A fella can go broke trying to make a pretty soil test printout.

I'll be waiting for the potassium video. I've never worried about phosphorus here. I did apply some last year since testing said I should and I am taking a lot more tons of forage per year off these fields by the house than I ever did in the past. I have convinced myself since that the amount of manure going back on here should take care of it for me.

Well I'll be looking forward the potash video. Right now a lot of that and my phosphorus is coming out the back of my New Idea manure spreader. Last year I could sure see where I stopped with the manure application. The corn was a foot shorter. Of course the first seven weeks after planting also only saw a half inch of rain.

Curious your feelings on potassium. I’ve seen some severe deficiencies of potassium “here” where the fertilizer truck missed.

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

It's the next video if you look at my page

Great message Jon, keep the chems low and manage application! .. I'm going so low on chem addition I'm not using any! But don't fear, I am spending on cover crop seeds. .. One of the high yield competition players (who wins a lot) described his during-season applications of foliar sprays that does a lot of yield lifting (NutriCharge), which I looked up the patent paperwork and there are some common "good soil" bacteria plus molasses and starches fermented up ... Which reminded me of those old cable tv Ken Baker lawn treatment infomercials that started with a can of flat beer. Maybe finding spent brewery grains, charged into a tea, could be a workable foliar spray? Worth testing because ... beer!

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

Hope it works for you. I am reducing chemicals this year and doing more covers. In corn I am debating no chemicals up front, finish pass to smooth field and kill early weeds, strip-till nutrients in and make seed bed and plant all very quickly. Then broadcast the cover mix right after emergence. ? Not sure Beans so a pre, post then covers and row crop cultivating if need be.

Farmers in 1980: avg phos application. 2-3 tons an acre Avg soil test result: soil needs 3000 lbs of P Farmers in 2024: after 30- 44 years of applying 10,000+ tons of P. Avg soil test result: soil needs 3000 lb of P Hmmmm.

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

Ha yep. At a Liz Haney event last week an older guy said 30 years ago he needed a lot less fertilizer and chemicals to grow a crop.

Fascinating stuff i cant seem to figure out how to apply this to my farm only with nitrogen put on foliar.

On the organic, zero till, cover crop growing, controlled traffic farming side, prices go down too. But, in our case, we’ll produce a couple million pounds of protein, and that market is decent. I’m thinking about just putting ads out for the seed I have ready to go, getting rid of it, growing a salad bar instead, and going to areas where cattle care is in distress, and loading up as many ballers as I can. They won’t have the genetics to grass finish, but I’ll just buy commodity corn and feed lot them out at finish. I probably won’t do that, but on a serious note, having your money make you money is where it’s at for us this year. I was able to leverage up when rates were still very low, and put that cash in to revolving baskets of short term treasuries. I hate to think what my rate will go up to once the lock expires, but I’ll pay it off before that happens. In the mean time I’m gaining a little over 2%.

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

A lot of southern cattle have came up here. We don't have much of a growing season but we are lush and put up great feed. Them cattle grow fantastic on alfalfa and silage. Even just high quality forage alone they put on weight.

Nice video yeah I learn that about 4 years ago have not used phosphorus or potassium since and they're both going up in the soil and my compaction is getting better every year compost extract and using some of John Kemp's products he's a very smart man

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

Nice. I am having a hard time with potassium. Next video.

@jvin248

3 ай бұрын

@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 (Psssst: I hear Winter Rye frees up Potassium, if true I suspect early spring oats might do the same when used as a cover crop).

What equipment are you using to apply the nutrients? I have been thinking of applying nutrients behind a shovel on a row crop cultivator.

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

If that's the tools you have then make it work. You can put drop hoses on the cultivator to get closer to the plant. You can get 2x2 fertilizer on the planter for dry or a 0x2 liquid I use a strip-till bar and then drop hoses on the sprayer.

Oh my! Just got up. I think you caused me to have a Led Zeppelin moment. Dazed and Confused. Have a great day.

@danw6014

3 ай бұрын

There's a movie titled the same with Mathew McConaughey. Alright alright alright.

Hows the calving going Jon? Wishing you a good season!

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

Thanks, you as well. We pushed calving back this year. Haven't started yet. You?

@e.a.bfarms

3 ай бұрын

@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 We are just getting started, little rough start with a prolapse but going better now! You got that ski doo ready to go for Monday? Haha

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

@@e.a.bfarms You take it out of storage just to get it.Ready for storage

You're up early. Good morning.

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

No time for rest...

So as a farmer of just 100 acres, what to do about phosphorus?

@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754

3 ай бұрын

Your own testing! Ha. With 100 acres I would manage the heck out of it and have the best 100 acre farm in the neighborhood!

@jvin248

3 ай бұрын

+1 test, but make sure the test is not 'chemistry based' but rather 'plant available biologically' testing. Look for Hainey Test and microscope work by Dr Elain Ingham so you can see your actual soil biology across the farm (hobby scope with 300x-400x is all you need). Look up Buckwheat converting soil phos to plant available phos.