The Dirt: an eKonomics podKast

Your equipment plays an important role in getting seed and fertilizer in the right place. But how is that equipment designed to meet your needs in the field?   In this episode of The Dirt PodKast, Lyle Cowell is joined by Curtis de Gooijer, agronomist with Bourgault Industries, to explore the connection between agronomy and equipment for seed and fertilizer application. Curtis explains the field challenges behind equipment design, from conserving moisture and protecting seed to giving growers more flexibility and control over fertilizer rates and placement.   Curtis also explains how Bourgault's research farm helps inform equipment design and practical recommendations for seed and fertilizer placement, sharing what the team has learned about phosphorus placement and seed safety through their field trials.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

Are soils supplying the nutrients crops need? Millions of soil tests from across the U.S. and Canada offer a revealing picture.   In this episode, Dr. Karl Wyant is joined by Dr. Leanna Nigon, director of agronomy and research at The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), to explore findings from the latest TFI Soil Test Summary, drawing on approximately 10.2 million soil samples from across the U.S. and Canada. With more than 40 percent of samples testing below critical levels for phosphorus and potassium, Leanna explains what those thresholds mean for fertilizer decisions and how nutrient needs vary across regions.   They also explore soil pH and soil organic matter levels, why regional averages only tell part of the story and how consistently testing your own fields can help you track changes and plan ahead.   Explore the new data as soon as it's available: https://www.nutrienttools.org/getting-started/soil-test-summary/   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com    Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

Ever wondered how the potash fertilizer you apply is actually made? There's more to the process than you might think.   In this episode, Lyle Cowell is joined by Courtney Rohachuk, manager of Nutrien's Pilot Plant, to explore how mined potash ore becomes finished fertilizer. Courtney walks us through the process, explaining how potassium chloride is separated from other salts, how granules are sized for blending and application and how Nutrien helps protect product quality during shipping and handling.   Go behind the scenes of potash production, hear how Nutrien's Pilot Plant supports improvements across its six Saskatchewan potash sites and discover the teamwork it takes to produce the fertilizer that reaches your farm.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

With so much new technology entering the market, how do we figure out what's actually helpful?   This week, we're coming to you from Nutrien Ag Solutions' Innovation Farm in Champaign, Illinois. Dr. Karl Wyant joins Thaddeus Bates, senior manager of the Innovation Farm Network, to explore how the farms put new equipment, products and practices to the test.   Hear how grower needs shape their work, why taking research from small plots to commercial acres matters and what research at the speed of farming looks like in practice. At the heart of their approach is building on what growers already do well and finding practical changes that fit their farms, make better use of their time and offer opportunities to improve return on investment.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

Soil research is most valuable when it reflects the real challenges growers are seeing and helps them make better management decisions.   In this episode, host Lyle Cowell is joined by Dr. Chantel Chizen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan, to discuss how conversations with farmers have helped shape priorities for her new research group. Chantel explores her current research into low-yielding and marginal areas of fields, prairie wetlands, soil carbon, soil health and soil variability across Saskatchewan.   They also discuss how tools such as satellite and drone imagery and digital soil mapping are changing the way soils are studied, efforts to build a new provincial soil data hub and interpretation guide and why continued engagement with farmers and agronomists is essential to keeping soil research connected to the field.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

What should you consider when choosing a potassium source?   In this episode, host Dr. Alan Blaylock is joined by David Holden, owner of Holden Research and Consulting, to explore how crop needs, soil properties, water source and the nutrients supplied alongside potassium can affect how well a particular source fits into a system. They compare potassium chloride (MOP) and potassium sulfate (SOP), discuss why chloride can create challenges for certain crops and explain what growers should think about when evaluating each source.   They also explore how potassium rate, timing and placement can align with crop demand, why potassium availability matters as crops develop and how irrigation can influence the source you select. The conversation offers practical considerations for selecting and evaluating potassium sources, including potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, potassium thiosulfate and potassium nitrate.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

Soil fertility isn't always the yield-limiting factor. Compaction, salinity, soil acidity and water management can all affect how well crops grow and how effectively they access nutrients.   In this episode, Lyle Cowell is joined by Marla Riekman, Soil Fertility Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, to explore some of the other factors that can hold back crop performance and productivity. They discuss how salinity and compaction are connected to water management, how soil acidity can affect crop growth and what growers and agronomists can look for when diagnosing underperforming areas of a field.   They also explore practical approaches to managing and minimizing the impacts of soil salinity and compaction, along with how growers can think about soil health, field variability and the factors they can influence to support crop growth.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

Building soil organic matter has become a common goal for farmers looking to improve soil health, but increasing soil organic matter levels can be harder than we'd expect.   In this episode, host Amy Crozier is joined by Andrew McGuire, Irrigated Cropping Systems Extension Agronomist and Grant County Director with Washington State University, to explore what influences soil organic matter (SOM) and which management practices can actually help build or maintain it over time.   They discuss the balance between biomass inputs and losses, how harvest and erosion affect SOM, the value and limitations of different soil-building practices and debunk the claim that nitrogen fertilizer burns up SOM. Andrew also shares how growers can evaluate soil health products, set realistic expectations and focus on practices that address measurable problems in their fields.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

Crop yield forecasting isn't new, but the information used to build them has changed. Today, field observations and grower experience can be combined with satellite imagery, weather data and historical records to provide a more complete view of expected production.   In this episode, Dr. Karl Wyant is joined by Megan Nunes, founder and CEO of Bountiful, to explore what goes into crop yield forecasting and how forecasting can support budgeting, cash flow and other planning and business decisions before harvest.   They discuss how satellite imagery and other farm data are combined through machine learning to forecast yields in specialty crops, how forecasts evolve as new information becomes available and why connecting data from across the operation can make it more useful for planning.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics

4R Nutrient Stewardship is becoming more practical, more detailed and more adaptable to the way growers manage nutrients across different crops and regions.   In this episode, host Lyle Cowell is joined by Dan Heaney to explore how Fertilizer Canada's updated 4R Practice Guidance has evolved and what's changed in their latest update. They discuss the addition of best management practices for sulfur and potassium, new guidance for manure, newly highlighted practices that don't align with the 4Rs and expanded recommendations across different climates and crops.   Tune in for a look at how 4R Nutrient Stewardship guidance has evolved, including newly added best management practices for all four major fertilizer nutrients, why the framework and new updates matter and how the newest guidance can help put 4R principles into practice.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics