farmers will not make money in 2024, SOIL TESTING to find profit. part1

Very simple conversation. Let's use a standard soil test to find an imbalance and to figure out What fields need the money and what fields don't.

[@user-ce7bj4rk8r]

Thank you for speaking boldly about your faith. God is needed now more than ever.

[@karlsborgwi.jewell9919]

I think we’re listening to the guy that can help us understand… I’ve been learning from you for years.keep em coming Jon ..thank you!!!

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Ha, whatever,

[@karlsborgwi.jewell9919]

Seriously. I haven’t ever chased the almighty bpa. Neighbors cant understand how I keep going To be honest when I found your channel, it was a breath of fresh air to hear another person that wasn’t about making the cooperative richer

[@danw6014]

People will laugh at me but I only need 100 bushels per acre to feed my steers and so my plan at this point is put enough N on for about 120 bushels. You are right though, soil tests pay. I've had fields that carry plenty of P, all tied up and unavailable because of low pH.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Nice!

[@Farmerknowsbest]

If pH is low lime is where you first dollars should go. If not possible ahead of planting a lower N rate in low pH will be disastrous. You need about 50% more N banded close to the root zone and preferably later in the season (y-drop or high clearance broadcast) to achieve better yields. You will have a hard time saving yourself into prosperity.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

@Farmerknowsbest yes. I can proudly say on some of these fields we have moved PH a lot. That's fast, easy and fairly cheap. Potassium, takes a little more time, but I have moved the needle and these fields should be pretty productive. Hard to fix the previous 30 years over night. Especially when you don't know how much you can invest because every year could be your last with btos running around.

[@PaulsonFarms]

Soil testing is the best way to save money on the farm. The tests cost $10-$20, but thats really cheap when it comes to what fertilizer costs. Every other year we grid sample everything, to know where were at. Usually shoot for 50 ppm on the P and 300 ppm on K. First thing is to fix pH issue, either with tile or lime/elemental sulfur. Next is to get K levels built up. Any one with a tight budget this year, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck with 5 lb of B and 5 lb Zn, costs about $10 an acre.

[@oscaracme]

Experts have been proven to rarely if ever correct.

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

a good portion of my nutrients thankfully come from the hind end of my cattle!

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Yep, some of the nicest land around here is from cows not co-ops.

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 I know bringing cows back to this farm after 20 years of row crops sure turned it around!

[@FarmallFanatic]

I haven't made money in 56 years...they don't scare me 😂

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Ha! For farta sake!

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

why start now?!! 🤣🤣

[@ryankobilansky2500]

Hahaha... That's good shit! You'll do fine sir!

[@Northeastohio]

Just got back into watching your videos. Love what you said the 1st 1:15 in to the video

[@farm7120]

hey John you should do a soil test send it to regen ag labs it's call total nutrient digestion. that will tell you what's actualy in your soil. of course most of our nutrients are tied up because of in balanced soils and all the chemicals. anyways it's pretty neat test on my 0-6 inch I have 4,000lbs of nitrogen per acre that's tied up so I am working on feeding the biology and adding more with at least 5-6 trips across the field spoon feeding the crop just an idea for you to ponder lol

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Good idea, hope you are figuring it out. I did a total digestible nutrient assay. Had 600P and 1200 K, I am not sure where to go with it. Trying to learn yet

[@vengethis]

Good stuff! Thanks

[@jakepardall2991]

I think the only one in my area that runs 2x2 dry on the planter. I’ve done strip till and liquid on the planter but ended up back at this setup, good years I broadcast to build my soil some. Looking forward to more videos on these topics

[@Farmerknowsbest]

Hard to beat dry 2by2 on a corn planter. No better place for phosphorous to go.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Yep. I do some custom combining every year. And the couple old guys with no precision on their planters, No liquid on their planters. Just put seed in the ground with a 2x2 program are always some of the best crops for cash flow and yield.

[@jakepardall2991]

@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 we have 2 planters mine has a lot of technology and the other is a standard vac conservation style Deere. My best crop I ever raised was with that old standard planter. Mother nature still holds the cards at the end of the day haha

[@barrybush7884]

You know it's not all bad. If some of them (not folks like you and those that follow you mean BTO's that have an annual income that far outpaces mine and still cash subsidy checks) can't make a profit, hopefully, that'll crack the door just wide enough for me to actually start farming rather than just being what I call a farming enthusiast. As always, thanks for a great video and channel. Ps. When the Lord does allow it, I'll be trying to mimic what you do there, Jon (minimum tillage, covers, livestock, etc).

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

That's a fantastic conversation idea. To do 500 acres in Iowa, you would have about 9 million dollars just in land, You still have to put up a house of shop by equipment and something of a grain facility

[@TheBnbonthebeach]

Good to see you

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Thanks for stopping by.

[@bigwhane8603]

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans shall be established Proverbs 16:3

[@jvin248]

Jon, thanks to your strip-till talks prior years I use my cultivator to run strips in my standing winter rye for planting with my old-shoe-planter; top 'o tech 1950s! Going 15 inch rows this year for 30% more plants per acre while expanding in-row seed to seed spacing as my high nutrition heirloom corn enjoys stretching out (and smothering weeds). My soil NPK chemistry input team: Black Lentils+White Clover (N); Buckwheat (P); Winter Rye (K). Looking forward to your part 2.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Oh nice! I hope it's working good for you!

