfur and zinc, when the P2 is over 50 ppm, one can expect greater response to Zn.
• CEC, Cation Exchange Capacity measures the soil's ability to hold nutrients. A good rule of thumb is for each point of CEC your soil will hold 10 lbs of N. So if you have a CEC of 5 your soil should hold 50 lbs of Nitrogen at one shot, if you have a CEC of 25, your soil should hold 250 lbs of N at one time. This is just a general guideline, but if you don't know your CEC how do you know if the N you applied will be available to your crop.
• Soluble Salts, this is a must every time you sample. While extremely low amounts do not have a direct impact on plant health, the amount of water that infiltrates into you soil has a big direct impact. Soils with 0-.04 mmohs/cm are subject to dispersion and sealing. This means that any rain or irrigation water that falls on the soil does not go into the soil where it can be used by your crop, but ponds, and evaporates. Ponding is also a sign of de-nitrification. If you have a reading greater than 1 mmohs/cm, this can affect plant health, and can increase sealing and ponding.

If you have never had a complete analysis of your farms, what are you waiting for? Grain prices are at record highs, so are inputs, your only option is to raise more crop, more efficiently. One last point, while seed genetics are the best they have ever been, how can you begin to place varieties if you don't know your fertility levels. How much better would that high-priced seed perform if you gave it the opportunity by having optimum fertility?
 

Once you have your completed soil analysis back, here is a list of items that can give you an idea if SuperCal SO4 will increase your yields.

1. When the soil pH is over 8.2 and maybe even if it is less.
2. When the subsoil pH is lower that 5.
3. When the soil particles disperse when water is added.
4. When water puddles on it.
5. When there is water logging in the soil.
6. When the soil crusts after irrigation or rain.
7. When there is excessive cracking of the soil after irrigation or rain.
8. When the soils contain clays that swell and contract.
9. When the soil contains clay that is very dusty when dry.
10. When intense rain falls on soil that is not acid and where nearly all solutes may be leached from the soil.
11. When no-till is used.
12. When organics (manure, composts, etc.) are simultaneously applied to the soil with gypsum.
13. When crops require the development of fruits or seeds.
14. When sulfur is deficient.
15. When exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) is over 3 and defiantly if it is over 9.
16. When irrigation water contains substantial amounts of bicarbonate.
17. When irrigation water contains less than 200 parts per million of salts in solution (<0.3 mmho/cm).

Some of these problems can be corrected with as little as 100 pounds per acre, while others may take a few hundred pounds per acre. If your farm has one or more of the above conditions SuperCal SO4 deserves to be part of your regular fertility program.

Taken as an excerpt from Soil Conditioner and Amendment Technologies Volume I. This book and others on soil management can be found here.

If 100 lbs of K is good 300 lbs is better, right?

I have had a number of farmers ask me at shows, "How much fertilizer do I need for this crop?"
Many are confused when I tell them, "I don't know, do you have a soil analysis?"
Many reply with "No I haven't."
It really floors them when I tell them, "Without a proper analysis nobody can make an accurate recommendation."

Not enough N, P & K is generally not your most limiting factors.* Making those nutrients and the 13 others available to your plants is. When was the last time a full soil analysis was taken on your farms?

With the price of N, P, and K going through the roof and continuing out of this world, does it really make sense to base your nutrient recommendations on 10-year-old information, how about 2-year-old information?

If your consultant makes a fertility recommendation without a proper soil analysis, fire that salesman, and find a proper consultant. With today's input prices you cannot afford to work with someone that does not know how to read a soil analysis and make proper recommendations.

Did you know that adding sulfur makes your nitrogen work more efficiently? Having enough calcium in the right ratios helps to reduce nitrogen volatilization and leaching. Adding a high quality EDTA manganese when spraying roundup can reduce soybean "flash" and reduces stalk rots in corn. Low or high pH reduces availability of fertilizers, and decreases nodulation.

Don't be a more-on, take proper soil samples, provide your crop with the proper amount of nutrients in the right amounts, and take more yield to the bin.

*If your thinking weather is your most limiting factor, you might be right. That is out of your control, but proper plant nutrition is not. Even in poor weather, properly managed crops will always out yield poorly managed crops.

Mr. Ward why not suggest that farmers make what fertilizer is already in the soil available by liming?

We've discussed this before, here.

At a 5.5 pH, 25% on Nitrogen and Potassium is not available to crops. Over 50% of phosphorus is not plant available.

Seed selection is important, but pH is more important. At a 5.7 pH you lose 17% of your corn's genetic potential, before it's planted and it doesn't matter what hybrid.

Lime price have remained relatively stable compared to other fertilizer products.

Does it really make sense to continue to dump high priced acid and salty fertilizer on you ground when it cost $400-500 per ton? So you bought it a little cheaper in the fall, if 25-50% is not available to your crop, that's like paying more up front for less.

We know that proper soil sampling, keeping pH above 6.5 (for corn), having proper levels of micro and secondary nutrients (not adequate) will produce higher yields for less than blasting the soil with P and K, even when it was cheap!

You can access them here.

The eletters were newsletters we started in 2007, then when we moved to the blog stopped doing. They are more dealer focused than the blog, but many farmers may find them useful.

On New Years Day our marketing consultant Michael Libbie, "tagged" me.
The idea is to link to the person who tags you, then to share seven (7) random or little known things about you and finally tag seven (7) random folks at the end of the post.
So here it is.

Random Facts:
1. I love playing sports, don't much care to watch them, with the exception of college football.
2. I tried bull riding; it's how I got the scar on my lower lip.
3. After college I was assistant manger at the Ranch Bowl in Omaha for a year.
4. I know more useless information than a person should
5. I enjoy home improvement projects, though they usually resort to a trip to the emergency room.
6. My wife and my father are bankers
7. I hate balancing my checkbook

Random Folks:
1. Brent Pohlman, Market development manager, Midwest Labs. They do a great job with soil testing, not to mention water, feed, fertilizer, and fuel.
2. Dan Davidson, DTN Agronomist, and blogger. I enjoy reading Dan's articles.
3. Gary Coates, Agronomist, Agronomic Solutions. I always enjoy talking with Gary about what's going on in the fields during the growing season
4. Matt Nutzman, Owner Advanced Health Plans. Matt does a great job providing affordable health insurance for individuals and small business.
5. Arthur Wallace, Owner, Wallace Laboratories. Arthur has written many books on the benefits of gypsum and soil amendments.
6. Seth Godin, best-selling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. I love reading Seth's blog and books. The trick is making the leap from what he's talking about and applying it to agriculture
7. Bill Caskey, Bill is a sales development leader and experimenter. I really like the way Bill approaches sales, if there is a need, great, if not, no big deal.

I hope this wasn't a waste of everyone's time; we'll be back with applicable information very soon!

The State of Iowa Lime Report
Every quarter the Iowa Department of Agriculture samples lime quality of all liming products sold into the state of Iowa. Find out if the lime your using is any good or not.
 To get there, click on "Resources", then "Links", then "Lime Links"

Test Plot Results
We have been testing SuperCal SO4 and SuperCal 98G for over 10 years. See what others have found out, 98G raises pH, faster and more effectively than other products. Want to test our products on your farm? Contact you local agronomist or contact us here.
 To get there, click on "Resources", then "Test Plot Results"

Customer Testimonials
Find out what other producers have discovered. SuperCal 98G and SO4 works on their farms. We have testimonials from farmers from North Dakota to Missouri. Have a great story how SuperCal 98G or SO4 increased production or decreased costs on your farm, let us know here.
 To get there, click on "Resources", then "Customer Testimonials"

Event Calendar
Find out which farm shows and events we'll be at. Click on the show name for all the details. We love talking with our customers and friends, and meeting new ones.
 To get there, click on "Resources", then "Calendar"

We hope you find the information useful, thanks for reading.

Last week I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I was in and out in 20 minutes. They shot me full of Novocain and yanked them with a pair of pliers. It wasn't too bad� until the Novocain wore off.
I spent the rest of the day on the couch, only taking one call.

Tuesday was not much better. I worked for two hours at a time in between pain pill induced comas. By Wednesday it was tough starting out but I felt better by the end of the day. By Friday I was back to normal.

There really is no good time to make a big change. I had lots of dealers to see last week, and there are lots of great foods to eat this week. So I was a little nervous that I wouldn't get all my work done or get to eat any of those great Christmas treats.

The alternative was not much better, while my teeth were not impacted; they were very hard to keep clean and were developing cavities. Sure I could have kept them and every 5 years or so had them filled, less pain up front, but more costly in the long run. What if one broke off in the future, ever lost a crown on a holiday? I know people that have, not a lot of fun not being able to enjoy all those great holiday deserts.

