Soil needs proper care to be productive

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Cultivating Healthy Soil

By Cheryl Kepes It’s never too late to improve soil

One way farmers can achieve more green in their fields and in their pocket books, is to dig up some dirt – liter-

ally. Healthy soil can help farmers improve their bottom line. Experts suggest there are a variety of ways to improve soil quality.

The first step to cultivating more effective soil, is a soil test. The soil test allows farmers to know exactly what they need to add in order to improve their soil quality. Once producers have the information about their soil fertility needs, they can develop a game plan.

Though synthetic fertilizers are a common method to increase soil fertility, there are natural ways as well. A few options include spreading manure, planting cover crops, implementing rotational grazing and diversifying plant species.

Manures are good complete fertilizers because they add micronutrients to the soil and can be economical. Manures can also help bring up low phosphorus levels. However, experts suggest testing the manure load; because the amount of available nutrients vary depending on the diet, bedding, feed and animal type.

In addition, not all nutrients are available in manure the first year.

“For example, only about 25 percent of nitrogen is available the first year and another 25 to 50 percent is lost through volitization,” Jill Scheidt, agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said.

“Manure may not provide all the nutrients needed to produce a yield goal; therefore, additional synthetic fertilizer may be needed.”

Planting cover crops serves as another avenue to improve soil health. “In a row crop situation, adding cover crops, utilizing crop rotation and using low tillage implements build organic matter over time,” Scheidt added. These practices also ward off insects, weeds and disease.

In addition, livestock producers can use the cover crops as winter feed. Allowing livestock to graze cover crops adds fertility and organic matter into the soil. Livestock hoof traffic aids with incorporation of dead plant material from cover crops.

The main way to cultivate soil quality with forages is maintaining a good stubble height through rotational grazing.

“Plants with little growth on top, also have short root growth below the ground. In order to reduce weed pressure and maintain desirable plant persistence, don’t overgraze,” Scheidt advised. Though stubble height depends on the plant species, a good rule of thumb is no shorter than 3 to 4 inches for

cool season grasses and 6 to 10 inches for native warm season grasses.

Experts advise implementing a rotational grazing system in order to keep livestock from staying on a pasture too long. “Avoiding grazing to the ground has extra benefits of faster regrowth and healthier plants, which outcompete weeds in a pasture setting too,” Scheidt recommended.

Diversifying plant species is another way to promote healthy soil conditions. Experts suggest adding variety to pastures by adding a legume to a cool season grass or planting a paddock with a native warm season grass mix.

By adding a legume to a grass pasture, farmers fix nitrogen for later use and provide a greater range of nutrients to livestock consuming it.

“Native species have deep root systems which not only help with compaction, but also allows the plant to find water and nutrients deeper in the soil during drought,” Scheidt said.

The good news, it’s never too late to get started on cultivating healthy soil and growing a greener bottom line.

REGIONAL GRAZING SCHOOLS

University of Missouri Extension (MUE), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) collaborate to bring producers the opportunity to learn how to set up a rotational grazing system through Regional Grazing Schools. These schools, taught by MUE and NRCS specialists have classroom and hands-on learning sessions as well as tours of producer farms who have successfully implemented Management intensive Grazing systems.

Find a complete schedule of Regional Grazing Schools on Missouri Forage and Grasslands Council website: https://mofgc.org/grazing-schools/ Specializing In SW Mo. Farms & Ranches!

“A Cattleman Who Knows Real Estate”

