Carbon is probably one of the most well-known elements today. There is a global emphasis on carbon dioxide emissions and carbon capture. In terms of agriculture, much of this focus has centered on capturing carbon by increasing soil organic matter. Organic matter encompasses all organic materials present in soil (living microorganisms and undecayed residues). Roughly,...Read More

In February 2022, Ward Laboratories, Inc. introduced a new tool to measure soil health. The Soil Health Assessment (SHA) is made up of four analyses. There are two biological, one chemical and one physical measurement to evaluate soil health. Biological The first biological test is the 24-hour CO2 soil respiration measurement. We take 40 grams...Read More

Our recent partnership with GrowingDeer has introduced us to a whole new world outside of traditional agriculture, deer hunting and soil health!  I am learning about the relationship between hunting and soil health. Just like most things, you need to take it back to the source. How did this deer get into this place and...Read More

The Total Nutrient Digest (TND) analysis accounts for all minerals from sand, silt, clay and organic minerals in the soil. This total represents the plant available and non-available mineral nutrients. The textbook definition of a soil is that there is about 45% mineral content.  Therefore, about 750 tons of all different minerals. The TND analysis...Read More

Over the past year, our soil experts have added the Soil Health Assessment test. Soil health is the overlapping areas of the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil. Previously, the chemical or nutrient status of the soil has been the main focus of soil testing laboratories. Recent addition of biological properties have become...Read More

Management of the physical properties of soil often translate to managing a plant’s access to water, either by increasing effective rooting area or increasing water holding capacity. Available water holding capacity (AWC) is the quantity of total plant available water a soil can provide to a growing crop. This is a soil health test offered...Read More

There are 5 principles of soil health as defined by the Natural Resources Conservation District. Armor the Soil (keep crop residue on the soil to prevent errosion) Minimal Soil Disturbance (No-Till) Plant Diversity (Grow more than just row crops, consider cover crop mixes) Keep a continual live root in the soil (again cover crops) But...Read More

The Role of Bacteria Feeding soil microbes includes feeding fungi and bacteria present within the soil. Bacteria are single-celled organisms that are generally 4/100,000 of an inch wide and long. A teaspoon of healthy soil can contain between 100 million and 1 billion bacteria. Because of their abundance, bacteria play important roles in the way...Read More

In Early September, I wrote a blog post entitled The Downside of Baled Crop Residue. My previous post focused on cornstalks. After harvest, as I traveled across the state, I have observed we have more harvested crop residue to consider. Baling soybean and wheat residues are poor economic decisions and negatively impact soil health of...Read More

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Western Canada Conference on Soil Health and Grazing on behalf of Ward Laboratories, Inc.  If you missed out, the video recordings of the conference will be posted here.  The event was packed full of knowledgeable speakers and eager to learn producers.  Here are the key messages from...Read More

For many years I have seen producers bale their crop residue, specifically cornstalks and soybean stubble, after harvest. This practice has been driven somewhat by feedlot demand after the advent of distillers co-products from ethanol plants in the early 2000’s. Distillers co-products are high in protein and energy for livestock. Therefore,  there is a demand...Read More

Guest Author: Terry Buettner, Support Agronomist The ‘Bomb Cyclone’ that hit the Midwest on March 13th has created a huge problem for many Midwest producers. Heavy rains on frozen fields created runoff of an impressive magnitude resulting in flood damaged fields. The damaging effects of flood water on agriculture are extensive. Crop residue was washed...Read More

As the animal scientist here at Ward Laboratories, INC. my blog posts typically focus on how feed and forage testing can help producers reach animal production goals. However, at the American Foarage and Grasslands Council Annual Conference, soil sampling pastures came up as one of the top ways producers see as economically beneficial. So, this...Read More

We’ve all heard the Luke Bryan song “Rain is a Good Thing”. While it may be a catchy lyric, lack of rain can cause livestock producers to suffer from drought and heat stress issues, while too much rain can leave farmers dealing with flood damage.  This year has been especially testing from those aspects.  The...Read More

Phewy! Smell that? From an early age, we are often told the old phrase “That’s the smell of money!” Although this phrase is often used to indicate cattle profits, the manure in those pens also holds a wealth of resources that can help enrich and strengthen your soil. Once used routinely in integrated farming systems,...Read More

How many of us producers have a shovel in our pickup? When was the last time we used that shovel to thoroughly examine our soil?  Are we able to determine what a truly healthy soil looks like? Grab a shovel and take a look at your soil. Check out your soil profile. Does the shovel...Read More

Grazing cover crops can be a cost-effective way to achieve multiple productions goals.  Cover crops can provide ground cover to prevent erosion, improve soil health over time, and provide nutrition to beef cattle.  However, cover crops are not a fool proof feed.  Turning cattle out onto cover crops to graze without proper feed tests can...Read More