Knowing the Difference Between Concentration and Availability in Soil Fertility

Soil fertility can be a tricky subject for non-soil scientists. It’s important for farmers to know what a soil sample is and what it isn’t. Soil samples, in a basic sense, provide farmers with concentration located in a specific area of the field. Agronomists worth their weight will help translate that information into available nutrients and assist farmers in maximizing plant response.  

Understanding what availability looks like in a specific field or even the specific acre allows experts like Advanced Agrilytics to make recommendations based on challenges present in the environment. Traditional management recommendations for nutrients take broader approaches to management, based primarily on geography and may not consider actual field conditions.  

Advanced Agrilytics makes a number of observations prior to making recommendation to replace or replenish crop nutrients. The nutrient availability in the soil, the diffusion rate of immobile nutrients and the crop being grown, all factor into how the crop will response to fertility management.  

While a soil sample may not give you everything you need to manage your fertility, regular sampling allows farmers to see growth over a number of years and how management decisions impact nutrient levels. 

Farmers looking to expand their operation’s management and optimize their crop response should reach out to Advanced Agrilytics and get connected with a personal agronomist.