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Hwy 97 & Law 2110, 5 BR home, 48x46 heated shop, 60x132 horse barn - new in 2020, 40x60 red iron hay barn, additional shop, outdoor arena, sheds, padUNDER CONTRACT open, great visability ................$185,000 dock, new fence, a must see .......$780,000 CRANE - 62 Ac., Hwy 413, north side of Crane, frontage on Hwy 413, bottom ground & private wooded upland, city water available, nice setting .....................$195,000 UNDER CONTRACT BILLINGS - 120 Ac. Hwy 174, Great location, farm house, large bank barn, corrals, huge spring, creek running through, Must See! ... ...........................................$780,000 SOLD BILLINGS - 36 Ac. Metzletein Road, great location just south of Island Green Country Club. Great views, pond, small barn & corrals ............................................ $199,485 ELKLAND - Nubbin Lane, 81.73 Ac., year round live water, privacy, secluded, bottom ground, mature timber ...............$212,500 ADRIAN - 5 Ac. Commercial lot with offi ce/ UNDER CONTRACT REPUBLIC - 160 Ac. Hwy TT & PP, open & tillable, 88 ft. by 100 ft. barn with concrete fl oor, several equipment barns, 3 BR home, great road frontage...................$880,000 SENECA - 282 Ac., Bethel Rd., nice level open ground, pasture or tillable, good fence & cross fence, pond, great location $1,057,500 SOLD UNDER CONTRACT shop, great visibility located on I-49 ......... GALENA - 365 Ac., Hwy 173, 75% open, good ...........................................$249,900 pasture, fenced & cross fenced, frontage on BILLINGS - 45 Ac., Hwy 174. Just West of Republic, new fence, open and level, good grassland...............................$260,000UNDER CONTRACT state hwy, 3 BR manufactured home, several barns, corral, waterers, 2 wells, ponds ..... ........................................ $1,249,000 REPUBLIC - 40 Ac. Hwy PP, 2 miles South of Exit 60 on I-44, wooded, Hwy frontage on 2 sides ....................................$260,000SOLD AVA - CR PP 524, 270 Acres, great cattle farm on Beaver Creek, nice 2 BR, 2 1/2 BA home, huge 102x80 ft. barn w/offi ce and WALNUT GROVE - 80 Ac., Hwy JJ, 3 BR, 2 BA shop, pipe corral, creek bottom, mostly home, several good barns, fenced & crossed fenced, open pasture ground w/great road frontage ................................$350,000 SOLD open.................................. $1,250,000 POTTERSVILLE - 504 Ac. CR 7040. Great grass farm, 9 ponds, well, 2 big pipe corMT. VERNON - 231 Ac., Lawrence 1212, rals, working barn, mostly open, new fence great hunting property w/mature timber partially fenced for cattle, pond, mostly wooded, very secluded, conveniently located just off Hwy 174.............$499,000 GALENA - 160 Ac. Hwy FF, nice open property w/open access on FF just west of 265. 3 SOLD w/pipe corners ..................... $1,257,480 MOUNTAIN GROVE - Hwy 95, 244 Acres. Beautiful cattle farm, 3 BR brick home, all open, excellent pasture/hay ground, 3 wells, 2 ponds, 8 waterers, pipe corral ..$1,415,000 ponds, well, corrals, good grass ...$475,000 BILLINGS - 26 Ac. Hwy 60 & 413, 2 BR, 2 BA home, livestock barn, large equipment barn, prime location .........................$500,000 FLEMINGTON - CR 143, 73.7 Ac, Beautiful, AURORA - Hwy K, 313 Ac., livestock farm, large 5 BR, 3 BA brick home, walkout basement, 60x120 barn/shop, 2 large red iron hay barns, 2nd home, deep soil & must see ....... ..........................................$1,692,500 UNDER CONTRACT 4 BR, 3.5 BA all brick walk-out basement home, livestock barn w/runs, 40x60 iron hay barn, 24x60 workshop/equip. building, cross fencing, live water, automatic waterers, UNDER CONTRACT MILO - 632 acres, Hwy. 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Mark Your Calendars!

To Better Serve You, Now Holding Two Special Dairy Sales Per Month, 2nd & 4th Tuesday of Each Month

Feeder Wean-Vac Special Sale

Wednesday • April 7th

Special Dairy Sale

Tuesday • April 13th

Reg. Feeder & Holstein Steer Special

Wednesday • April 14th

Special Cow Sale

Saturday • April 17 • 4 p.m.

Feeder Wean-Vac Special Sale

Wednesday • April 21st

Stock Cow & Bull Sale

Starts 9 a.m. Every Monday Feeder Cattle Sale

Starts 7 a.m. Every Wednesday Dairy Sale

Sale starts at 11 a.m. every 2nd & 4th Tues.

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839-3610

Steve Hawk

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Exit 70 • I-44 & Hwy. MM, Approx. 3 Mi. W. of Springfi eld & 1 Mi. E of James River Hwy.

417.869.9500 27