Proper fertilizer placement through better soil sampling with precision agriculture

Fertilizer use and proper nutrient management are key components to stay economically competitive in agriculture. Fertilizer that is removed from fields during harvest must be replaced to ensure nutrient availability for crop production. Soil sampling is the best way to determine the amount of nutrients need, but where they are needed depends on the type of sampling. Traditionally samples were collected so that one sample represented 20 acres, sometimes samples are grouped by soil series, A Veris 3100 EC cart (Veris Technologies, Salina, KS; http://www.veristech.com/) was used to map soil texture and sampled on a 100 ft X 100 ft grid to compare the different methods. Results from the study demonstrated significant spatial variability was present between whole field composite sampling, traditional field sampling, zone sampling, and zone 2.5 acre grid sampling.