Bill McKibben: No-Till Complications to Managing Fertility by CEC MP3

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Farmers are increasingly seeing wildly swinging exchange capacity numbers on soil tests which could in turn affect fertility recommendations. Modern farming methods, particularly those using no-till and conservation tillage, leave debris on the surface. These materials can be picked up in lab analyses as containing mineral nutrients, but those are not available to plants as they are not held on the soil colloid. Artificially high readings can result, particularly of calcium and magnesium, which can greatly impact farming practices, especially liming. Learn how to avoid this problem. 

William “Crop Doc” McKibben is an Ohio-based consultant specializing in soil fertility balancing and managing crop yields, as well as livestock nutrition. He holds a master’s in soil science from Ohio State and has worked as an agronomist in the Midwest for more than 30 years, much of that with Brookside Laboratories. In addition to consulting to farmers, he has experience with municipalities, golf courses, and specialty crops. He has worked with growers of corn, beans, wheat, alfalfa, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, peppers, turf and general landscaping projects. His consulting also includes beef and dairy nutrition. His practice involves combining the standard soil test with soil solubility analysis and tissue profiling. He has spoken throughout North America and in Europe. He is author of The Art of Balancing Soil Nutrients. 

(57 minutes, 41 seconds) Recorded at the 2014 Acres U.S.A. Conference, Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, December 6, 2014.