Fertile soil

[SconnieBeef]

Just got soil test results back today (took them myself, easy enough after pulling 10,000 acres worth for other growers this fall) and my P levels in the pasture up by the house were all better 300 ppm, K they were over 500 ppm. Guess I have the fact that I live on my family's 104 year old dairy farm to thank for those levels :tiphat: . The old ravine I'm fencing in "down the lane" is more normal 40s for P, 200s for K. Good thing I work in fertilizer otherwise I might not be smart enough to figure out these levels are high. :lol:

 

[Dave]

If you "work in fertilizer" you probably also realize that some states are regulating based on soil P. And with soil P in excess of 300 ppm you would be able to apply manure sometime after the year 2075.

 

[SconnieBeef]

You are right, WI does regulate by it, a fact I know well because I write government plans for people so they can be compliant and get their tax credits/gov't payments. These are pastures, WI just started wanting these sampled for farmland plans (which my grandpa is enrolled in). However they don't total up to very many acres (less than 10) and I can leave them out of the plan, therefore leaving my cattle free to graze and poop where they will

 

[dun]

In the areas with exceptionally haigh P plant red clover and cut it for hay a couple of years. The P will drop back down closer to where it needs to be.

 

[SconnieBeef]

A great recommendation

I think thats what I'm going to do, I ran that red clover through our nutrient management software and it brought my P Index down from a 30 in 2017 (very bad) to a 5 (very good). Thanks dun :tiphat: . Its only an acre lot so theres a guy at work who runs some sheep and a little bit of everything, hes got a small square baler and will do it on shares, of course to make it worth it for him he might need all the bales he gets off of it :lol2: