Why Take a Soil Test?
Great crops start with great soil! Whether you’re growing corn, soybeans, hay, wheat, cotton, or peanuts, soil testing is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your operation’s profitability, efficiency, and long-term soil health.
While soil sampling is useful any time of year, harvest season presents a unique and critical window for gathering insight into your soil’s condition before winter dormancy sets in. AgriTec International offers affordable soil testing, but why should you take one? Keep reading and we’ll break down the why, when, and how of soil testing, and how you can use those results to build a stronger soil fertility program using AgriTec’s advanced liquid solutions.
What Soil Testing Does?
Soil is a living, changing system. Nutrient levels, pH, organic matter, and base saturation ratios shift from season to season, especially after a growing cycle where nutrients are drawn up into crops and removed from the field during harvest.
Without soil testing, you’re farming blind. Even if your yields “look good,” you could be working with nutrient tie-up, low calcium base saturation, hidden deficiencies, or falling CEC levels that are costing you big in the long run.
Here are just a few critical insights a soil testing provides:
- Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) – a measure of your soil’s nutrient-holding ability
- Calcium, magnesium, and potassium base saturation – critical for nutrient balance and availability
- Soil pH – affects how well plants can absorb nutrients
- Micronutrient levels – like zinc, boron, sulfur, and manganese
- Organic matter content – directly linked to drought resistance and CEC
- Residual nutrient levels – post-harvest nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
When you know these values, you’re not guessing what your field needs, you’re applying exactly what it lacks, eliminating waste and maximizing every input dollar.
Why Fall Is the Ideal Time to Test
Soil testing is beneficial at any time of year, but post-harvest (fall) testing offers major advantages:
It Tells You What the Crop Took Out – After the crop is off, you’re left with a clear picture of what’s left in the soil, and what’s missing. Testing now helps you see the exact nutrient drawdown from the growing season so you can start rebuilding.
It Gives You Time to Correct Before Winter – Soils don’t improve on their own. If you’re facing low pH, poor calcium levels, or depleted micronutrients, fall is the time to take action. Products like Pro-Cal, Advanced-Cal, and Bio-Act work best when applied to a resting field, giving your soil all winter to stabilize and absorb the treatment for next season.
It Sets the Stage for Spring Planting – Think of fall testing like scouting before battle. When spring comes, you’re ready to plant, not scrambling to diagnose problems. A detailed soil test allows you to pre-plan your fertility program, order the right products, and avoid costly delays during the busiest part of the year.
What You Learn from a Soil Test
1. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
Your soil’s CEC determines how much nutrient it can hold and make available to plants. Low CEC soils need help with organic matter and carbon (consider using Humic Acid). High CEC soils require higher application rates of calcium to move base saturation into the right range.
AgriTec’s Pro-Cal increases calcium base saturation by ~3% per 2 gal/acre on a 10 CEC soil.
2. Calcium Base Saturation & pH
A healthy soil needs 65-75% calcium base saturation. Low calcium leads to poor pH, weak root growth, and bound-up nutrients. Instead of waiting 12 months for lime to slowly work, Pro-Cal and Advanced-Cal raise soil pH in just weeks, with highly available calcium and trace minerals.
2 gallons of Pro-Cal = the soluble calcium equivalent of 1 ton of granular limestone per acre.
3. Potassium & Magnesium Levels
Testing reveals your K% and Mg% base saturation, helping you decide if you need to rebalance those cations. AgriTec’s potassium-rich products like 10-20-10+ deliver fast, balanced nutrition for fields lacking potassium.
4. Phosphorus & Micronutrients
Phosphorus tie-up is common in low pH or calcium-deficient soils. That’s why raising calcium and correcting pH first is essential. Once that’s done, products like Bio-Act and Nitro-Maxx+ can dramatically improve uptake and yield response.
How to Take a Proper Soil Sample
If you’re going to invest in fertilizer, make sure your soil test is accurate. Here are a few best practices:
- Sample after harvest but before ground freezes
- Use a soil probe to pull core samples at 6″ depth (or deeper for deeper root crops)
- Sample in a zigzag pattern across each field, avoid edges, headlands, manure piles, or odd spots
- Mix 10-15 cores per field in a clean bucket and send to a certified lab
- Label each sample clearly with a field name or number
Once results are in, AgriTec can provide a customized fertilizer plan, including precise application rates for Pro-Cal, Advanced-Cal, Bio-Act, and more, all based on your soil’s actual needs.
How AgriTec Helps After Testing
So you’ve got your results. Now what?
This is where AgriTec shines. We don’t just sell products, we provide solutions tailored to YOUR soil. Our recommendations are based on:
- Your soil’s CEC and calcium saturation
- Nutrient balance and trace mineral needs
- Your crop goals and past fertilizer usage
- Whether you’re dealing with compaction, drought, or flooded fields
Fast-acting liquid calcium to raise pH and base saturation | |
Enhanced Pro-Cal with micronutrients and carbon energy | |
Soil and foliar nutritional supplement with humic, trace minerals, and energy | |
Slow-release nitrogen with carbon, trace minerals, and reduced burn risk | |
10-20-10+ | Phosphorus-potassium blend with added micronutrients |
Aerate | Liquid soil loosener for compaction or drought stress |
Foliar-Act | Multivitamin-style foliar feed for stressed or flooded crops |
Conclusion
Soil testing isn’t just good science, it’s smart business. Every field is different, and every season brings new challenges. By soil testing at harvest, you gain the insight needed to make informed decisions before winter sets in.
At AgriTec, we’re here to help you make the most of your acres, not just this season, but every season. Contact your local AgriTec soil advisor today to discuss your results or schedule a consultation. Call 833-247-4832 to start getting better soil!