Each day we all face the opportunities to make changes in our business and our lives. It may be more difficult in the short run, but don't forget about the trouble it could cause from not changing, or what is to be gained by changing.

As traditional fertilizer continue to jump in price every week, can your really afford the same levels of N, P and K? Are there things you're missing or could change in your fertility program that would significantly increase yields while keeping your total input dollars the same or less? When's the last time you had a soil sample taken to even know what your fertility levels are?

Over the next couple of weeks hopefully you have a little time to slow down, enjoy Christmas and family and have a little time to explore how adjusting a couple of things in your fertility program (while scary and uncertain) may be the best thing you can do for your farm.

Merry Christmas from everyone at Calcium Products!

Larry, presented Kevin Wagner, the plant manager in Gilmore City with a plaque commemorating his 25 years of Service to Calcium Products. Kevin, Jay Jergens, (our Fort Dodge plant manage) and their teams work as hard as our customers do, maybe harder to keep the plants running smoothly, turning out product. I cannot thank them enough for all they do.

This year we invited out marketing representative, Michael Libbie, with Insight Advertising and Marketing Communications. They have also done a great job for us this past year. You can read Michaels blog about the party here.

I cannot forget the girls in the office. The three lovely ladies that take your orders, load the trucks, and send you your bills, Debbie, Lori, and Rose. They are always ready to take your calls, and I am always in a better mood after I talk with them. They make my job easy, and for some reason everyone would rather talk with them than me!

Lastly, thanks to all our great customers for helping us have a really great year. We are very excited about our plant expansions, and being able to supply SuperCal 98G and SO4 to everyone that orders it. It is not a lot of fun telling long time friends and new customers that we cannot help them.

Merry Christmas!

Soil sample
Not just for P and pH, do a full analysis. While having enough P and the proper pH are some major limiting factors, they are not all of them. Do a full analysis at least every other year. If you're having a field grid sampled, have them pull a couple of extra samples to run a full analysis on.

Budget for soil maintenance
Top producing farmers know that their soil will always perform if they add back what they take every year. Plan on a yearly maintenance program, budgeting money for lime and/or gypsum, P, secondary, and micronutrients. Once you're in a nutrient deficient situation, it takes time and is expensive to correct.

Scout the whole field
Scout the soil, stop scouting only half your crop; know what is happening in the root zone. Most farmers are only concerned with what is happening with their crop above ground. They neglect more than half the plant. Dig next to the row, how are the roots growing, is there a visible hard pan, is moisture making it down into the soil profile, do you have large numbers of earthworms. If you cannot get a shovel in the ground by standing on it, you have compaction and your roots will not be able grow properly.

Proper residue management
Residue management starts with the header attachment on the combine. With corn make sure the header is processing the stalks, and the combine is only processing the ear and husks. Not only will this increase combine efficiency, it will distribute the residue more evenly, resulting in faster decomposition of stalks. Complete and proper decomposition increases organic matter and returns valuable nutrients to the soil.

Figure out what else is missing
For many farmers it is not a lack of N, P, K or pH that is keeping their yields low it is something else. Ignore lack of rainfall, and other things that are out of your control. Think about the things you can change; tillage, micronutrient levels, and organic matter. If your having problems achieving high yields, it is likely due to one or more problems associated with your soil.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better soil

Calcium should be considered the most important nutrient, and more than simply just a tool to move the pH scale. It plays a major role in the physiology of the plant, strengthening its physical structure, increasing nutrient uptake and protecting from disease. The importance of calcium in the soil, includes; the reduction of soil compaction, increased water infiltration, and helping to provide a better environment for the proliferation of beneficial bacteria. Some research even suggests that calcium plays a role in weed populations. To associate calcium only as a buffer of pH is agronomicly ignorant.

Calcium Benefits
Calcium neutralizes soil acidity
Improves soil structure and quality
Prevents soil crusting
Reduces soil salinity
Reduces erosion and phosphorous loss
Improves water penetration
Promotes root development
Calcium stimulates growth of "soil life", including nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Every plant needs calcium to grow
Calcium helps create a healthy environment for your plants
Only nitrogen and potassium are required in larger amounts by plants
Once fixed, calcium is not mobile in the plant
It is an important constituent of cell walls and can only be supplied in the xylem sap
If the plant runs out of a supply of calcium, it cannot remobilize calcium from older tissues
If transpiration is reduced, the calcium supply to growing tissues will become inadequate
Calcium is found in many minerals in soil, but is relatively insoluble.
A common misconception is that if the pH is high, adequate calcium is present
High levels of other cations such as magnesium, iron, sodium, and potassium can increase pH
Plant available calcium determines the uptake of all other nutrients into the plant
It is the carrier of all other nutrients to the plant
As calcium content in the plant drops so can the protein, mineral and energy levels of the plant
Calcium is not considered a mobile nutrient, but can leach with excess nitrogen
Over fertilization of nitrogen and potassium will reduce calcium availability
High potassium levels reduces the uptake of calcium
You will usually find an increase in all mineral levels in a plant following the correction of low calcium
Calcium plays a critical metabolic role in carbohydrate removal.
Calcium neutralizes cell acids
Study after study shows calcium at the optimum level will decrease disease in most plants
Yield, quality, taste, shelf life and disease resistance are all functions of good calcium uptake

SuperCal SO4 and SuperCal 98G are great sources of calcium. Our pelletized processing makes it easy to add calcium to your dry fertilizer program. See your local dealer or give us a call to see how easy it can be to reduce input costs, and increase yields.

Are you concerned with the value on the bill (price), or are concerned with what that purchase can do for your bottom line, how it affects other areas of your business (cost). Price and cost are two separate terms, with two separate meanings.

Example: Comparing a JD 9660 combine versus a JD 4400

Price of JD 9660 - $150,000 no heads

Price of JD 4400 - $6500 w/heads

If you only ask the price, the 4400 sounds like a bargain. It's 1/5 the cost of a 9660, has the heads as part of the deal. If they both can harvest grain what else besides the price is there to compare?

The problem is if you don't figure the cost of each combine it is not an accurate comparison.

9660 Cost	4400 Cost
Repairs, its new so none	Lots of repairs, its old
Capacity, 15-20 acres per hour	Capacity, 2.5-5 acres per hour
Comfort, auto controls, grain loss monitoring	Loud, hot, dusty, and loud
Get harvest done quickly, get on with life	Harvest all winter, lose part of crop due to snow
Opportunity cost of money	Pay for combine with sofa change
Cost of fuel, 1-2 gal per acre	Cost of fue,l 3-5 gal per acre

There are many other cost that could be considered as well, for the guy farming 150 acres a 4400 is likely the right machine. If you farm a 1000 acres or more a bigger machine makes more sense. If you are not doing this kind of analysis with each purchase on your farm, you may be missing a better opportunity, losing money on a poor purchase, and not operating as efficiently as possible.

This kind of analysis applies to your fertilizer inputs as well. What is the value on the bill for lime (price). Should you buy a lime product that is $110 per ton, or one that is $22 per ton. Did you stop to figure the cost?

SuperCal 98G	Ag lime
Works faster, money returned quickly with improved yield	Takes years to react, might increase yield in 3-5 years
Improves fertilizer efficiency this year	Improves fertilizer eventually
Less costly per acre	Expensive per acre
Low opportunity cost $6-24 per acre	High opportunity cost $22-$110 per acre
No loss of product to drift	I pay to lime my neighbors fields
Can apply in furrow, or by air machine, spreads evenly with a spinner	Can't apply with precision, even though you paid for grid sampling

After you have added the costs up there is no comparison. You get what you pay for, lime spread where it needs to go, increasing yield, reducing other input costs, for less money per acre than 1 bushel of beans!

So next you make a purchase for your operation, is the price really too high, or are the costs right.

Here are some overviews from 3 workshops.

Ag Weather Outlook, Elwynn Taylor.
 We are currently in a trend of increased demand for commodities. In a volatility measurement from the CBOT, this is the most volatile year since 1988. That volatility was caused by weather. The indexes he uses to predict the weather all point to a 70% chance of below trend yields. Couple the already high demand for grain with drought and the markets could go really nuts.
 As an agronomist looking at the volatility of the CBOT, fertilizer, and weather we should look to help our customers minimize risk.

