Analyze Your Soil Health - February 2024 Soil Health Hour
The NC Soil Health Coalition had an information packed meeting with Lance Gunderson, President of Regen Ag Lab, for the February Soil Health Hour. Lance shared information about a number of soil health and nutrient tests, including how the results can help you manage soil health improvements and benefit your bottom line. Here are some highlights:
Lance recommends the Haney Test as a starting point for measuring soil health. Indicators like soil respiration to show the level of microbial activity, water soluble carbon to show the food available for microbes, and the ratio of water soluble carbon to nitrogen can all be used to track soil health improvements over time and understand the impact certain practices have.
The Haney Test measures the level of nutrients that are currently plant available (similar to a conventional soil test), the nutrients that may become available through microbial activity, and the level of microbial activity. It focuses on both chemical and biological factors.
The other two tests Lance often focuses on are the PLFA test, which shows the balance of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa in the soil as an indicator of soil health, and the total nutrient digest, which measures all of the nutrients contained within the soil to understand a soil’s “net worth.”
The Haney Test helps you understand the nutrients available today, the total nutrient digest helps you understand the nutrients that may become available, and the PLFA test helps you understand the level of microbial activity to bridge the gap, since microbes control nutrient flow and nutrient availability to plants.
Other companies like Rhize Bio, based in NC, and Biome Makers can provide comprehensive genomic analyses to show the specific microbial species that are present. Lance also works with Midwest Labs for plant tissue and sap analyses to determine the level of nutrients that were actually received by the plants.
When focusing soil testing on microbial activity and soil health, it is important to ship the samples as quickly as possible and to use a consistent sampling depth and time of year. Some tests, like the Haney Test, are useful each year, while others like the PLFA test and total nutrient digest may only be needed every 3 to 5 years.
Don’t forget, paid annual membership for the Coalition is now open! Becoming a member is the best way to ensure you receive notifications about events and resources and earns you free admission to all events this year, including our largest event, the 2024 Annual Meeting. It is also the easiest way to support the Coalition and our mission to regenerate healthy soils in North Carolina through farmer-driven education!
