Fall is a good time to take soil samples. Fields that need soil pH adjustment (usually need some ag lime to raise pH) are identified. Soils are usually dry and easier to get over with spreaders that are heavy with lime.
Fall, especially when dry, is the best time to break up these soils so that compaction does not persist into the next season.
Fall harvest has begun, and this is a good time to look ahead and plan for better soil health. Soil health has several important aspects, but first and foremost is soil erosion prevention. Soil loss equals topsoil loss, and topsoil is where the largest portion of soil and plant biology occurs.
Corn planting is underway in western Kentucky, and the number of acres should increase rapidly this week. In most years, the weather, forecast, and soil conditions are more important than the calendar for planting corn.
Soil acidity is neutralized by the consumption of protons, not the addition of calcium. The results of this study support the chemistry in Equations 1 and 2. Liming acid soils should be based on products that contain carbonates, oxides or hydroxides, the associated RNV, and using an application rate based on soil pH and buffer pH - NOT the amount or form of calcium present in a product.