An update on ethanol, biodiesel, grain markets, and implications for crop rotations for the next year, Robert Wisner

While ethanol continues to drive corn demand upward the main thing to consider is carryout. In 2004-05 carryout was 10 weeks, 2005-06 it dropped to 9 weeks. 2006-07 is estimated at 5 weeks, this is what is driving the markets. Dr. Wisner's numbers show that over the next three years the carryout should range in the 6-8 week range. This should help keep the markets strong.

If there is a widespread drought next year, carryout could drop to 3 weeks. This is a critical level, and the markets will react with extreme volatility. This tells me that it may be more important to protect the downside of pricing, and not forward contract too much. Being conservative in marketing, while everyone else goes nuts will be the winning strategy.

Soybean White Mold: What we have learned since 1992, Craig Grau

The occurrence of white mold can be reduced by reducing factors that increase yield, or you could plant wheat. Not exactly things that are practical for most farmers. After the meeting I approached Dr. Grau, and asked him if he knew of any soil fertility situations where white mold could be reduced.

He said that increasing or decreasing certain fertilizers would make an impact on white mold. He then said that Gypsum would make an impact and would be a very good product to reduce white mold. Calcium Products conducted a study on using SuperCal SO4 to reduce white mold. Our research indicated a 9.8-bushel advantage from using SO4. This testing was done in 5 replicated trials.

I found it interesting that the message of the meeting was to reduce white mold, you should use techniques that are used in low yield environments. If there was an inexpensive product to add to your fertilizer program that is proven to reduce white mold, why not discuss it? At $5 beans SO4 would return $2 for every dollar spent. At $10 dollar beans SO4 would return over $4 for every dollar. Sure beats settling for 30-bushel beans.

The world is flat

It takes 1.2 lbs of Nitrogen to make one bushel of corn

These are a just a few once held beliefs that come to mind. There are lots of them out there. Why do they persist and why does it take so long for people to let go of them. There is one main reasons; fear of loss.

SMP Buffer Test (pHSMP ).
This test measures the total soluble and exchangeable hydrogen and aluminum. It is reliable for soils with a greater than 1 Ton/acre lime requirement and it is also well adapted for acid soils with a pH below 5.8 containing less than 10% organic matter and having appreciable amounts of aluminum. If the soil pH is greater than 6.5, the SMP buffer test is not made, since lime is not needed for most crops.

Adams-Evans Buffer Test
This buffer method is primarily an adaptation of the SMP buffer, but it is specifically designed for low organic matter, sandy soils where amounts of lime are needed in small quantities and the possibility of over-liming exists. The chemistry of the Adams-Evans buffer solution works in the same manner as the SMP buffer solution. The pH of the Adams-Evans buffer solution is 8.0. When the buffer solution is added to an acid soil, the original pH of the buffer will be lowered. Since it is known how much acid is required to lower the buffer solution pH to any given level, the total acidity of the soil can be determined.

The buffer pH is the sample pH after the laboratory has added a liming material. The laboratory adds the buffering solution, which acts like an extremely fast-acting lime. Each soil sample receives the same amount of buffering solution; therefore the resulting pH is different for each sample.

Too determine a lime recommendation, the laboratory looks at the difference between the original soil pH and the ending pH after the buffering solution has reacted with the soil. If the difference between the two pH measurements is large, it means that the soil pH is easily changed, and a low rate of lime will be sufficient. If the soil pH changes only a little after the buffering solution has reacted, it means that the soil pH is difficult to change and a larger lime addition is needed to reach the desired pH for the crop.

The reasons that a soil may require differing amounts of lime to change the soil pH relates to the soil CEC and the "reserve" acidity that is contained by the soil. Soil acidity is controlled by the amount of hydrogen (H+) and the aluminum (Al+++) that is either contained in, or generated by the soil and soil components. Soils with a high CEC have a greater capacity to contain or generate these sources of acidity. Therefore, at a given soil pH, a soil with a higher CEC (thus a lower buffered pH) will normally require more lime to reach a given target pH than a soil with a lower CEC.

That nutrient is carbon, more specifically Carbon Dioxide. You may have noticed that CO2 has been getting a lot of press lately, but did you know; the atmosphere contains 400 ppm or 0.04% carbon dioxide, this present-day atmosphere concentration is just above "suffocation" level for green plants.

On a hot windless july day when your corn is in full tassel, it uses more CO2 than is available in the atmosphere. Where then can your crop get enough CO2 to continue respiration? It comes from having a quality soil that is high in OM and humus. As the OM breaks down, CO2 is released to be used by the plant for growth, making more OM in the form of increased plant growth and oxygen.

Here is a great article on CO2, and why high quality soils are essential for increased yield.

Quick points;

Doug Beegle, PSU Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Specialist has a great article on liming No-Till. His tips make great sense even for the guy doing tillage.

Key Points:

• lime on a regular basis and don't let pH get low in the first place
• maintain soil pH near to the optimum and don't let it get below the 6.0-6.5 range
• it took 9 years to raise the pH in the plow layer (6") from 5.1 to 6.5
• lime on a regular basis
• Acidity is constantly forming in soils
  

Where I disagree with Mr. Beegle is, tilling the lime in when you have extremely low pH. I feel the damage that is done to the soil by tillage is not worth the benefit. A better approach is to use a better liming product, like SuperCal 98G. It's fineness will work faster and move through the profile better than coarse ag lime.

The other point of contention is how often to lime. The reason to lime every 3 years with ag lime is; nobody will apply less than 1 ton per acre, nobody will haul less then 30 ton per load, it's expensive so you do not want to write a big check very often.

Using SuperCal 98G every year or every other year will cost you less, yields you more, and helps to create better soil. Every year you apply nitrogen, you need to be applying lime. 98G finally makes that cost effective and easy to do.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better lime

One of the main differences is pH, the field has a pH of 5.0 compared to the garden, which had 6.5 pH. 

Fun Facts: 

At a pH of 5.0 the potential yield of corn is reduced by 27%, soybeans by 21% and alfalfa by 91%.

At a pH of 5.0 1/2 of N, 1/3 of P, and 1/2 of K is unavailable for plant uptake.

At a pH of 5.0 nodulation is reduced up to 40%

Click here to view lab report

With the high costs of fertilizer and fuel, wouldn't it make sense to make those inputs work harder for you? Working to improve you soil quality makes high priced fertilizers more available to your plants, resulting in decreased costs. High quality soils allow irrigation water and rainfall to infiltrate into the pore space, making it available to plants. Ponding is the first sign that water is not entering the soil, eventually causing de-nitrification, and evaporating, wasting fuel, fertilizer, and lowering yield.

Adding SuperCal 98G pelletized lime and SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum to your fertility program will ensure your soils maintain the proper pH, superior infiltration rates, reduce future input costs, decrease soil erosion, and increase yields.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better soil

Our products are key in increasing organic matter, soil flocculation, stabilizing nitrogen, and reducing erosion. In the past we have had to pull information from many, many research papers and websites to bring you  information on improving soil quality.

I have discovered a great website that should aid everyone in improving their soil quality. The site was created by the NRCS National Soil Quality Team, the National Soil Tilth Lab, NCERA-59 Scientists, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Calcium is a key ingredient in improving soil structure and reducing fertilizer losses.

Having proper pH will improve nutrient utilization, reduce losses, improve the genetic ability of seed, and improve herbicide efficacy. SuperCal 98G is the best way to lime. It is finely ground high calcitic lime, pelletized to reduce drift and improve precision application.

For high pH, SuperCal SO4 is a high quality gypsum that is also finely ground and pelletized to reduce drift and improve performance. Gypsum has been recognized by the USDA to reduce phosphorus runoff.

Whether you have high pH or low Calcium Products has a product to help you reach your yeild goals while protecting your most important asset, your soil.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better soil quality

In order to reach 200 bushels a corn plant needs around 22 inches of water uptake. To reach 300 bushels the plant would need close to 33 inches of water uptake. The problem is that it usually only rains 16-21 inches a year in the corn belt.

I have two thoughts on that, instead of irrigation, increase the water infiltration rate of your soil, and variety won't matter if you soil has as hard pan 4" down, the best hybrids will fail.

If your soil is a silt loam, it is going to hold about 2" of water per foot. If you topsoil is 5' deep then the soil could hold 10" of water. In the case of the field in my previous blogs, I could only push a shovel in about 4". That soil will only hold a little over 1/2" of water! Anything over that 1/2" will sit on the surface and evaporate or runoff.

With all the rain this we have had this fall, your soil profile should be full. However if you have a hardpan, sealed soil surface do to incorrect salt level or over tillage, than most of it ran off to the nearest river or lake. SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum, helps open you soil so more water goes into the soil to be available for plant use next spring.

