RFA Ethanol Podcast

Studying Soil to Improve Plant Growth

Joanna Schroeder

Dave Alexander is a consultant with Agri-Science Technology. His area of expertise is soil and he exams, assesses and helps a grower understand where he is at using his product history and goals. I spent some time with Alexander during the Ag Associates Conference sponsored by StollerUSA.

“In my practice I build a strong foundation first and then bring in extra technology,” explained Alexander. “In doing so, we primarily bring in Stoller technology.”

I asked him what the biggest problem growers in his area faced in regards to soil. He answered that his biggest challenge is helping them to understand the agronomic situation from an NPK value system. While he acknowledged that understanding this system is vitally important, he also stressed that growers need to look beyond the system and study secondary systems.

“When it comes to fertilization balance you really have to go beyond NPK. We’re a very educated society even in agriculture, and if NPK was the answer, we should have learned NPK was the solution 30 years ago,” said Alexander.

One of the secondary systems he is referring to include the control of hormone balance. “Keeping that balance is what will increase our production more than anything.”

He went on to explain that the first two weeks of any crop is the most important time frame to start that process and stresses that building a foundation program during this time is important.

In conclusion, I asked him what he felt was important for growers to understand and he said, “I think we have to learn to trust the technology that’s in the marketplace as long as the people who are delivering the technology understand what it is, what it’s supposed to do and what the outcome is. So ask yourself, what’s out there that we can utilize to extract more of that potential that we know exists?”

Listen to my interview with Dave below.

Ag Associates Conference Flickr Album.

Agribusiness, Audio