soil health Archives | Midwestern BioAg

From the Desk of Gary Zimmer

Using all, or some, of these practices, will take you a long way in dealing with our extreme weather. Adding Rye to your rotation can certainly do that too. What else can you plant after corn/soybean harvest in the upper Midwest? When adding a practice like rye, you have to learn how to manage it. Change always requires knowledge if you want success.

Earn the Right | From the Desk of Gary Zimmer

By: Gary Zimmer, Founder · Soil, Newsletters, Soil Biology, From the Desk of Gary Zimmer, Biological Farming

Here we go again. In your farming career, you have about 40 chances. You could do the same thing every year. Make money, make life easy, and get rich when you sell the farm. But farming is not just about the money and getting rich, it’s also about responsibility and pride. We want to do what’s right for the land, the environment, and the consumer. Obviously, we wouldn’t have to regenerate anything if it was all being done perfectly.

It’s All About Getting Your Fertility Right

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Fertilizer, Cover Crops, Crop Rotation, L-CBF, Weed Control, Technology

“Profitability.” That’s the most important thing Midwestern BioAg has brought to the Fairibault, MN farming operation of Bryan and Tammy Lips, says Bryan. Balanced soils, good fertility, and diverse rotations including cover crops and green manure crops are among the biological farming tools Bryan has been using for the past eight years on his 450 acres. He raises corn, oats, and alfalfa on a mixture of owned and rented land, with about half of the acres farmed conventionally and half certified organic.

From the Desk of Gary Zimmer

By: Gary Zimmer, Founder · Fertilizer, Soil, Cover Crops, Tillage, Nutrients, Bio-Cal®, Soil Biology, Nutrient Efficiency, From the Desk of Gary Zimmer, Biological Farming

Dear farmers and agriculturalists,

I have been at a few events this fall and there sure is a lot of interest in carbon, quality feed/food, and soil regeneration. High fertilizer, especially nitrogen, and chemical prices have also been farmers’ concerns. No-till constantly comes up – it is a practice, not a farming system, that may help or may not lead to improved soil health and sequester carbon. Having said that, why would you till if you don’t have to?

Bridging the Yield Gap with Soil Productivity

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Fertilizer, Soil, Newsletters, Soil Biology, Nutrient Efficiency, Calcium, Soil Capacity

As farmers navigate the reality of higher production costs, the biological farming space will continue to draw attention. Many farmers identify yield gaps as a significant concern looking forward to 2022.

Yield gaps are those differences between what is applied vs. what is realized. We often think yield gaps are negative; however, yield gaps present opportunities for soil productivity. Opportunities for nutrient management recovery through enhanced soil productivity and biological farming systems.

Are Your Forages the Best They Can Be?

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Forages, Bio-Cal®, Dairy Production, Calcium

After your forages are harvested is a good time for you and your BioAg consultant to evaluate your forage program and your crop ration.
Evaluate Your Forage
It takes some time to evaluate what you have for forages and to what groups of animals they would best be fed. Some dairy producers have had the experience of feeding more alternative annual forage varieties due to the improved crop rotation and soil health. These dairy producers have been pleasantly surprised by the digestibility of their crops if …

Measuring your soil health like never before

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Soil

Midwestern BioAg recently partnered with Trace Genomics in order to adopt the most advanced commercially available soil testing in the industry. Trace Genomics is a soil testing company that provides a full chemical as well as 21 biology and pathology analyses. Midwestern BioAg will be implementing these analyses to improve our scouting and recommendations to our customers.
Midwestern BioAg has been promoting biological farming for nearly 40 years. We’ve known from our extensive time as crop and soil consultants that biology is equally as important as …

Calcium | Bailey’s Bit About Nutrition

By: Bailey Farrell · Livestock Nutrition, Bio-Cal®, Calcium, Alfalfa

Calcium: The Trucker of All Nutrients
First, we need to start in the soil. Calcium has many roles in the soil. Calcium aids in maintaining soil physical properties, and in reclaiming sodic soils. Calcium contributes to soil fertility by helping maintain a flocculated clay and therefore provides more aeration. Soil structure and water holding capacity are improved when soils are rich in calcium. Calcium also stimulates the growth of beneficial soil microorganisms, including nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and helps counteract toxins in the soil and in the plant.