Harvest activities continue around the province as weather permits.
While there is still a lot of work to do, farmers that are finished are being reminded of the importance of fall soil testing.
A number of crop input and management companies now offer soil tests as a service to customers.
Ken Panchuk, the Provincial Soil Specialist says when it comes to the soil test; farmers in the drier areas will likely notice more nitrogen in the soil than they may expect.
“Under a drier bias, nothing much happens to the levels of nitrogen. The crop will use a certain amount of nitrogen, there will be minimal mineralization but the amount of nitrogen that is in the soil system is not likely to be lost by leaching and or denitrification.”
Panchuk says ideally soils should be around 10 degrees Celsius for testing, adding that farmers should be keeping track of the nutrient analysis trends yearly in each field.
“Soil testing in the fall is always a good time simply because there’s more time available to assess each of the fields, and get your soil test information back on time in case you want to fall band some nitrogen or order supplies for next year’s crop.”
Source : Discoverestevan