It's pretty amazing that the technology to reach high yield is already available. We are currently in the planning stages for testing to prove how SuperCal SO4 will increase the water infiltration. We'll keep you posted!

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, making new technology work better

Since my last update on Wednesday we received an additional half in of rain through Thursday. This brings the 7 day total to close to 3 inches. The really neat thing is that the top 1/2 inch of the quality soil in the garden area is already dry! We have had one day of light wind and sun. The field/poor soil is still sopping wet. (Note I will also be taking soil samples so we can compare them that way.)

So with more rain in the forcast for early next week if you had quality soil you would be back in the field harvesting while your neighbor watches.

You can start improving you soil, plant sooner and harvest quicker or watch your corn and beans shell and lodge. As a bonus for having quality soil it compacts less when you do have to operate in less than optimal conditions and will stick to your boots and equipment less making it a little more tollerable to be working.

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and I hope everyone gets back into the field really soon!

Calcium Products, lower inputs costs, higher yields, harvesting before your neighbors

After 1 day of sun the ponding decreased, however an additional 0.5" resulted in ponding again, the garden did not pond.

Poor infiltration leads to in-season water stress. Water stress limits the development of young plants and reduces grain fill and development fruiting plants. Water stress also raises leaf temperature, which increases the likelihood of severe spider mite infestations.

Slow water intake reduces irrigation efficiency since a greater portion of the water applied is lost to evaporation. Finally, slow water intake increases the potential for compaction since planting and harvesting are often performed before the soil is sufficiently dry.

Slow water intake can result in prolonged standing water, which reduces the needed oxygen required for proper soil health. Standing water can cause N loss by waterlogging soil bacteria. The bacteria starving for oxygen, will scavenge oxygen from soil nitrate. As a side effect, these scavenging bacteria break down the nitrate molecules, causing de-nitrification.

The Common causes of poor infiltration are:
1. Compaction of surface soil from traffic.
2. High sodium content (Na) causes soil particles to be forced apart chemically (called deflocculation). This can result in surface sealing by reducing pore size.
3. Inadequate salt content of the surface soil is just as big a factor in slow infiltration as high content. Irrigating with low salt water (less than 250ppm) or excessive rainfall, which is very low in salt content eventually, leaches enough salts from the surface soil to reduce its structure. This creates smaller pore spaces, which have higher surface tension, and less permeability.
4. Subsurface soils with distinctly different texture are often overlooked as a water related problem. It does not cause slow infiltration at the soil surface; rather it limits downward movement of water into the lower root zone. Soils of different texture vary greatly in the number and size of air spaces through which water travels. When downward moving water encounters a zone of different soil texture, it must overcome the surface tension created by the different pore size. Saturated soil conditions occur above the layer until sufficient pressure (head) builds up to overcome this.

Suggestions for improving the infiltration rate:
1. After harvest, dig in several locations to test for compacted soils 8-10 inches below the surface. If you can stand on the shovel without it penetrating, consider chiseling the soil after harvest when the soil is dry. Chiseling can correct surface soil compaction from traffic and can markedly improve water infiltration. However depending upon the soil type, some growers find discover chiseling lasts for only two or three irrigations. Soil analysis, amendments and winter cover cropping are need for longer-term management.
2. Soil sample. Include only the first inch from several locations. Sample areas with good and bad intake rates separately. Request a basic salinity analysis including a SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) or ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage). Also ask that the gypsum requirement be calculated. Soils with total salt content (EC) less than about 1.0 mmho/cm often benefit from gypsum application. This raises the beneficial salt content of the surface soil and improves structure. Soils with SAR or ESP values greater than about 7 can also benefit from SuperCal SO4 application by displacing sodium salts with calcium from the gypsum. If you do not understand the results of your soil analysis, let us know we can help you understand it.
3. Sample your main water source. Irrigation water can be either low or high in salts, depending on your location. Continual use of low salt water causes soil to loose structure. Use of high salt water causes the soil surface to seal shut. SuperCal SO4 application on the soil in the spring will restore or remove the salts and improve water intake.
4. Soils not showing compaction of salt problems require investigation at greater depths with a backhoe. Have an individual knowledgeable about soils and roots present to assist you in their evaluation. Soil layering creates resistance to water movement and root development. Such conditions are difficult to impossible to correct. Deep ripping with the intent of modifying subsoils lacking a hardpan will not solve a soil stratification problem. The benefit of deep ripping is usually gone by the next season as the soil reassumes its original structure. Adjustments in irrigation management or investment in a low volume system allowing more precise water application is usually of greatest benefit.
5. Cover cropping often improves poor surface structure. Cover crops can produce many tons of dry matter per planted acre if allowed to grow until almost mature. As it decomposes, it creates humus, which is important to improving soil structure. Great numbers of pores are also created from the decayed roots. This is not a quick fix! Research and grower testing, show three years of regular cover cropping is needed before improvements were noticeable.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better water infiltration

The following are some pictures showing the difference between a quality soil and a poor soil.

click on the pictures for a close up

 This is a picture of my garden and a neighboring field. This has been a garden for two years. The field is a corn soybean rotation. It was field cultivated this spring, then planted to seed corn.

 This is a shovel in the end rows. I stepped on the shovel with one foot, placing all my weight (260#) on it. It only penetrated 3-4". This is pretty compacted, with poor water infiltration. Note corn roots generally cannot penetrate more than 300 psi. My estimate is that the shovel had over 350 psi on it.

 This picture shows the hole I dug in the end rows. It became impossible to dig after 14". I had to use the shovel as a pick to chip away the soil.

 This picture shows the tillage line about 4" down. You can see the soil is saturated to that point, after that it is moist, but not wet.

 Just for comparison I stepped on the shovel 150 yards out into the field. It did not go in much farther than on the end rows. Also you can see excessive ponding of water signifying poor structure, poor infiltration, and compaction.

 This picture shows the shovel in the garden. It slid in all the way very easily with about half my weight applied.

 This is the hole dug into the garden. It dug easily to a depth of 21". Note no saturation of soil.
In the field the shovel only penetrated 4", in the garden the shovel easily penetrated 12". If the shovel cannot penetrate the ground roots will not be able to either. The volume of soil available for plants in the garden is 3x the amount in the field. Why not find a way to farm more of the ground you have, by farming it deeper.

 This picture shows that the tillage line is approximately the same as in the field. Having proper structure allows the water to percolate through the soil

 This picture shows the poor soil structure. There are no aggregates visible and water is standing. Excessive ponding leads to denitrifcation.

 This picture shows that even after 2.5" of rain there is still structure. The soil aggregates do not breakdown. This allows the soil poor space to fill with water or air not fine soil particles.
      
 This is a side by side photo of the three areas. This right photo shows the end rows, lots of ponding and compaction. The middle photo shows some improvement in the field. The left photo is the garden, which has little compaction, and great infiltration.

We hope this helps give you and idea of what to look for when assessing you soil. Improving soil structure will allow your fertilizers to work more efficiently with less volatilization, detrification, and erosion. High quality soils reduce compaction allowing expensive genetics to work better. Lastly having a high quality, deep soil allows more soil volume for crop production, in other words it's like getting free ground to farm!

SuperCal 98G pelletized lime and SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum are the first steps in developing quality soil.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better soil  

Mainstream agronomy has become popular agronomy. Popular agronomy has us thinking that if we use the latest and greatest, then we too can achieve top yields. While many of these products do a great job, most have forgot about the basics, and are failing to reach top yields.

As the saying goes what's old is new again. Many top growers are returning to the basics. Since no one has the patent on improving soil organic matter and bulk density, they do not get much promotion. Many sideline agronomic practices are really the basics that everyone has forgotten.

I was speaking with a farmer at a farm show; he said that he was not getting the yield his neighbors did. He was not sure why. I asked if he had done soil samples, he said yes, but they were not back. I started to explain that when working to improve fertility, there were no silver bullets, his reply was, I would be happy with a plain old lead bullet.

This is a pretty typical of most people, give me something that works fast, is cheap and solves my problem. The successful farmers know that true solutions are never easy, seldom cheap, but actually solve the problem!

In the quest to apply quick fixes, and new technology, many have forgot the basics. The top growers sited in Dan's article have not. They start with the soil; they don't treat it like dirt. They understand that having the right amount of air in the soil has a big impact on yield. They understand the difference between adequate levels and the right levels of pH, and nutrients. Through their own hard work (i.e. understanding the basics), and on farm testing they know what works on their soils.

