Soil School: Building organic matter with nitrogen fertilizer

[@robertreznik9330]

I studied for my Soil Science degree in the late 1960's. This is what I learned. Also, learned this from 50 years farming. Today, we are taught we can get what is needed from nothing!

[@jasonmeyerhofer2262]

This guy must work for a nitrogen company!

[@theburnhams2925]

Obviously.

[@Dresoils]

72000 lbs of nitrogen over every acre and we still buy nitrogen. Fixing our soil biology should be our priority, not buying inputs. Also adding nitrogen to soils feeds bacteria and causes a boom but it kills everything else that feeds on the bacteria so there is inefficient turn over of the nitrogen consumed.

[@robertreznik9330]

We pay taxes yet most money can be printed by the government.

[@Dresoils]

Though true, how is this relevant to the conversation?

[@robertreznik9330]

@@Dresoils It is relevant in that so many think Soil OM comes out of thin air like money for government spending. Many believe in nothing-ism like Wade said!. SOM is made from most of the essential elements for life. Before there is life a supply of energy and NPKS etc. has to come into the mix. You cannot fool Mother Nature.

[@LtColDaddy71]

I’m open to what others are doing. You do you, I’ll do me. Not watching, but the headline is catchy enough, so I’ll give you my 2 cents. Nitrogen without the right amount of carbon is pissing in the wind. Let me say this, I’ve grown a lot of 200 bushel organic corn organically, without tillage, without inputs besides livestock and cover crops. 70-80 acre soybeans, 120 bushel wheat too. I’m far more happy, pulling back the population, putting it in on twin 20 spacing, shortening the RM’s down, and under controlled traffic, farming 13 1/3’ strips of 120-140 bushel corn, and 40-50 bushel beans, and 1800 lb per acre cereals, and pulse crops. I can offset the revenue with protein/poultry produced on the same acres. I’m not all squeaky clean, and pristine. I raise calves with genetics best suited for the conventional market. Get rid of them before they get too big, they end up in feed lots. I can only market so much of the ideal grass fed, lighter animals. I’m practical, not an idealist to a fault. I’ll tell you another thing, you can do a darn good job in low soil organic matter ground. It’s just harder to do. But I’d trade any of the outlying ground I have for ground in tight with a larger grouping of my ground, even if it means losing a decade plus of soil building. It won’t benefit me, but I’m thinking 2-3 + generations down the road. Long after I’m dead.

[@sudarmiadi4496]

I'll go with what you're doing

[@giraldysantoso4555]

Wow that's impressive from what you've said, but Please kindly share your practice and methods to prove if this is true

[@DrAahad-xo6ev]

How we can assess Organic mater content from the soil sample? Not humic acid.

[@theburnhams2925]

"Fertilizer makes happy fathers, but sad sons."

[@matfave6591]

Where is this a quote from?

[@PML720]

Thought everyone is no till