Not so many years ago when we looked at soil tests micronutrients weren’t an issue.  Going through all the soil tests I did last fall, every one of them is lacking in some kind of micro.  With our different practices in farming and the larger yields that are being taken off these days we have depleted our soils of these valuable nutrients.

In today’s world we need soil tests and tissue tests to achieve the highest yields possible.  Crops could be lacking in the smallest micro amounts but adding that amount to either furrow or foliar can make a world of difference.  My biggest eye opener was with Molybdenum last year.  After growing year after year of some of the best pulse crops in the Southwest, yields were dropping off by a couple bushels here and there.  We tried a lot of Molybdenum in different ways last year, furrow at different rates, foliar at different rate, and a combination of both.  What showed up was that the land had been mined of Molybdenum.  We see an increase in yield in every case and at a low cost to producers.

All of the soil test in the Southwest from last fall have come back low in Zinc, once again a simple fix.  Zinc improves germ rate and plant vigor.  It also acts as an antifreeze for early seeded crops.  It is an easily fixed and can be as easy as adding half a litre to a litre in your alpine at seeding time.  In years past Manganese wasn’t an issue either but this fall was one of the first years that soil samples started showing major manganese issues.

At ALPINE we can do soil samples and tissue tests to see what your lacking in.  All of our micros can be mixed with ALPINE G22 and put in furrow at seeding time.  Ask your local DSM at ALPINE about services, products and mix ability charts that we can supply for you.

– James