Top growers know that SuperCal 98G pelletized lime and SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum are basic steps in improving and maintaining soil quality. Top growers demand SO4 and 98G, they demand the best. They know that taking care of basics is where the yield is made.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, not popular - effective

You are easily losing up to 25% to drift*. Putting on 2 tons per acre, up to 1000 lbs is not being spread where you want it. It could be drifting across the road, or if you are variable rate applying your lime it could easily be drifting on to an area that does not need any lime. Very costly since your paying extra for the applicator to NOT apply it on some areas. Fine ground ag lime is costing you more than you think.

Even if the source is a high calcium lime, fine ground, with water applied to reduce drift, how much water did you pay for? The quarry will not take the time to figure it out, and they likely added the water before they weighed your lime. Even if the water was added after they weighed the truck, are you getting it spread evenly? From my experience it is very difficult to get an even spread. The heavy particles fall right behind the floater, while the fine particles drift away.

Applying lime in the pelletized form is the only way to guarantee your getting what you pay for. SuperCal 98G is a high cal, finely ground, low moisture, pelletized lime. It is the industries highest quality pel lime. It is sized to unsure uniform particle size to spread evenly.

SuperCal 98G pelletized lime can be applied at a much lower rate than ag lime. You're not buying water, large particles that do nothing, ever, or losing 1/4 to drift. Sure it may not last as long as ag lime (Actually, there is no difference between how long ag-lime and 98G lasts.  The courser particles do nothing therefore only the fine particlesdo the work and they should do it in the same time frame.  You get more fine particles on the ground with 98G than ag-lime after spreading), because it starts to work right away! You wouldn't buy seed that doesn't grow for 3 years, or pay for equipment for 3 years before you can use it. Why would you buy a crop input that doesn't provide yield advantage for 3 years?

Stop watching you money blow away, stop buying water, stop inconsistent yields. SuperCal 98G will make you money the first year. It is the best pelletized lime available, it spreads evenly, no drift, has less then 1% moisture, is made from finely ground, high calcium lime. Stop buying the quarry's garbage, start maximizing your yields ever year with SuperCal 98G pelletized lime.

Calcium Products, lower costs, high yield, no drift

*If your ag lime costs you $25/ton/a applied, and you apply 2 tons, 1/4 lost to drift cost you $12.5/a. That easily covers 2 years of application. 

PAM is an environmentally friendly, water-soluble substance that  binds soil into particles that are too large to be carried away by typical runoff. PAM binds particles of silt and clay together, making them more resistant to erosion.

In the U.S., PAM's are used extensively in potable water treatment, for dewatering of sewerage sludges, washing and pealing of fruits and vegetables, clarification of sugar juice and liquor, in adhesives and paper in contact with food, as thickeners and suspending agents in animal feeds, in cosmetics. No significant negative impacts have been documented for aquatic, or crop species when PAM is applied at recommended concentrations and rates.

PAM has proven to

• Reduce sediment runoff soil loss 80% - 98%
• Increases water infiltration up to 60%
• Lowers concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus & pesticides in runoff water
• Reduces hardening and crusting of soils
• Aids in plant growth on high-grade slopes
• No bioaccumulation in crops
• Cost effective and time saving

Conservation practices that require additional field operations usually occur during busy periods in the farming schedule are also avoided. Furthermore, conservation practices that reduce sediment loss such as; sediment ponds, vegetative filter strips or buried-pipe waste water systems, still lose most of the clay-sized solids, the soil component most critical to sustained soil fertility. These solids also are most linked to pesticide, and nutrient loss in run-off waters.

Halting erosion prevents exposure of soil not treated with herbicides, thus reducing potential late-season weed problems. Applied pesticide and fertilizer inputs are better retained on the field. Uniform water infiltration from upper to lower field ends, has shown to improve potato yield and grade, and reduces the risk of nitrate leaching.

Many farmers, who have viewed traditional conservation practices as cumbersome, intrusive, or ineffectual, and expensive, adopt PAM as an attractive inexpensive alternative. The typical $15 to $35/acre per crop is partially or entirely returned by savings in erosion-related field operations, improved infiltration, water conservation, or crop responses.

We hope this short introduction to PAM gives you some ideas to help your marginal, and highly productive irrigated ground be more productive. This article was condensed from polymersinc.com. Read the entire article here.

The building for the expansion has been completed. We are now waiting for the last of the production line equipment. We are hoping for the installation of the equipment to be finished before the end of the year.

Bag Storage and Production facilities in Fort Dodge.

There has been incredible demand for SuperCal SO4 this past year and we are currently sold out for the rest of the year. The plant expansion will allow us to increase production of SuperCal SO4 by 50%.

We have been testing a number of new products over the summer. While most are still in the development stage, and I cannot talk much about them, I can talk about HydraSave. HydraSave is our Ultra Premium Greens Grade Gypsum. HydraSave is an ultra small prill, eliminating the dust that comes with powdered products, but allows you to spread it in the morning, water and play golf with no residual product.

We will be launching HydraSave in spring of '08. We have already received a number of request from top course superintendents across the midwest. We have tested this product for a number of years, it transformed Spring Valley, see what it can do for your course.

This fall proves to be busy as well. The tradeshow circuit is in full swing. We had a booth at the Redwood Falls Farm Show, and talked with many of customers and friends from Minnesota and Iowa. This coming weekend we will be down at Springfield, MO at the Ozark Fall Farm Fest.

It is that time of year for fertilizer and lime spreading. We have been working hard to explain the difference of 98G over ag lime. I think the following picture explains it best.

The lime truck is off the picture to the left, you can see the lime starting to drift across the road.

I don't know anyone that would throw money in the air, watching it blow across the county. This is exactly what happens when you spread ag lime. The portion of lime that does you any good, does not even land on your property.

Make your expensive fertilizer work harder for you, buy lime that actually lands in your field. Use SuperCal 98 Pelletized lime.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, keeping you informed

Lime is not created equal. Lime is the generic term for calcium carbonate. Pure calcium carbonate is also called calcite. Lime on the other hand can vary in purity, form 50% to 175% CCE. Lime products that are over 100% generally contain elements such as Magnesium, or are considered hazardous, such as hydrated lime.

While it does take the same amount of calcium carbonate in a lab setting to neutralize low pH, in the field it is another situation. In order for lime to neutralize pH in needs to first be applied to the acid soil. Which is sometimes an impossible thing to achieve with a finely ground powder. Even on days when the wind is not blowing, applying ag lime with spinners launches the lime into the air, allowing it to drift for miles.

Once the lime gets to the soil it needs to be finely ground to achieve a pH change. Most ag lime is a 20-mesh average screen size. Lime that is meshed larger than 30 mesh will only be 5-50% effective the first year. After 4 years it will only be 15-50% effective. A product that is only 50% effective is an incredible waste of time and money.

Coarse lime is ineffective, wasting you money	Effective fine lime drifts, wasting you money

The reason that ag lime seems to last long is, because of the mesh size, it doesn't breakdown and do much good for 3-4 years. What other ag input sells it self on not providing a return on investment for 3 -4 years? The fact is that none do.

Today's times of low margin, high cost inputs demands that your dollars work as hard as possible. Get yield response the first year, pH increase with every application. Make your high dollar fertilizers work for you. Don't let them be tied up by low pH. Feed the soil what it needs to stimulate and grow the microbiology that can decompose residue and recycle the nutrients locked in the residue.

SuperCal 98G is the industries highest quality pelleted lime. Finely ground for maximum efficiency. Manufactured using proprietary methods to assure evenly sized pellets for even spreading, resulting in uniform crop growth and response.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, better yields, lime that works as fast as you do

Humate Benefits

• Improved Water Retention, and water holding capacity
• Humates can hold up to 20 times their weight in water. 
• Humic substances can enhance the release of fixed K from montmorillonite soils.
• Addition of humic acids can increase P uptake by 25%.
• Humic substances will increase length, and number of lateral roots, seedling growth after germination, nutrient availability and nutrient uptake.
• These substances also affect a wide range of enzymatic processes.

Humates, play a vital role in soil fertility and plant nutrition. Plants grown on soils which contain adequate humates are less subject to stress, are healthier, produce higher yields, and the nutritional quality of feeds are superior. Humic substances are important in soil fertility and plant nutrition because of the part they play in the life cycle on earth. The life-death cycle involves a recycling of the carbon from plants to animals through the soil and air and back into the living plant.

Humates have been "forgotten " when it was discovered that soluble acidic based N P and K fertilizers could stimulate plant growth. Continued use of these acidic fertilizers has decreased humic substances in the soil. This decrease is the main cause of leaching and erosion. Giving higher priority to soil humus and humates is a must to improve soil condition and yield.

