“Be sure to soil sample” may be among the most common directives given by Federated Agronomists, but there’s no better way to know what nutrients the crops have removed and what the soils lack.

Soil sampling is highly informative. Grid soil sampling (using Variable Rate Technology – VRT) takes that information to the highest level.

“With the high cost of inputs,” said Craig Peterson, Federated agronomist at the Ogilvie location, “it is very good use of nutrients to get them placed properly and not spend as much on high fertility areas of the field.”

Grid soil sampling shows what’s needed, and precisely where the nutrients should be applied.

From one end of the field to the other, elevations change, soil types vary, and other factors come into play. With VRT, it’s possible to identify specific pH, P, and K levels at every GPS-identified soil sample location. In the process, variabilities are discovered – sometimes to extreme levels.

Grid sampling “dials in your investment,” said Peterson, making fertilizer investments even more valuable. For example, a general lime application of 2.5 ton across a field from a composite sample might translate into a 4-ton application in some areas and 0 (zero) in others from a gridded sampling.

“Your dollar is invested where it’s needed,” said Peterson, also noting that pH levels aren’t driven too high in some areas while being left too low in others.

VRT takes the guesswork out of nutrient management. Growers who haven’t tried grid sampling can start with a field or two to discover the nutrient variations in those fields. Your Federated Agronomist will be the first to tell you, however, that once you’ve grid sampled and made targeted investments in fertilizer and its application, you will never go back to composite sampling.

Talk to your Federated Agronomist soon. They are ready to come in and do the grid sampling as soon as your combine leaves the field.