New State Soil Program Aims to Increase Sustainable, Profitable Farming

Sep 29, 2023

A new state soil sampling program for farmers is now accepting applications. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s program aims to help farmers manage soil nutrients to better their farming practices.

The free program is designed for farmers managing row crop fields, pastures and specialty crops in Indiana’s portion of the Mississippi River Basin. Indiana’s Mississippi River Basin Soil Sampling Program will provide soil sampling for these farmers on a routine basis.

Samples from eligible farms will be submitted to contracted labs to test soil fertility. This will include two to four samples from each field.

When tested for soil fertility, the lab will look for aspects of the soil such as soil pH, the amount of organic matter in soil and magnesium.

Then, the labs will provide a results packet following testing with lab results, nutrient application recommendations for these crops and educational materials for farmers.

Click here to see more...

Video: Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter

Over the past several weeks, much of the U.S. Midwest has experienced prolonged episodes of extreme heat, a trend also observed in other major corn-producing regions of North America such as eastern South Dakota, southern Ontario, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. These high-temperature events can place significant physiological stress on maize (Zea mays L.), which is cultivated on approximately 90 million acres across the United States, with leading production in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Like all maize, Bayer’s PRECEON™ Smart Corn System is subject to transpiration-driven water loss under high heat. However, this system incorporates agronomic traits designed to improve standability through enhanced stalk strength, thereby reducing lodging risk during stress conditions. Furthermore, the system supports precision agriculture practices by enabling more targeted fertilizer and crop protection applications. This approach not only helps to optimize input efficiency but also contributes to maintaining or increasing yield potential under variable environmental stresses such as heat waves, which are becoming more frequent in corn belt and fringe production regions.