Fall/Early Winter Fertilize

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Without soil testing, what would you toss on hay ground now? I know I dont want much N if any. P and K though I've read some of yall applying in Fall.

This is handshake ground and don't have soil test. Would I be best to do soil test on ground we get year to year. 2022 is not guaranteed we will get to cut it.

Thought about replacing what we have removed this year. Would that be the right strategy? We put about 60 lbs actual N on in March/April this year. It really produced.

Thanks in advance.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
 
If you are going to have the field in 2021, I would go ahead and do a soil test. That way you can see what you need to produce your desired yields (weather depending). It also depends on what grass species you are dealing with. From personal experience, I can tell you that bermuda needs potassium every cutting just like nitrogen. It seems bermuda is a luxury consumer of potassium and will pull out most of what you apply in the first cutting if you apply all the years needs at one time.
 
I rented the neighbor's farm for a number of years, mostly pastured it, on a yearly handshake agreement because he "didn't want to tie the kids' hands". He passed away and the kids cashed out as expected. I was accused of running the farm down and had to hire an attorney. They should have seen how poor it was when I started, but foolish me never took a beginning soil test. I hope someone else can learn from my mistake. Farm grows better crops now after being pasture than it ever did before. Truth is I'd have chased it higher if I had realized how much it had improved.
 
I rented the neighbor's farm for a number of years, mostly pastured it, on a yearly handshake agreement because he "didn't want to tie the kids' hands". He passed away and the kids cashed out as expected. I was accused of running the farm down and had to hire an attorney. They should have seen how poor it was when I started, but foolish me never took a beginning soil test. I hope someone else can learn from my mistake. Farm grows better crops now after being pasture than it ever did before. Truth is I'd have chased it higher if I had realized how much it had improved.
Wise words right there. Appreciate the advice. Did you have to pay the family ?
 
No. Had to pay my attorney for some of his time though. Told them I would rather pay my attorney and take my chances in court, rather than pay them. Boy accused me of taking advantage of his dad and said they were going to sue me. Pissed me off. Sent them a letter and took a copy to my attorney, he smiled when he read it.

My farm used to test less than 1% organic matter, that farm was no different, test or no test. That's why I converted everything to pasture, couldn't grow a decent corn crop. One day a year or so later I stopped to talk with the new owner and asked how poor was the soil? He shrugged, said it needed maintenance amounts of lime, phosphorus and potash, soil organic matter two point something. Shocked me, no way, so I soil tested my place. I have fields approaching 4% organic matter. Twenty years ago on an across the field average, no soil test ever showed over 1%. It's a satisfying feeling, there was a beautiful corn crop on that farm this year, even if it wasn't my corn. On the other hand, I see topsoil washing downhill again.
 
My farm used to test less than 1% organic matter, that farm was no different, test or no test. That's why I converted everything to pasture, couldn't grow a decent corn crop. One day a year or so later I stopped to talk with the new owner and asked how poor was the soil? He shrugged, said it needed maintenance amounts of lime, phosphorus and potash, soil organic matter two point something. Shocked me, no way, so I soil tested my place. I have fields approaching 4% organic matter. Twenty years ago on an across the field average, no soil test ever showed over 1%. It's a satisfying feeling, there was a beautiful corn crop on that farm this year, even if it wasn't my corn. On the other hand, I see topsoil washing downhill again.
Tillage is the enemy of soil organic matter. The more you work the soil the less organic matter you will have.
 
Words of wisdom Nick, handshakes seldom work where heirs to the estate are concerned
Seems to be a handshake isn't worth much around here either. A man (or woman) is only as good as his/her handshake. I was brought up thinking that the handshake is an honest bond between two people that had been agreed on by both parties.

Can't even speak with my neighbors anymore....
 

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