NEW SOIL HEALTH LAB IS OPEN

NEW SOIL HEALTH LAB IS OPEN

After several months of planning, testing, and construction, we started processing soil samples in our new soil health lab in May. The lab is located in a climate-controlled room within our warehouse building, and it allows us to conduct all of the biological soil tests that we previously sent to outside labs. As reported in the May issue of the Illinois Field and Bean magazine, we have the first dedicated soil health lab in Illinois.

The primary purpose of the new lab is to provide soil health information for: Our continuing research program on the

performance of the Chandler products Regular customers of Midwest Bio-Tech

who use Chandler crop products Other farmers and landowners who

have an interest in measuring soil health The three main tests we offer were developed by Woods End Laboratory:

Solvita CO2-Burst test ? as we have explained in previous newsletters, microbial activity in the soil generates carbon dioxide (CO2), and more CO2 is associated with higher levels of biological activity and better soil health. The lab version of the Solvita test measures the burst of CO2 that is emitted from a dried soil sample after it is moistened. This test procedure mimics the burst of microbial activity that occurs in a field after a dry soil receives rainfall or other moisture. The test readings are useful for comparison because the moisture and temperature levels are controlled in the lab.

June, 2018

The Solvita CO2-Burst test readings are reported in parts per million (ppm) and may be converted to pounds of CO2 per acre per day. As well, the report outcomes may be used to estimate the amount of nitrogen that microbes can mineralize from soil organic matter during the crop season. Accordingly, the CO2-Burst test results can provide valuable information for determining your nitrogen fertilizer needs.

Solvita Labile Amino Nitrogen (SLAN) test ? soils that are biologically active and naturally fertile tend to have higher levels of organic nitrogen, but this pool of potentially available N is not measured by traditional soil tests. According to Woods End, topsoil may contain 0.1% to 0.5% organic nitrogen, so the amount of potentially available N from this source may be substantial. We can use measured levels of organic N to track overall soil fertility as well as soil health and microbial activity.

The SLAN test reports the amount of organic N present in the sample as parts per million (ppm) or pounds per acre. Higher SLAN values indicate more organic nitrogen in the soil sample and are generally associated with better soil health. Although CO2 and organic N levels are positively correlated with microbial activity, the CO2-Burst and SLAN tests can provide unique information when used together. For example, a biologically active soil with high CO2 respiration may have temporarily low organic nitrogen levels if new residue was recently added to the field and N is tied up by the decay organisms.

Volumetric Aggregate Stability Test (VAST) ? for years, soil scientists and others have demonstrated differences in soil structure by soaking clumps of soil in water and observing the stability of the soil aggregates or colloids. Soils with weak structure tend to break apart and dissolve easily while soils with good structure hold their form longer. VAST standardizes this approach for the laboratory and provides a numerical rating of soil aggregate stability. The test reports the percentage of stable soil aggregates in the sample, and higher values are preferred.

In addition to the Woods End tests, we offer the following tests or measurements that are also related to soil health: Soil pH ? acidic or basic character Bulk density ? measures the relative

weight-to-volume character, which is related to the degree of soil compaction Soil organic matter (SOM) ? the percent of soil composed of decaying residue, humus, and other carbon compounds Active organic matter (AOM) ? the portion of SOM that is active carbon and available as food for microbes. Humus and other SOM components that are fully decayed represent inactive carbon. Available organic nitrogen (AON) ? the portion of total organic nitrogen that is immediately available in the sample Electrical conductivity (EC) ? measures the relative amount of fertilizer salts in the sample. Very low EC values tend to show low overall fertility of the soil, but very high EC values may indicate the presence of excessive salt levels that may keep water from moving into plant roots, stunt growth, or burn plant tissue.

Initially, we will not be set up to measure the other chemical properties of the soil (e.g., potash, phosphorus, micronutrients, CEC, or base saturation) in our lab, so we will continue to send soil samples to other commercial labs for these tests. Additional details about the tests and how to submit samples will be posted at our website soon.

