The key to your next yield breakthrough may not be put in or on your soil but what is already in your soil.
Soil tests have typically measured the level fertility in your fields; now new tests can analyze the genomics of our soil. New biological fertilizer products represent a new era in crop yields, says Dr. Anna Herzberger, with Growmark FS.
“What we see the new frontier is oil biological testing. It is not possible to do genomic sequencing of soil,” she states.
Herzberger says Growmark has launched a new research project called Ag Validity trials to determine which biological products work the best in specific farming operations.
“I feel we are about to break a yield ceiling.” She adds that, throughout history, we have had times when we were able to achieve significant jumps in yields, “The use of biologicals and the focus on soil health may be the next big break.”
The Ag Validity project takes new biological products and evaluates them on actual farms. Data is collected over multiple years to determine the best and most effective products. “This will provide farmers with the assurance that these products will work in their operation,” says Herzberger
If you are interested in participating in this project, contact your local FS representative.
Dr. Anna Herzberger has joined the GROWMARK Agronomy Services team as a Technical Agronomist where she provides soils and soil fertility trainings. Herzberger grew up on her family farm in Virginia, IL, where they grew corn and soybeans. She received a B.S. Degree in Biology from Eastern Illinois University and then a Ph.D. in Plant, Soils, and Microbial Sciences from Michigan State University.