Middlesex County, Ontario | I am looking for some advice on when to soil sample in our crop rotation. I have a collection of old soil samples for all fields from different years. Sometimes there was a year between samples, sometimes 6. I'd like to get things to a more standardized practice. Our soil levels are generally good and I would like to just monitor for slow trends (ensure levels aren't dropping). My father thinks we should sample each field every 3 years and I think that makes sense.
Our typical 3 year rotation is
Year 0 - fall tillage
Year 1 - spring tillage, plant to corn
Year 2 - no-till soybeans, plant winter wheat in the fall immediately following soybean harvest
Year 3 - harvest winter wheat. Usually immediately spread chicken manure and grow a cover crop, lately its been oats. May spread more chicken manure throughout the summer. Late summer/fall tillage (in prep for corn).
When is the best time in this rotation to take oil samples? Year 1 harvest ends late in the year and there may be frost before we are finished. Year 2 we might be chasing the combine with a drill. Year 3 is a messy year. I've been trying to sample in year 3 immediately following wheat harvest and before spreading manure. This has delayed manure applications in the past.
What do you think?
Edited by WildBuckwheat 3/12/2024 13:59
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Best time to soil sample in my rotation?
