Farmers know that soil is one of the most important (if not the most important) materials on Earth. Without healthy soil, and the essential nutrients needed to support it, yields can quickly fall short of expectations. The following article highlights the key ingredients of soil and their role in agriculture. 

Minerals

A slew of key minerals are needed to support healthy soil. The combination of these minerals works in unison to provide the life and food for plants to survive. Some of these elements include

• Zinc
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Sulfur
• Nitrogen
• Magnesium 
• Calcium
• Carbon

Organic Matter

In addition to minerals, the presence of organic matter is necessary for healthy soil. These elements contribute to sufficient levels of nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, etc., and include dead or decaying leaves/foliage, animals, manure, earthworms, and other microbes. 

Water

Water is a critical component of all living organisms. For soil to prosper and sustain life, water must be present. In drier or more arid climates, field irrigation becomes more necessary. In order to avoid crop water stress, rainfall and/or irrigation must meet the crop’s evapotranspiration (ET) requirement.

Oxygen

Oxygen and airflow in general are vital for plant growth. Roughly 50% of the pore space in soil holds oxygen, which is crucial for organisms underneath the surface. Respiration of soil microorganisms produces carbon dioxide which needs to be replaced with fresh oxygen. This is where soil aeration becomes an essential part of the plant and soil health life cycle. 

Microorganisms

The soil on farms and agricultural landscapes can have a higher concentration of microbes than the everyday front yard, but that is not always the case. One small teaspoon of soil contains between 100 million to 1 billion microbes. Examples of these microorganisms include

• Algae
• Arthropods
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Nematodes
• Protozoa
• Worms

To have a better understanding of your farm’s soil health, it is recommended to have agronomy professionals conduct soil sampling tests. 

Soil Sampling

By conducting soil grid sampling multiple times in precise areas of the field, growers can determine where nutrients need to be optimized. Unbiased, independent experts such as E4 Crop Intelligence specialize in this type of data collection and analysis, helping farmers and landowners across the United States. 

E4’s Vision app provides customers with instant access to field data and soil reports, to help growers make more well-informed decisions faster and more confidently than ever before. E4 Vision 2.0 provides data such as

• Detailed field maps
• Soil type and soil sampling reports
• Nutrient recommendations and insights
• Comparisons to previous years
• And more!

E4 has more than 25 years of experience and provides each customer with a unique plan, and not a one-size-fits-all approach. Those interested in learning more about E4 Crop Intelligence and its services, can visit E4cropintelligence.com and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.