By Brian Hefty
You may have heard Darren and I talk about soils or reading a soil test briefly at an Ag PhD Workshop in the past, but I can guarantee you that attending an Ag PhD Soils Clinic will be an eye-opening event that will be very well worth your time. Think about it like this – if you knew how to read a soil test, don’t you think you could save some money on fertilizer and/or get higher yields? Think about all the thousands (and possibly millions) of dollars you will invest in fertilizer over the next few years. How much do you really know about that investment and the need for everything you spend?
HERE IS WHAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT AT OUR SOILS CLINICS.
- We have a lot of new information and more detailed information beyond what we covered at our Soils Clinics last year.
- How to read a soil test from start to finish.
- How to make your own fertilizer recommendations.
- Which fertilizers do you commonly get oversold and which fertilizer products do you most commonly need but don’t get? During the day we will cover every single plant nutrient that you may need to apply, including N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, and B.
- How to make your own variable rate fertilizer maps in less than 10 minutes.
- We will have up to 30 agronomists at each Soils Clinic who can go through your soil tests with you either at our lunch break or after the clinic if you want to make sure you are on the right track when it comes to reading your own info.
- By the time you leave this clinic you will have a simple strategy to reduce your “costs” on fertilizer and make better fertilizer “investments” going forward. If you are a crop farmer looking to improve yield and profit, whether you already know a lot or a little about soil fertility and soil tests, you won’t want to miss this free clinic!
HERE IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO.
- Today, please pre-register for a Soils Clinic at www.agphd.com so we have enough food, seats, and books for everyone
- Today, please download the free Ag PhD Soil Test App for your smartphone or tablet. Then, go to www.agphdsoiltest.com and set up your farm and fields.
- If nothing else, at least soil test a couple spots in one field prior to a Soils Clinic. Ideally, it would be great to have lots of your own data to talk to us about at the Soils Clinic, but anything is better than nothing.
- Attend one of our free Soils Clinics, and arrive 30 to 60 minutes early. We will have you pull some actual soil samples, and we can answer some of your questions about our Soil Test app or soil test results before the clinic even starts.
Just so you understand, WE ARE NOT TRYING TO SELL YOU ANYTHING! I know most ag meetings are nothing more than a sales pitch, but here’s the main reason we talk about fertilizer and soils…REGULATIONS. Unfortunately, fertilizer is being dramatically misused in some cases today, and that gives all of us as farmers a bad name. If we learn what our soils will hold, what our crops actually need, and how and when to apply those nutrients, there is no need for the government to regulate our fertilizer use as many have proposed. Plus, the big side benefit here for you is when you know how to read a soil test and make your own recommendations, you are in better control of your money, your land, and your yield potential. This one day will change how you think about fertility and soils, so we strongly encourage you to attend.
Thursday, January 29, 2015 – Watertown, SD – Convention Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 – West Point, NE – Nielsen Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 – Spokane, WA – Northern Quest (11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 17, 2015 – Morton, MN – Jackpot Junction (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Thursday, February 19, 2015 – Sikeston, MO – Miner Convention Center (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 – Twin Falls, ID – Canyon Crest (9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)