Humic substances are recognized by most soil scientists and agronomists as the most important component of a healthy fertile soil. In addition, by understanding how these carbon containing substances function, professionals will have a solid foundation on which to design truly "complete" fertilizer recommendations.

Humic substances neutralize the soil pH and liberate carbon dioxide. Repeated field studies have provided evidence that the addition of humic substances to soils helps to neutralize the pH of those soils. Both acidic and alkaline soils are neutralized. Once the soil is neutralized, many trace elements formerly bound in the soil are available to plants.

Humic substances also liberate carbon dioxide (CO2) from calcium carbonates present within the soil. The plant may take up the released CO2 or it may form carbonic acids. The carbonic acids act on soil minerals to release plant nutrients. The application of either dry or liquid humic substances to soils dramatically increases fertilizer efficiency.

Humic substances enhance uptake of major plant nutrients. As the level of humic substances in soils become depleted the misleading demand for higher concentrations of N P and K results. Many growers have over the past several years reported increasing demands for soluble acid fertilizers in order to maintain crop yields. 

Increased leaching of nitrate fertilizer into the ground water is  a warning of poor soils and reflects the loss of soil humic substances.

The above article was condensed from:

ORGANIC MATTER, HUMUS, HUMATE, HUMIC ACID, FULVIC ACID AND HUMIN:
THEIR IMPORTANCE IN SOIL FERTILITY AND PLANT HEALTH

Dr. Robert E. Pettit
Emeritus Associate Professor Texas A&M University

Read Dr. Pettit's entire article by clicking on the title

 Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yeilds, more information

Click on comments, and then post a comment to let us know what you think of our products, our blog posts, or anything we can do to help you be more successful.

If you don't want your comments posted on our site, go to about usand click on one of our names to send us an email. We are always looking for ways to improve SuperCal 98G, SuperCal SO4 and our company. Let us know what we can do to help you succeed in your business.

He is also right on track that the degradation of the soil is linked to human health, plant production, and water quality. I am not sure that we necessarily need new approaches to preserve and maintain the soil. We need to do a better job of marketing the basics of fertility and soil management.

Soil management is not easy, sexy, or exciting. There is no instant gratification like with tillage (which generally degrades the soil). There is no sense of accomplishment like watching the corn emerge through the soil. Understanding cations and anions takes more time than 0.7 x yield goal. Soil management is hard, that's why most people ignore it.

Calcium Products is committed to helping you improve your soils. We have been doing it for over ten years. SuperCal 98G and SuperCal SO4 are key components to improving your soil. We have developed these products to make the old hard and difficult process of amending the soil easy and efficient. Keep checking back, we'll continue to bring you information and ideas to improve your soil, yields, and bottom line.

This fall will you treat the fields chopped for silage like the fields where just the grain was harvested? Will you adjust fertilizer rates in the sections of the fields that were chopped?

When 200-bushel corn is chopped for silage the following nutrients are removed.

Phosphate 120#       Potash 260#     Calcium 42#     Sulfur 32#

When 200-bushel corn is harvested for grain the following nutrients are removed.

Phosphate 70#         Potash 52#       Calcium 4#      Sulfur 14#

Chopping generally requires that the extra nutrients removed be replaced with increased fertilizer rates. Removing the stover removes 10x as much Ca, 5x as much K, 2x as much S, and 2x as much P. In addition to the nutrients lost, removal of up to 6 tons of stover can lead to a decrease of organic matter since it is not returned to the soil.

Please do not misunderstand; I am not against chopping corn for silage, there are many great benefits to it as a feed source. I am against poor soil. Soil that is low in nutrients such as calcium, sulfur, phosphate, and potash grow poor crops.

Low organic matter is the main cause for many other problems; compaction, poor structure, poor nutrient holding capacity, poor water holding capacity, erosion, crusting, diseases and carbon dioxide release. Crop residues are about 40% carbon. Residue turns into organic matter that releases CO₂ throughout the growing season.

Having poor OM can short your corn crop the number one nutrient needed for growth (we'll get into this more this winter).

The bottom line is SuperCal 98G is the best source for lime, and a great source of carbon dioxide. 100 pounds of 98G will supply all the calcium removed by chopping and supply some carbon that is removed as stover. SuperCal SO4 is a great source of soluble calcium and sulfur. 100 pounds of SO4 will supply half the calcium removed and all the sulfur. Whether you have high pH or low we can help you grow high yielding corn.

Calcium Product, lower input costs, higher yields, more silage

Now is the time to soil sample and plan lime applications.

Low pH may also be the cause of many stalk and stand problems. Having proper pH can reduce the amount and severity of diseases, while increasing the availability of nutrients already present in the soil.  According to Plant Pathology, by George Nicholas Agrios, calcium reduces the severity of rhizoctonia, sclerotium (white mold), fusarium, and nematodes. The Plant Pathologist's Pocketbook states, calcium generally enhances resistance against disease, including post-harvest diseases.

Soil pH, calcium level, nitrogen form, and the availability of nutrients plays a major role in disease management. Adequate crop nutrition makes plants more tolerant of or resistant to disease. A direct correlation between adequate calcium levels, and pH, and decreasing levels of Fusarium occurrence has been established for a number of crops, including tomatoes, cotton, melons, and several ornamentals.

Too much phosphate can also be critical. Increasing phosphorus rates above the level needed to grow the crop can increase the severity of Fusarium wilt in certain crops. Avoid applying excessive levels of nitrogen. High N:K ratios have increased severity of many diseases. Work to maintain an adequate level of calcium and potassium in the soil

Don't forget about fall-seeded crops.
In a study conducted by Washington State University, the incidence of Cephalosporium stripe decreased significantly when soil pH was raised from 5.1 to 6.0. Grain-yield and test weight increased significantly with increasing soil pH in three out of four years.
If you're planning on sowing wheat, don't forget to lime. SuperCal 98G can be used as a seed carrier to reduce lime costs, and increase yields.

Calcium Prodcuts, lower input costs, higher yields, less disease

There is an old saying that you should always buy land, they don't make anymore. There is also another saying; you make your money when you buy, not when you sell. So what should one do, commodities are at an all time high, increasing acres would mean a substantial gain in income. If prices fall, you're stuck with high land payments, higher input costs, and possibly not enough revenue to cover costs.

We suggest maximizing yield, over high priced land purchases.

Use the increased revenue to find ways to improve your yields

If the nation wide average is only 150 bushels, and top yields are making 300 bushels or more. Why are you not growing 300 bushels corn? You're already selecting top hybrids, and following established crop protection guidelines.

Take care of your soil first. By taking an in-depth analysis of your soil, applying the needed amendments, and following established tillage guidelines are the first steps in creating better soil on your farm. Remember First Things First.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better investment

How much time will you spend finding ways to improve soil quality and fertility? We think taking care of the soil is even more important than hybrid selection. Soils that have good physical properties will make a strong rooting hybrid perform even better.

SuperCal SO4 increase water and oxygen infiltration in the soil. This creates a friendly environment for beneficial insects and bacteria, which increases rooting, reducing lodging. 

SuperCal SO4 contains 17% sulfur in the sulfate form. Sulfur is key in converting nitrate to ammonium N. Having high amounts of sulfur ensures that expensive nitrogen in fully utilized, resulting in a stronger, better yielding plant.

 DKC 52-40, Winnebago County, IA

Applied 300 lbs, SuperCal SO4	No SuperCal SO4

This customer noticed that the untreated portions of his field had more down corn. A walk of the field showed that stalk quality was much better in the SuperCal SO4 treated area, the ears were bigger and more filled out. In the non-treated area the corn was germinating on the ear!

We will post pictures of the field and will have yield maps available after harvest to see what the yield difference was between SuperCal SO4 and the untreated lodging corn.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better hybrid standablity

If you sell your services at the lowest price, you will only be successful until a cheaper or better consultant comes along. While customers do look for fair prices, it is not the only criteria for doing business with you;

Trust and integrity

Clean and professional offices and facilities

Completing jobs a time

Spreaders and applicators that are well maintained

Staff that has knowledge of GPS/GIS equipment

Knowledge of innovative products and practices

Continuing education and training

When a customer ask why he should spend fifty cents more an acre for your services, be prepared to explain it. Explain it in specific terms relevant to that customers operation. "We are full service", or "our equipment is better", will not cut it. "We are not the cheapest, but have always sprayed your fields on time", is expected from every dealer, by every customer today.

