Keeping Wisconsin Soils Healthy

Country Visions Cooperative is proud to be your partner in keeping your soils a priority. As we want to help you keep farming from generation to generation, we know that managing your soil's longevity is important. Our experts have extensive knowledge and services available to help your operation.

Let's make the next most profitable decision for your farm.

Soil Sampling – The Basics

Geo-located Soil Sampling:

Find out the basics of your soil: P, K, pH, CEC, and micronutrients. The GPS location of each soil sample is documented to enable resampling of the same location in subsequent years. This allows you to track changes in different parts of the field over time. Samples are typically collected on a 5 or 2.5-acre grid, however this can be customized for your farm. Soil samples and field boundaries are exportable to other programs and can be used to create variable rate fertilizer recommendations.

Nitrogen Testing:

Pre-Plant Nitrogen Testing: This testing is done before planting corn and measures the amount of nitrate-N in the crop root zone that “carried over” from the previous growing season. Residual nitrate that is present in the spring is available to crops for the subsequent growing season.

Pre-Sidedress Nitrogen Testing (PSNT): The PSNT measures the amount of N released from previous legume crops, manure applications, and soil organic matter in addition to a portion of the N carried-over from the previous growing season. Corn sidedress N applications can be adjusted based on the test results, potentially saving you fertilizer costs.

Soil Health:

We’re just starting to understand relationships between microbial activity and healthy soils. Traditional soil testing provides insight into chemical and physical soil properties. This test combines that information with biological assessments of microbial activity to provide a measure of overall soil quality.

Nematode Testing:

You can’t see nematodes, but they can cause significant damage to your crops, especially soybean cyst nematode. While there are no rescue treatments for nematodes, this knowledge can help you prepare for the next season’s crop.

Go Beyond Soil Sampling Basics with Nutrient Management Planning

How do you tie together soil tests, economics and environmental stewardship? With a Nutrient management plan developed by Country Visions Cooperative. Our Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) will work with you to develop a plan that meets regulatory requirements and your individual farm needs. We keep up with the constantly changing regulations so you don’t need to. Some staff are NRCS Technical Service Providers (TSP) able to assist with cost-shared projects. Our NMP related services include:

590 Nutrient Management Plans – to meet cost share requirements or for farmland preservation tax credits
WPDES (CAFO) Permits and Plans – for larger farms that need a DNR Permit
LIVE! Manure Maps - See where you are in the field in relation to manure application restriction areas.

Soil Health: The Key To Your Long Term Success