Learning+Curve

__ What I have learned throughout this project that will be applicable in my fields in the future. __

Throughout this project I have learned many things about agronomy. This project gave me an opportunity to work with an expert in this field. Many of the things that can affect a field dramatically are not things that farmers would typically think about making an impact on their crop. I believe that every farmer can benefit from working with their local agronomist in their fields and not just simply taking their advice and doing what they say needs to be done. Many of the things I learned in this project were not complicated but yet not something that I would have learned without working with Will over the summer.

One of the biggest things I learned with working with Will was not entirely related to the work of an agronomist but more as a farmer. Studying these sheets you can help yourself control these inputs and get more out of you input. One of the biggest things I got out of this project was that to become successful in farming you have to find all the places you can help yourself make the most out of your land.

Another huge things i learned was that the more fertilizer you put on does not mean the more crop you will get. Fertilizer has to be very well balanced to get the most out of everything you put on, soil tests alone will show you how much of each nutrient you have available in the soil but plant tissue tests will show how much of each nutrient is actually getting into the plant. In some cases having too much of one nutrient can cause another nutrient to become locked up in the soil and the plant use the nutrient.

This chart shows how calcium, aluminum, and iron can all interfere with Phosphates in the soil. With higher pH soil calcium can lock up your phosphates, while with lower pH soil aluminum and iron can lock up your phosphates. This is a key example of where you want the pH of your soil and your nutrient levels, to efficiently use all of the nutrients in the soil.