The successful dealer knows that while they offer products like nitrogen and glyphosate, the real sale is their expertise. Helping their customers find the best solutions for their operation, not selling them the cheapest products, is what makes them and their customers successful

Your customers will spend millions of dollars with you; they want more than full service and cheap prices. They expect that your expertise will help them be successful, that you are always looking for innovative ways to make their lives more profitable and easier.

We can help you bring innovative products and service to your customers. Give us a call.

The facts of farming

Soil quality is the same kind of "problem". Almost every thing you do to farm the land destroys the quality of your soil. Applying nitrogen causes acidity, decreases organic matter and can reduce beneficial soil bacteria. Tilling the soil does all the above plus causes compaction. Planting only one type of crop increases diseases and insects. Spraying herbicides/insecticides can reduce beneficial bacteria and insects and increase soil diseases such as fusarium.

You can avoid the facts, do nothing and grow a poor crop, reducing soil quality. This approach will lead to decreased yield over time, and/or increased inputs. We think its better to make a few simple, inexpensive changes that make the facts easier to deal with. Small steps that will maintain and/or improve your soil quality, leading to better yield and reduced inputs over time.

The problem with liming is, the soil never stays limed

Having low pH can radically change the amount and types of weeds growing in your fields and changes the way herbicides work. Having a neutral pH allows the herbicides your using to work better, reduces the amount and vigor of weeds. That means you can use the lower rates on the label and have great control, the lower rates means there is less impact to beneficial bacteria. That results in a healthier plant with better yield, a lower herbicide bill, and happier customers.

Over-applying ag lime causes the soil to become alkaline. Akaline soils suffer similar problems. Increase diseases, changes in the weed spectrum and reduces herbicide efficacy. Keeping soil pH neutral is the best strategy. SuperCal 98G allows you to do that with yearly or bi-yearly maintenance, for roughly the same cost as an application of gyphosate.

What does it take for today's producer to reach their yield goals; an N stabilizer, side dressing, foliar feeding, seed treatment, stacked hybrids, herbicide, fungicide, insecticide, stock chopping, and/or heavy tillage to remove crop residue, dirt work to fill in gullies. I realize not everyone has these problems, or does all these steps every year, but if you're doing more than 3-4 of these every year there may be another cause of your problems.

The symptoms are one or more of the following; poor nitrogen utilization and leaching, seedling diseases, soil crusting, excessive weed pressure and hard to eradicate weeds, white mold and other foliar disease, nematodes and other insects, poor organic matter, residue that does not breakdown, and erosion.

Diagnosis -- POOR SOIL QUALITY

Many of today's newest agricultural inputs are great tools, but are relied on as a solution. They are only treatments for a pre-existing condition. Improving your soil is the curative. If your soil quality is already great, why not implement preventive steps to keep it that way. It is much easier to keep you soil in optimal condition than to improve it.

SuperCal SO4 & 98G are key components for many of our customers fertility programs. Helping them improve their soil, leading to increase yields, and reduced costs. We can show how to do the same, as well as other tools and techniques for soil improvement. Look for future posts on soil quality improvement in the future.

Calcium Products, lower input costs, higher yields, better soil

Acids are substances that release hydrogen ions (H+). The more H+ held in the soil, the greater it's acidity. Basic ions such as calcium (C++) make soils more alkaline.

Soil pH simply measures H+ activity and is expressed in logarithmic terms. This simply means that each unit change on the scale is a tenfold change in the acidity or alkalinity. A soil with a pH of 6 is ten-times more acid than a soil with a pH of 7. A soil that has a pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than a soil with a pH of 7. A soil with a pH of 4 is 1000 times more acidic than a soil with a 7 pH.

How nitrogen fertilizers affect soil acidity

The nitrification process converts ammonium to nitrate. This process releases H+ ions. Nitrate furthers increases acidity by leaching calcium, magnesium (N never takes Mg), and potassium with it. As these alkaline ions are removed more hydrogen can be replaced in the soil.

How lime reduces soil acidity

One Ca++ ion from lime replaces two H+ ions on the soil exchange site. This process creates water (H₂0) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). As the H+ concentration is lowered soil acidity decreases.

There are other factors that affect soil acidity. Excessive rainfall can leach basic ions. Nitrogen fixation of legumes, crop removal, and organic matter decomposition also increase acidity. As the alkaline ions (Ca++, Mg++, K+) are removed they will need to be replaced or H+ will steadily increase, lowering pH.

We heard lots of good stories today, and had lots of questions asked. One in particular caught me off guard.

Reporter: "If your selling lime and gypsum, why does you booth show a cafe scene?"

Me: "It got you to stop and ask me about it didn't it, actually it is part of a marketing campaign."

What are you doing to get your customers to take time to stop and talk with you?

Having poor turnouts for your customer meetings? Have you changed the format and topics lately?

Does the cost of fertilizer have you thinking about not talking about it anytime soon? If you're thinking about it, your customers are. Why not include that in fall tour discussions. It may be a good time to add that fixing pH will make their fertilizer work better.

Having you customers ask you about SuperCal latter is a lot easier than "trying" to tell them what it will do for them today.

The old adage, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink, holds true. Don't show them the water, tell them how clear, cooling, and refreshing it is. You're thirsty now aren't you. It is strange but it works.  Don't tell your customers the whole story, even if they ask. Most people cannot place themselves in the story. Give them a few details, and let them make their own story, it's better than yours anyway.

Soil pH testing is the best place to start when planning a fertility program. Having low pH causes plant nutrients to be tied up. According to research done by Midwest Laboratories, a pH of 6.5 ties up 24% of available phosphorus. If your pH is 6.0, then P tie-up increases to 48%, and 24% of N is not available to your crops.

The cost of not liming soil at a 6.0 pH, 200-bushel corn goal:

Nitrogen  @ $0.60/#	24% unavailable
140#'s = $84	$20 /a in wasted inputs
Phosphates @ $0.48/#	48% unavailable
70#'s  = $34/a	$16/a in wasted inputs

$36/a lost in wasted inputs

Yield loss of corn, resulting from low pH, 34 bushels, priced at $3.50 =

$119/a lost in yield reduction due to low pH

The economic loss of farming ground with low pH is astounding. Keeping you soil at neutral pH will pay for itself many times over.

SuperCal 98G can eliminate the yield loss and fertilizer tie-up associated with acid soils. By applying a few hundred pounds as part of a maintenance fertility plan, the high cost of traditional ag lime programs can be eliminated.

The high price of soybeans have you thinking of growing more beans. Low pH creates an even bigger yield loss, 20% with a 5.7 pH. Testing has shown that even 200 pounds can return over 4 bushels on soybeans.

Stop wasting high cost fertilizer, applying SuperCal 98G makes fertilizer work better!

Why have renters used 98G? It costs less, you see yield results the first cropping year.

In most cases, 300- 400 pounds of SuperCal 98G, every other year, on a corn-bean rotation will raise soil pH. The cost of 300-400 lbs applied is usually in the $20-$25, or $10-$12.50 per year for liming (could be less depending on pH).

Compare that to applying AgLime waiting 3 years for pH to rise then waiting to re-apply for 2 more years until the pH falls again. You will pay $20-$25 per ton of AgLime, and most people put on 2-3 tons when they apply it. So you pay $40-$75 to put on AgLime, wait 3 years for it to make a small change, then watch it fall for two. This roller coaster is costing you $8-$15 per year.

That does not include the cost of lost yield. In trails, SuperCal 98G has shown 4.5-bushel advantage over AgLime in soybeans. At today's commodity prices, you could be leaving $40 dollars in the field.

The longevity of AgLime is a misconception. It only seems to "last" longer, because it takes longer to break down in the field. Most AgLime has large particle size lime that takes years to breakdown. You would not buy seed, chemical, or fertilizer that took years to go to work, why would you buy lime that takes years to work?

Discover what renters have known for years, SuperCal 98G works in weeks, not years.

There will not be adequate amounts for 2008 due to;

Demand world wide is at an all time high

60% of US fertilizer stocks are imported

Freight to the US has tripled in the past few years

Fall needs have been decided in May/June.

With the exception of Urea expect that there will not be enough other products to meet demand.

At Calcium Products we see this trend as well. I attended a meeting last fall and these comments were echoed. I will be attending a number of fertilizer seminars over the next few months and continue to update you.

So what does this mean for the grower?

Customers unwilling to pay higher prices for inorganic fertilizer will need to find alternatives or change crops. If corn pushes above $4 next year, many will increase corn acres, increasing demand for fertilizer. Most dealers have already locked in their fertilizers for 2008, so expect the price of fertilizer to continue higher. Soybean processors will need to pay above $9/bu to offset any increase in corn price.

