The advantages of fall soil testing

With many crops still in the field across the country, many farmers are focused on getting the harvest done. Once that's taken care of, there may be time to consider fall soil testing.

Advantage of testing now

Warren Ward, an agronomy specialist in southeast Saskatchewan with the Canola Council of Canada, says there are several advantages with doing soil testing in the fall.

“It gives you the time throughout the winter to plan applications,” Ward says. “How much you are going to need, where you are going to need it and it gives you a better idea if you are planning to purchase your fertilizer throughout the fall and winter what amounts you are going to need.”

Planning time

Ron Lowen, manager of the Brooks, Alta. branch of Nutreco, says they try and do as much soil testing as possible in the fall in order to have time for planning.

“That gives you the winter to go over the samples and plan for next year’s crops, which reduces the pressure of quick and hasty decisions in the spring,” Lowen says.

He adds they find better consistency in the fall.

“Don’t have to worry about spring moisture, spring frost, workload, the accuracy of the sample is more consistent and soil conditions are better in fall,” Lowen says.

Right conditions

Ward says that some people like to do some fall banding of nitrogen or application of different nutrients. Fall soil testing lets producers know the necessary rates before the application, he explains. He adds fertilizer can also be less expensive at this time of year.

Ward says the key is to ensure the soil temperature is below 10 C.

“There is less biological activity happening in those soils - that‘s the time you want to focus on. It gives you a closer representation of what nutrients will be available in spring time.”

In a year like this, where there has been so much variability in conditions, it is even more important to check conditions as that can have a huge impact on what was applied in 2018.

Both Ward and Lowen also note that fall soil testing frees up time during what is normally a busy time in the spring.