A TALE OF TWO SANDS

To demonstrate the information provided by biological soil tests, we present the results from two separate sandy soils in the table below. Please note that the samples are from different sites and have distinct histories. Sample 1 is a light and coarse sand from a long-term grass pasture that has not been treated with fertilizer, manure, or Chandler products. Sample 2 is a fine and dark sand from a row-crop field managed under a corn-bean-wheat rotation with cover crops and Chandler products. Thus, the test results do not represent a comparison of treatments (e.g., with and without Chandler Soil) or farming practices (e.g., with and without cover crops), but they do illustrate what the biological tests can tell us about two distinct soils.

Test Org matter CO2-Burst N Mineral SLAN VAST

Sample 1 2.1% 88 #/A 38 #/A 60 #/A 34%

Sample 2 4.0%

190 #/A 54.5 #/A 155 #/A

14%

Sample 1 has relatively high organic matter (light sands are typically 1.0% to 1.5%), and the CO2-Burst level indicates Medium biological activity. This soil is expected to produce about 38 #/A of N mineralized from organic matter each season, and the total amount of organic N in the soil is 60 #/A from the SLAN test. Finally, the VAST result (34%) indicates Very Good aggregate stability for a sandy soil.

In contrast, Sample 2 has very high organic matter for sand, and the CO2-Burst output exhibits High biological activity. We also expect this field to produce 54.5 #/A of mineralized N each season, and the pool of organic N in this soil is 155 #/A.

Interestingly, the VAST results indicate that Sample 2 has lower aggregate stability than Sample 1. Although these soil health measures are positively correlated, it is possible for fields to exhibit strong soil health under some measures and weaker soil health in other dimensions.

NET RETURNS FROM

CHANDLER FOLIAR

Chandler Foliar contains micronutrients, enzymes, plant growth hormones, humic acid, and other biological ingredients, and the product is designed to increase cell division and photosynthesis as the plant enters the reproductive stages of growth. For mid-season applications of Foliar, we recommend that you spray corn just before or during tasseling, and soybeans should be treated just before or during flowering. Treated corn plants have fuller kernels and higher test weight and yield. Treated beans have more pods per plant, more beans per pod, and higher test weight and yield.

The expected returns are reported in the following table and are based on the latest projected farm prices for corn ($3.90) and soybeans ($9.90). The estimates are also based on the full retail price of Foliar, and the net returns will be higher if you buy 30 gallon drums or 275 gallon totes.

The recommended application rate for Foliar on corn or soybeans is 10 ounces per acre, so a 2.5 gallon jug will cover about 32 acres. The current price for Foliar is $295 per jug, so the product cost is $9.22 per acre. We also include $5 per acre for application cost, but you can save an extra trip across the field by applying Foliar along with pesticides or foliar fertilizers. Finally, we use conservative expected yield gains that are less than our recent field results:

Yield gain Revenue gain Cost per acre Net return

Corn +8 BPA $31.20 / A $14.22 $16.98 / A

Soybeans +4 BPA

$39.60 / A $14.22

$25.38 / A

Finally, we note that an alternative to Foliar is Chandler Organic, which has similar yield benefits but a lower per-acre cost ($8.60) because it contains less nitrogen in order to meet the national organic certification standards (OMRI).

SEE US AT THE NATIONAL STRIP TILL CONFERENCE

The Fifth Annual National Strip Tillage Conference will be held at the Coralville Marriott near Iowa City, IA, on July 26 and 27. We attend the meeting every year, and we are directly involved in the following conference events this year: We are sponsoring the Premier Lecture Series during the opening session on Thursday morning (9:50 to 10:50 AM). This year, the lecture speaker is Ben Elliott, who is a microbiologist and will discuss the biological considerations required to make a successful transition to strip-till farming. Later, on Thursday afternoon of the conference (3:30 to 4:30 PM), Doug Miller will present Strip-Till Classroom #8, and the title of the presentation is "Managing What You Measure: Soil Health Tips for StripTillers". The topics to be covered in the session include the factors that influence soil health, which of these factors can and cannot be managed by farmers, and how to improve soil health and crop production in a strip tillage system.