[@Northeastohio]

❤

[@davidholste7209]

Good presentation, Dr. Stevens.🇺🇸

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Ha, flattery will get you everywhere.

[@volkergreve1684]

Neal Kinsey soil test. I switched from official recommended P & K to boron , zink , copper recommended by the Kinsey guys.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Do you have a link or more info?

[@user-rt8pc5kn6z]

Thanks Jon, when broadcast fertilizer do you compensate for the perimeter of the field get half the rate, last year I tried to run PTO slow and drive close one field

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Good idea. Back in corn, we just accepted the smaller corn. Not sure how to make it perfect in a hay field?

[@kevinhanson1480]

Looks like someone's 4 wheel drive is increasing in valve. I'm waiting for the feed lot video when calving starts.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

The joys of splitting a 40 series.. I We'll do a video, You'll laugh when I show you what we found. Calvin will be on Grass in may and june.

[@user-ek6dk4dz8h]

Do farmers get money from the government

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Yes and no. The government does not just mail us out checks like a lot of people believe. There were many programs over the years that if you fell into a category, you could get some type of payment. the most common way is that crop insurance is partially funded by taxpayers. We have insurance on the crop, so. If we have a natural disaster like floods, or hail or drought, and it damages a lot of the crop. We submit a claim just like you. Getting in an accident with your car, you've turned it into your insurance agent. They have an adjuster, come out and look. And they make a payment based upon their assessment. For most of us little guys, you don't want to see the insurance adjuster because that means you're probably not paying your bills that year. The insurance is based on dollars per acre with the government setting the price in the spring. If you have an ok yield but the price tanks, it can trigger a payment. There are some some guys that abuse the system. Once in a while the government will send a payment outside of insurance. There are a ton of conservation programs that help cover costs while trying to learn sustainable farming. The farm bill is %2 for farmers, the rest is school lunch, welfare..

[@Farmerknowsbest]

Why hasn't a soil test been taken every 3 years on the farm already? I don't put a lot of stock in the whole balanced soil test stuff. No university can get economic returns from the ratios. On my own farm, the highest producing fields are "in balance" yes, but, those farms are also a nice loam soil with some depth. Is it the ratios or the nice loam? It's the loam. Plenty of data to support than below 20ppm bicarb P and below 120ppm K will see an economic response to map and potash. Bonus points for banding, but an economic return never the less. pH, followed by P and K above those critical values has to be number 1 regardless of crop prices and well ahead of micros. Fertilizer has incredible ROI in low testing soils in basically any fert and crop price scenario. We've seen in testing here in eastern ontario a soil sub 50ppm K has a positive roi on potash over 1000lbs/ac IN YEAR ONE!!!!! Huge roi in subsequent years. I always cringe when farmers talk about cutting back. Replacement value is the minimum in my opinion.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

Historically, 3 years seems to be the norm. The local Agronomy i grew up with was NPK sales people. If you asked about micros, not worth the money, just keep building P and K numbers up. there is a lot of land around here that hasn't seen a soil test or fertilizer in 20+ years. We would see the same thing with them numbers, under 20/120, you need to build them numbers and help feed the crop, we get very tight compaction and dry out quickly, hard for nutrients to move with no water or air. I am behind the rest of the world by 20 years. But our environment and soil is an interesting challenge. There are Minnesota black glacial soil guys that come over here, last 3-5 years and leave. Play the crop insurance game... John brecker ndsu had an interesting paper on the type of clay and K responses.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

The real frustrating part is 15 years ago, you have local "smart" sales agronomists. You ask questions about things, and it's just a nope. It doesn't work here. Now a guy is just doing stuff on his own and learning that the other people were right 15 years ago and local wisdom isn't so wise

[@karlsborgwi.jewell9919]

Wow… 1000 lbs ac.

[@jrwstl02]

There are lots of Illinois and Iowa soils that test 10,000 lbs or more of K per acre, but some are still applying co-op recommended rates of 0-0-60 annually. As if adding a few more lbs is going to make a difference!

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

@@jrwstl02 ha yep. More than enough for several life times.

[@mn-1381]

I was at a meeting on Tuesday talking about balancing, soil health, carbon. The guy was growing 170 bu organic corn, no added N not even manure. I am thinking you would have gotten alot out of that meeting! Sounds like its an annual meeting, maybe next year!

[@mn-1381]

They also talked about Sulfur being the nutrient in the driver seat followed closely by boron

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

We will touch on that in the next video with Joe. It is very fascinating what some folks are accomplishing with getting the soil to work.

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

I might try a zero N strip, just gypsum in the strip, foliar feed micros, with the 3-18-18 in foliar there will be a couple lbs of N. Is anyone going to say 10 lbs of foliar N is cheating? Probably not

[@Heimerviewfarm]

Can i get a liter of cola, when did Farva get a channel?

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

What the hell. Ha

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

🤔🤣🤣

[@Farmerknowsbest]

@@larsonvalleyfarm JUST GET A LARGE FARVA!!!

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

😂@@Farmerknowsbest