Writer: Rod Santa Ana III, (956) 968-5581, r-santaana@tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Enrique Perez, (956) 361-8236, e-perez@tamu.edu
Brad Cowan, (956) 383-1026, b-cowan@tamu.edu
WESLACO – Lower Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers could be in for a pleasant surprise if they take advantage of a soil-testing campaign. In addition to being free, the soil test may show producers they can save even more by reducing the amount of costly fertilizers they use.
That was the experience of many farmers and ranchers in the four-county Valley area who took part in this program the past three years. Of 1,237 soil samples representing 60,000 acres, producers were able to save almost $830,000 in nitrogen and phosphorus usage.
Not applying more than one million pounds of nitrogen and more than two million pounds of phosphorus also helped the environment, said Dr. Enrique Perez, a Texas Cooperative Extension agent in Cameron County.
“Depending on soil types, nutrients won’t be broken down, creating a tendency to accumulate,” he said. “If no soil tests are done, a producer won’t know what the nutrient content is and may make unnecessary fertilizer applications, which are costly to the producer and harmful to the environment.”
This year’s free soil-testing campaign will kick off at noon Nov. 9 at a crop nutrition management meeting at the Texas A&M University System Research and Extension Center at Weslaco.
Producers will be given free soil probes, soil testing forms and soil bags to fill. The filled pint-sized bags and forms should then be returned to extension personnel who will send them to Texas A&M for analysis. Soil testing results will be returned to growers, along with nutrition management recommendations.
A quick turnaround time allows growers to make changes to their operations before planting season begins next year, according to Brad Cowan, an Extension agent in Hidalgo County.
“This soil testing program has shown outstanding results,” Cowan said. “We encourage growers to conduct soil testing year round because it’s a very important best management practice in ag production systems. Farmers and ranchers need to make sure the nutritional needs of their crops are met, but not put out too much fertilizer that is costly and harmful to the environment. Yet they shouldn’t under-fertilize, which limits yield and crop quality.”
Funding for the soil testing is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service through the Rio Grande Basin Initiative, Cowan said. The free testing is available to farmers and ranchers only.
Topics at the crop nutrition management meeting will include:
- “The Integration of Irrigation, Nitrogen Management, Crop Development Physiology and Fertility Use by Crops,” by Charles Stichler, an Extension agronomist in Uvalde;
- “EQIP Program and it’s Potential for Nutrient Management Assistance,” by Arturo Ybarra, a district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
- “Results of Last Year’s Soil Testing Campaign,” by Dr. Mark McFarland, an Extension soil fertility specialist in College Station; and
- “Obtaining and Maintaining Your TDA Private, Commercial or Non-Commercial License,” by Brad Cowan.
For more information, call an Extension office.
Reprinted from AgNews, News and Public Affairs, Texas A&M University System Agricultural Program