AUGUST WEBINAR

We will host another free webinar with No-Till Farmer and Lessiter Media in late August. The webinar will focus on residue decay and soil fertility, and the material will be drawn from our most recent field research and on-farm observations. If you are interested in attending the event, you can check our website in early August for details about the time and date of the presentation, and we will also provide a link to the No-Till Farmer registration site at no-.

If you are unable to participate in the webinar at the scheduled time and date, you can always listen to the recorded presentation afterwards. The recording is typically posted at the No-Till Farmer website and within a day after the webinar concludes, and we will provide links at our website.

LATEST RESEARCH

HIGHLIGHTED AT WEBSITE

In the March newsletter, we reported the results from a study we conducted on root penetration and CO2 respiration from a group of soybean plants that we raised in clear plastic tubes. In summary, the beans treated with Chandler Dry Seed Treat had higher germination rate (100% vs. 86%), 50% deeper root penetration, and 12% higher CO2 respiration than untreated beans in the first week after germination. We had the tubes on display at our booth during the winter farm shows, and we have posted photos of the tubes under the Dry Seed Treat page at our company website ().

We repeated this experiment in April with treated and untreated black mustard seeds planted in the tubes. Black mustard is a member of the brassica family and is commonly used as a cover crop because it has aggressive rooting character. The results with treated and untreated black mustard plants were similar to the soybean trials. In particular, the plants treated with Dry Seed Treat emerged about one day earlier than the untreated plants, and the treated plants were one to two inches taller and had darker green color during the first six weeks of growth. As well, the treated plants had deeper and fuller root systems. We have also posted photos of the treated and untreated black mustard plants at the Dry Seed Treat page on our website.

Finally, we demonstrated the CO2-Burst concept at our spring customer appreciation meetings by using sealed quart jars that contain a measured amount of field soil. The soil was air-dried prior to the meetings so there was little soil microbial activity. A few hours before each meeting, we added water to the soil and placed a Solvita sensor in the sealed jar to capture the CO2 generated from the revitalized microbes. Half of the jars contained soil treated with Chandler Soil while the other half were untreated. On average, the treated soil samples generated 25% more CO2 than the untreated samples.

CONGRATULATIONS TO PHILLIP FRIEDRICH

We are very happy to report that Phil Friedrich of Green Valley, IL, won the Illinois Irrigated class of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Yield Contest for 2017. His winning contest yield was 320.5953 bushels per acre, which was the third highest yield among all entrants from the central Corn Belt in this class. The corn plot was planted with Dekalb DKC66-75 seed and had a harvest population of 36,500 plants per acre. As in past years, Phil also used Chandler crop products to boost his corn yield to this winning level.

Phil has lots of experience with the NCGA Yield Contest and has won his class or ranked among the top producers in Illinois for the past several years. We are proud to be part of his winning program in 2017, and we wish him the best of luck for 2018.

FALL DISCOUNTS START ON SEPTEMBER 1

The September newsletter will include the new price list for our fall discount program. The program runs from September 1 to October 31, and the discounts are steeper during the earlier weeks of the fall season.

The Midwest Bio-Tech News

The newsletter is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December, and the first newsletter was published in March, 1993. An electronic archive of the newsletters published during the past 5 years is posted at our website, .

We only send the quarterly newsletters to past and present customers of Midwest Bio-Tech and to people who have requested additional information about our products. We do not purchase external mailing lists or gather names for the mailing list from other sources. To have your name and address added to or deleted from the newsletter mailing list, please send email to info@, call 309-659-7773, or send a letter to Midwest Bio-Tech, Inc., PO Box 156, Erie, IL 61250. Also, if you prefer to receive the newsletter in electronic form, please send us your email address.

In accordance with our privacy policy, we do not provide our mailing list or any other identifying information about our past, present, and prospective customers to any other party without obtaining the express permission of the customer in advance.

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