SYRACUSE — Persons concerned and wanting to learn more about soil health and gathered at Oakwood Event Center, Syracuse, Tuesday for a day of learning.
Tashina Lahr-Manifold, Kosciusko SWCD soil health specialist, welcomed the group of approximately 177 registered guests for the day’s event, Soil-Con.
“I’m so impressed with how hectic life gets and everyone in this room has found this meeting valuable enough to take a day out of your hectic life to be here today. I just really value you for coming and your willingness to learn. It’s just really impressive,” she said.
Keynote speakers for the day were Neal Kinsey, Kinsey Agricultural Services; RJ Rant, owner of Terraform Ag and Nutrilink Biosystems; and John Tooker, professor and extension specialist in the department of entomology at Pennsylvania State University. Each speaker was given 1-1/2 hours for their presentations.
The day also included a review of six different local soil samples and the results of the testing, given by Kinsey.
Kinsey stated whether it’s raising soybeans, corn, rice, or cotton, the principles are the same.
“You don’t look at the crop. You look at the principle,” he said.
He specializes in problem soils adding that if you work at it, the problem gets solved. Even the best soil, according to Kinsey, can be corrected.
He went into details how farmers need to understand the soil and how best practices may catch up in five to seven years, when it comes to fertilizing. He stated if there is poor fertility, the soil is not being monitored and a farmer should look at what they are doing year after year.
“Know why your doing what your doing,” he stressed.
Noting while all soils are different, and there are many different soils on a farm, it all has the same principles.
“Once a basic foundation is built, that is where it starts and whatever you plant gets a good start,” he said.
He talked about three areas of treating the soil — biology, chemistry and physical.
“Look at what all crops respond to first. You want good physical structure,” Kinsey stated.
Kinsey stated all soil has the same “living organisms to feed the crops. Without life in the soil, it doesn’t feed the crops.”
He stressed starting with correcting the soil to get live bacteria to work, determine what biology is going to work and getting the right amount of air and water.
“Until you are willing to come in and straighten (it) up, you’ll lag behind,” he said.
He talked about how the methods work and spending the available budget wisely — putting material where it’s needed.
He talked about microbes, humus in the soil, nutrient needs, prioritization of needs, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, anthropods and algae.
“You are all farming livestock (the soil). You have to feed the soil,” Kinsey stated.
His presentation included pH levels of the soil and if it falls below 6, something is missing and there is a need to find out what is needed.
“If it is above 6.5, there is too much of something. If you have less of something else, it’s been pushed out of something you need.”
Kinsey also touched on long-term solutions to stop what is causing problems, stating that nutrients in the soil are “fighting the wars for you” and stressed “study nature, not books or the internet.”
Additionally, he said, you should “test your soil tester.” He suggested sending a sample of the worst and best soils and have the tester tell you which is which. If he can’t tell, he really can’t tell you what you need. “Don’t trust everybody.”
One of the main points Kinsey stated was that it can take years to make a difference in soil.
“Take care of your soil ... and it will take care of you,” he said.
Rant went over ecosystem management strategies for improving soil health and yield. He stated soil health is an ecosystem property, including ecology and agroecology. He also presented information on the integrated concept of soil health — its function and dependencies. Those include carbon transformation, nutrient cycling, soil structure maintenance and regulations of pests and disease.
Most of his presentation focused on a soil health case study, which began in 2016 and is still underway on potato fields in Michigan. He presented management changes and the purpose of those changes, explaining each aspect.
He touched on measuring soil health through lead indications, such as carbon pool, nitrogen pool, microbial biomass, microbial activity and microbial community structure.
The Haney test was explained, too, as DNA testing of soil.
He stressed the ecosystem management strategies for improving soil health and yield are: Leaving the soil through management of disturbance; grow the soil through crop rotation and cover-crop management; and feeding the plant, through integrated nutrient management.
Following lunch, Kinsey reviewed the local soil sample analysis. Tooker spoke on the relationships of pests and predators.
Trooker’s research group studies relationships among plants, invertebrate herbivores and natural enemies to understand factors, which regulate populations of herbivorous insects and slugs.