College News

Ag Instructor Vic Martin: Improving Soil Health – How?

Great Bend Tribune
Published January 23, 2022

As of January 18 it’s easy, our area is in moderate drought. The Southwest portion of Kansas is seeing an expansion of extreme drought. Things aren’t looking good for improving soil moisture over the next several weeks. The six to ten-day outlook (January 25 to 29) indicates we are predicted to have a 33 to 50% chance of below-normal temperatures and a leaning towards to 40% below normal precipitation. The eight to fourteen-day outlook (January 27 to February 2) indicates normal temperatures and a 33% to 40% chance of below-normal precipitation. Not the forecast we need for the winter wheat crop as we head towards spring planting. 

Last week, we discussed the importance of soil health, a general idea of what defines it, and why we need to focus on it. Today, while we can’t cover everything in a short column, what are some broadly important items to pursue. 

  • Know the fertility status and pH of the soil.  For soils with a pH over 7, common north, southwest, and west of Great Bend, simply make sure the exchangeable sodium level is acceptable. If they are high, consider applying calcium sulfate.  For acid soils, especially if close to 6 or lower, south and southeast of here, raise the pH through liming.  In addition to aiding plant growth and soil fertility, it improves soil structure and the microorganism makeup of the soil.
  • Minimize tillage and work to keep the soil cover, whether it be a crop, crop residue, or a cover crop. This does two things, it decreases evaporation, increases infiltration, decreases wind and water erosion, and helps increase organic matter which leads to the next point.
  • Do whatever is possible to increase organic matter content, especially stable organic matter (humus). Building humus takes time but every one percent significantly increases the capacity of the soil to hold water and nutrients, adds food for beneficial microorganisms, will release essential nutrients as it breaks down, and will aid in improving soil structure. It can be crop residues, cover crops, or manure. The key is to minimize tillage to slow down organic matter decomposition.
  • As diverse a crop rotation that makes sense agronomically and economically. This will allow producers to decrease tillage and better manage weed, insect, and disease pressure. It will also decrease the need for pesticides which helps the bottom line. 

Naturally, there are many other items and more specifics that could be included. As we continue to deal with the extremes of climate change and the significant increase in input prices, it’s in every producer's economic survival to address soil health for their operation and future generation.