If changing the cropping system not an option, then the other option is changing inputs.

In trials 80 lbs of N and 200 lbs of SuperCal 98G yielded 173.8 bushels. 160 lbs of N alone yielded 175.6 bushels. With today's nitrogen costs reaching $0.50 per pound the additional cost of N was $40. The average cost of 200 lbs of SuperCal 98G is around $17.

The lower N rate with SuperCal 98G added cost the grower $57 per acre. The high rate N cost the grower $80 per acres. The premium for the additional 2 bushels was $23 dollars!

Urea may be the cheapest form of N available for the 2008 growing season. The prilled nature of SuperCal 98G pelletized lime, allows it to perfectly mix with any dry fertilizer. Less application trips further lowers the cost of inputs.

Give us a call or contact one of our dealers to see how you can lower your costs and increase production.

There are always improvements in farming. Could you meet today's productivity with yesterday's technology? Are you still farming with a John Deere model "720"? Are you waiting to hear grain prices on the news, or do you get real-time quotes on the Internet? Did you plant a triple stack corn or saved seed?

Have you been trying to raise pH and increase yield with AgLime? While applying tons of AgLime looks like your really accomplishing something, unfortunately, like a 720 in a parade, when the dust clears, it costs too much to do, and does not really accomplish much.

SuperCal 98G is the pelletizied lime product to meet today's ROI and production goals. Why spend 3-5 years for results? Would you wait 3 years for your seed to grow, or your nitrogen to be utilized? If you equipment dealer told you to pay him today and he'd get you that 9660 in 3 years, would you look for a new dealer?

It is not clear in the story who recommended the solution, but it will be nothing but headaches for Ryan. Ryan applied 100 lbs. of Ammonium Sulfate (AMS), at a cost of $17 per acre.

Wow! $0.70 per pound of sulfur!

Then factor in the unintended costs of AMS. AMS is one of the most acidifying fertilizers on the market. It takes 5-7 lbs of SuperCal 98G, or 15-20 lbs of AgLime to neutralize the acidity caused by AMS. Add $5 to $20 per acre to the fertilizer bill for lime.

Don't forget the unintended cost of stand reduction from the added nitrogen in alfalfa. There are many reports that show even 20 lbs on N on established alfalfa can reduce stands up to 2/3 rds. Add the cost of spaying weeds in alfalfa...$6-20 per acre? Add the cost of reseeding with today's fuel prices...$30-50 per acre?

The cost of applying AMS could easily be over $40 per acre, for 100 lbs.

We think the best solution is SuperCal SO4.

Cost of 100 lbs of SO4 $6.50

Per pound of Sulfur, $0.38 (17% sulfur, in sulfate form)

We just saved Mr. Ryan 50% on his fertilizer bill. Still not convinced?

SuperCal SO4 does not have nitrogen in it. No unintended stand loss, no acidifying effects. The 22% calcium actually helps offset uptake of Potassium. Income from premium for low K alfalfa $$$? Income from higher feed value of alfalfa $$$? 

University of Wisconsin studies show as little as 25 lbs per acre of sulfur can increase first and second cutting alfalfa yields by as much as 20%. Our research shows 45% increase in yield when using SuperCal SO4. Including SuperCal SO4 in your alfalfa fertilizer program assures you that your alfalfa has higher protein and feed value, and improves stand density and longevity, creating more tonnage.

Let's review the choices, do nothing and continue to lose yield, apply AMS and pay $40 for 24 lbs of sulfur and have other problems to solve, Apply 200 lbs of SuperCal SO4 for less than $17 per acre, and create additional income.

Calcium Products, increase yields, reduce costs, higher quality alfalfa!

Last week I attended a University of Nebraska agronomy training. It was a 2-day extensive crop diagnostic training. The staff at UNL does a great job of technically covering topics that are current and promoting sustainable agriculture and reducing the environmental impact of agriculture.

While Bud's program showed what the upcomming topics could do for them, the guys at UNL failed to show about 200 agronomists that sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture could be profitable for their clients. The University failed to show the positive economic impact of improving soil quality.

Many techniques to improve soil quality require time, and expense to implement as well as a change in practices. Most people do not like change. Show them that those changes will positively impact their bottom line, while not changing adversely affects it and the level of adoption will increase.

This idea goes for what ever you are selling; whether it's conservation, feed, seed, or tractors. Don't assume that your customer will understand that using your product will make their life better. Explain what's in it for them!

Most agronomists are hired to help their clients improve yield for next year (the farmers want), not to improve soil quality for the next generation (the universities want). Do a better job of showing that conservation can improve yields next year and adoption of conservation techniques would increase.

So what does the price of ice cream have to do with soil?

I'm getting to that!

The story claims that this is due to the rising price of corn used to feed dairy cows. I don't doubt that the cost of feed is more expensive, but the cost of fuel, fertilizer, and any other inputs in farming are also up. It's a vicious cycle, where the farmer rarely wins. It seems impossible to cut costs when the price of finished goods doubles overnight. 

How does one combat increasing input costs, and volatile prices?

Focus on the things you can control.

A study by the Iowa Soybean Association compared the increased profit per acre on many Iowa farms. They found that 50% of their increased profit came from increasing yield. While it is hard to control the price of ice cream it is far easier to manage your crops to increase yields.

It starts with the soil.

It does no good to plant the best Triple Stack seed corn if you do not take care of your soil. According to Midwest Labs, low pH (5.7) will reduce the genetic yield potential of corn by 17%. That's 34 bushels on 200-bushel farm average! Even if corn were still 2 bucks at least $60 would be lost before planting begins. With today's prices that's over $100 dollars in profit lost per acre.

You could spend all that profit applying AgLime and waiting 3-5 years for a return on that money. Another option is to do nothing, cut your losses, and blame poor profitability on falling prices and the rising costs of inputs.

We think spending $15-$25 this fall for SuperCal 98G and increasing yield in the first year is the better way to go. By utilizing SuperCal 98G this fall, you can protect next years profit, and see increased yields in the first year. Check out the data that we've been compiling for over ten years.

Give us a call we can help you grow better crops and reduce costs!

How do you decide when to settle for adequate over exceptional?  Many of us do settle for adequate over exceptional, quite a bit of the time actually. The difference between success and failure is knowing when only exceptional will do.

How many of us seek out and buy Snap-Onwrenches for the toolboxes on our equipment? Some might, I have lost the box of the tractor or left the tool in the field, so for me a wrench from Bomgaar'sdollar bin is adequate for quick field repairs.

Snap-On is the best in the world, with a lifetime warrantee, last forever, but if there is chance of losing it in the field, I'm not going to sweat losing the dollar wrench.

I have never heard of anyone say happily "I just bought this great stock, it does not perform that well, I'm not making much money on it, but I heard that stocks were great to buy." When it comes to investments only exceptional performance is good enough.

For many of our end users their biggest investment is their land. Are adequate yields good enough for you, or do you strive to have exceptional yields? If adequate yields are ok then adequate fertility and soil quality is good enough.

If you're striving for exceptional yields start with developing exceptional soil on your farms. An exceptional farm always brings more at a sale; exceptional farms create an exceptional income, and allow the landowner to adequately survive times of drought, poor price, and high input costs.

SuperCal SO4, and SuperCal 98G are exceptional products. Many of our customers report exceptional transformations in their fields. Over the next few months we'll bring you their stories. Give us a call, or stop by one of the Calcium Products dealersto find out how to develop exceptional soil on your farms.

For years producers have used traditional ag lime to adjust their soil pH.  The recommended amount can be anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 pounds per acre.  Meanwhile with SuperCal 98-G, a pellet product, a producer only has to use 400 pounds per acre.

How can that be?

Well, what you're not being told is that much of the ag-lime spread on fields simply does not work...or it blows away.  For lime to work effectively the particle size needs to be small but not so small that it powders and drifts from the field.  Or, if the ag-lime is wet, farmers pay for water. 

So, what is the difference between traditional ag-lime and SuperCal 98-G?

Two big and important things:

1. SuperCal 98-G is 98% Pure.  It just does not get any better.
2. We grind this pure product and then create small pellets that are pretty uniform in size.  The result is the product goes right to the soil and starts working right away.

Over the next few months we invite you to come back and learn more about SuperCal 98-G and the other products made by Calcium Products.  And, because this is a business blog it can be a two way method of communication.  Go ahead, ask Craig a question.  He'll respond.

Thanks for reading the Blog and stay tuned for more ways you can lower costs while increasing yield.