As stated by the NRCS, "soil health, also referred to as soil quality, is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. This definition speaks to the importance of managing soils so they are sustainable for future generations. To do this, we need to remember that soil contains living organisms that when provided the basic necessities of life - food, shelter, and water - perform functions required to produce food and fiber."
Understanding soil health means assessing and managing soil so that it functions optimally now and is not degraded for future use. By monitoring changes in soil health, a land manager can determine if a set of practices is sustainable and good for soil conservation.
At Tyree Ag, our precision specialists can start analyzing the data to create management zones with our customers’ fields and further delineate them from multi-year analysis, Electro-conductivity maps, aerial imagery, soil sampling data, elevation maps, or through almost any combination of these types of field data. Once management zones are created, we can manage those zones differently based upon their potential by creating variable rate seeding and fertilizer prescriptions. Variable rate applications will lead to profits for the customer by either saving money on inputs, or by increasing yield through more efficient use of those inputs. The management zones are dynamic in that each year after we gain more field data, whether it be yield data or soil sampling, the zones could change slightly. Over time, as more field data is recorded and factored in, the management zones will become more static and reliable.
Overall, Tyree Ag strives to be the enablers between technology and the producer. We extract field data via electro-conductivity mapping and grid sampling, which eliminates the need for a grower to have to figure out which software to use, how to get their data into the software, and how to use the software to analyze the data and put it to use.
Here is some other helpful information regarding soil health & management:
K-State Research and Extension - Agronomy
All About the Soil - by Kurt Lawton
Soil Moisture Sensor Field Demonstration - Garden City, KS
*Information taken from K-State Research and Extension and the NRCS.
KP
