Two Tips for Farmers Who Want to Improve the Quality of Their Crops

21 February 2023
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Here are a couple of tips for farmers who want to improve the quality of their crops.

They should give a sample of their soil to a soil nutrient testing facility

Issues with the mineral levels in the soil of a crop field can affect how well the crops in that field grow. If the soil in a field is lacking in the top three essential minerals (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus) or if it's low in just one of these, then the crops that a farmer tries to grow in that soil might not thrive.

Some farmers, who are aware of this, make the error of ordering large amounts of specific types of granulated mineral products, such as nitrogen fertiliser, based on their own estimation of what minerals their soil might be missing. However, before a farmer spends money on, for example, a 50kg bag of fertiliser containing a high ratio of nitrogen, because they suspect that this is the mineral their soil is missing, they should give a sample of their crop fields' soil to a soil nutrient testing lab. This lab will evaluate the mineral content of the soil.

Only after the farmer has seen the results of this testing will they be able to know for certain which minerals are missing from their soil and need to be replaced. They can then order the right type of mineral products for their soil, based on the test results given to them by the soil nutrient testing lab, and avoid wasting money on the wrong products.

They should order granulated mineral products instead of liquid ones

If a farmer in this situation finds out, via the soil testing process, that their soil needs certain minerals and they decide to order some mineral products, they should consider ordering the granulated, rather than the liquid version of these products. The main reason for this is that granular fertiliser tends to be released at a slower rate than its liquid counterpart. This is important, as too much fertiliser being released into a crop too quickly may burn the crop plants' roots and affect their ability to absorb water.

Furthermore, granular mineral products are easier to store than liquid mineral products. If for example, a large tank filled with liquid fertiliser springs a leak, the farmer will not be able to retrieve the lost liquid. If however, a bag of granular fertiliser breaks open, the farmer can simply sweep the granules up and put them in a new bag, and so won't have to spend money replacing this product.

For more information, contact a company such as OMYA AUSTRALIA.