Soil depth has a big impact on where the majority of beneficial microbes live. Most soil microbes live in the top 0-10 inches of the soil profile, concentrated heavily within the O (organic) and A (topsoil) horizons. The highest density of microbial activity is typically found in the top 2 inches of soil. As you move deeper into soil, microbial abundance and diversity drops exponentially fast. In soil profiles, the O Horizon (Surface Litter, 0-2 inches) is a hotspot for microbial activity; with decomposing plant litter, leaves, organic debris, and oxygen. Next, the A Horizon (Topsoil, 2-10 inches) holds the highest concentration of stable organic matter, nutrients, and oxygen; supporting dense populations of bacteria and fungus. Moving down, the B Horizon (Subsoil, 10-30+ inches), microbial populations plummet dramatically due to less organic material, compacted clay, and significantly less oxygen. The C & R Horizons (Substratum/Bedrock) have even less microbes, and ha...

Robots are invading the world of agriculture. Robots can do a lot of labor-intensive work, are very precise, are helping to boost yields, and reducing nutrient applications leading to more sustainable agricultural production. With less nutrient runoff, less erosion, less soil compaction; robots are helping farmers make their farms and the environment a cleaner and safer place to live. Here’s how robots are affecting agriculture. Farmers are now using robots (some self-driving or autonomous) to operate tractors and seeders to plant crops. The tractors use GPS (satellite signals that show where the robot is located in a field), AI (artificial intelligence or internet programs) that plant seeds at the right depth and right spacing for optimal yield. Robots can also identify weeds and insects using computerized sensors for vision and link that with AI to apply herbicides, zap them, or mechanically remove weeds or even pests; reducing the use of chemicals by up to 80%. Often quite small, th...

  Diesel fuel and fertilizer prices are soaring motivating farmers to look for ways to reduce costs. This past year, many Midwest farmers started no-tilling to reduce fuel costs. With healthier soils, fertilizer costs should decrease. Healthy soils promote higher microbial levels. Each soil microbe is a soluble bag of fertilizer and your nutrient use efficiency improves, so less commercial fertilizer is needed. The soil has a huge bank of tied up plant nutrients just waiting for healthy soil microbial populations to release them to plant roots. Starting no-till is the first step. Soil compaction is usually a big problem. Excess tillage and a lack of roots in the soil profile causes soil to lack the soil organic matter (SOM) to form healthy soil macro-aggregates. The roots form macro-aggregates with the help of soil microbes. The macro-aggregates store active carbon (glues for good soil structure), improve water infiltration, increase water storage. Micro-aggregates allow good gas e...

  Rain this past week caused some flooding, especially in the several counties around Lima, Ohio and further south and west. Rainfall amounts of 9-10 inches were recorded. Most of Northwest Ohio got several rainfall events over several days. Officially, the 5-year drought appears to be over. Flooding effects on corn and soybean development varies and depends on crop stage of development, soil types, and how long water remains in the field. For the State of Ohio, if the corn was planted early and the corn is more mature (dough to dented), the flooding effects may be less severe; unless the corn stands in water for extended period of time (past 2 days). For northwest Ohio, delayed spring planting delayed corn growth development. Corn has caught up somewhat but a lot of corn is just past the tasseling stage and is setting kernels. This can be a tough stage for corn development if fields remain flooded for extended periods of time. Some corn fields may have had high winds, lodging and ...