Have you had your field soil tested for microbial count? That’s the first big step in increasing soil fertility and ultimately higher nutritional value in your crops.
There are several tests for soil biology, but we recommend the Haney and the PLFA (Phospholipid Fatty Acid) tests. They work well in tandem. You have to know where you are before you can start on the path to greater soil health.
Most Cultivated Acreage Is Bacteria Dominant
Cultivation or tillage makes a field look nice and smooth. It makes it easy to plant into. It also destroys soil structure, kills soil microorganisms (the majority are beneficial), and causes erosion.
A tilled field is a tidy field. Nobody at the local cafe will say you have a messy field. So, isn’t tidy a good thing?
Maybe in your tool shed. But let’s take a closer look at how tidying up your field impacts your bottom line.
Balanced Soil Microbials Enhance Productivity
Farming is a business. And like all businesses, there are short-term and long-term goals. Balanced soil microbiology is tied to a strong economic model on your farm.
The microbial communities and invertebrates in soil offer a wide range of environmental services that benefit soil health and crop productivity. Those services eventually impact human health and societal well-being.
The value of soil biodiversity and microbial populations is based on many ecosystem services. Soil microbials play a key role in pest control, water cycle, decomposition and nutrient fixation, organic matter decomposition, and climate regulation to name a few. It’s easy to put a dollar figure on yield, but it’s more difficult to determine the economic value of critical microbial environmental services. Yet we all know long-term and short-term yield and profits depend on soil health.
When yield is the only metric you underestimate the value of your farming practices on the long-term value of your farm.
Metrics for Long-Term Farm Profitability
Yield has been the only metric for quite some time, but it shouldn’t be. Soil health metrics link the entire farm ecosystem. Soil organic matter, pH, nutrient cycling, and soil density all correlate to higher yields.
Soil bacteria are used as an additive to chemical fertilizers in an integrated plant nutrient management system. Bacteria are invaluable for crops to achieve their full genetic potential. There are five main functions of bacteria in soil:
- Supply nutrients to crops
- Stimulate plant growth
- Protect against plant pathogens
- Improve soil structure
- Store nutrients to decrease leaching (1)
The plant-microbe-soil interactions are complex. Incorporating microbials in your farm management system decreases the need for inputs because everything is working more efficiently.
In addition to yield, what are the metrics we should be looking at?
Soil Organic Matter – When your soil is alive with strong beneficial microbial communities your fields build topsoil at a faster rate. A healthy microcosm provides a wealth of environmental services.
Water Quality – This is not only about testing your irrigation water for salts. It’s also about measuring how well water percolates into your soil, how long it stays in your soil, and how available it is to plant roots. These benefits are functions of soil organic matter and microbial content.
Nutrient Cycling Efficiency – Microorganisms break down organic nutrients into plant-available forms. In a world of increasing input prices, you want your dollars to go as far as possible. Soil microbes increase nutrient cycling efficiency exponentially.
Carbon-Based Fertility Program
Bacteria use carbon as a food source. In the process, bacteria form symbiotic relationships with plants. Those tiny one-celled microorganisms play a pivotal role in the mobilization, solubilization, and transformation of nutrients from soil to plants.
Unfortunately, on many farms, there are very few beneficial soil organisms. Tillage and synthetics are tough on soil biology. When decreasing synthetic inputs, it’s often necessary to add biology to field soil.
There are several ways to get biology back in your soil. You can make compost tea, spread manure, use fermented products, or use an extracted carbon-based biological product.
Manure is a time-honored tradition but 21st century science has confirmed you can get too much of a good thing. The high salt content of most manures combined with the frequency of droughts can lead to elevated salinity in your fields.
Compost tea is messy and must be used immediately. There is a learning curve to good compost tea. If not brewed correctly, you can spread pathogens to your field.
Fermentation is a process that has been used for millennia. Without it, we wouldn’t have sauerkraut, sourdough bread, or yogurt. However, fermentation doesn’t always end up with a balanced microbial population.
At ST Biologicals we are partnering with Purple Cow Organics to bring LiquiLife+ to our clients. They have developed a broad-spectrum compost extract containing many beneficial species of bacteria and fungi for building soil health. The product is shelf-stable for 365 days and can be used with other fertility inputs. It’s not messy like manure or compost tea and can be used across the entire growing season. Whenever you see, by walking your fields, that a boost is needed.
Sustainable farming practices maintain ecosystem services while creating farm profit over the long term. And often in the short term.
It all starts with observation. Only after you know where you are, can you know the road to your destination. Soil tests, water tests, and direct observation by walking the fields and digging up soil are all necessary.
Profitable outcomes are possible with strong microbial communities as plant allies in farm fields. Interested in greater soil resiliency and farm profit? Contact our team at STBiologicals.com👈 to find out how. We’re here to support you. When soil speaks, we listen.
We’ve only talked about the bacterial component of healthy soil. For a healthy balance, several other microorganisms keep any one microorganism from running amok. Read our next blog on “Fungi for Farms.”
#beneficialbacteria #soilhealth #nutrientcycling #watercycling
