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2 Soil Nitrate Tests For Corn Productionin Wisconsin

2 Soil Nitrate Tests For Corn Productionin Wisconsin

The NPM Program and UW-Madison Dept. of Soil Science Professor Carrie Laboski have recently completed a new publication on Wisconsin’s two soil nitrate tests. Soil Nitrate Tests for Corn Production in Wisconsin: Preplant and Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Tests can be viewed and downloaded here.

Improving the efficiency of nitrogen (N) applications to corn is fundamental to promoting farm profitability and environmental quality in Wisconsin. By implementing the four Rs of nutrient stewardship — right rate, right time, right place, and right source — farms can tailor nutrient applications to maintain nutrient availability for crop growth while protecting water quality. Soil nitrate tests are examples of available tools to help determine the “right rate” of N for corn grain, corn silage, and sweet corn.

The amount of nitrogen available for crop uptake is influenced by many factors, so it is important to choose the proper soil nitrate test for your specific situation. Field specific considerations include: • Soil texture • Timing of manure and nitrogen fertilizer application • Previous growing season and overwinter precipitation • Previous crop and its nitrogen status

Guidance on how and when to use each of the tests along with advice on soil sample collection are found in this four-page publication. Printed copies will be available this summer.

Source : wisc.edu

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From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.