Soil test. Much better to grid soil test, every 5 acres, or 2.5 acres. You are shooting blind without the soil test, not someday when you get around to it, but do it! They can use GPS with the spreaders to spread different amounts of line, P, K on every grid, so your soil will get a formula that builds up what needs building, and not over apply what doesn't need so much. Soil test, soil test, soil test. Grid is a better plan on uneven soils, or to learn the ph.
1. Fix the soil ph if it is low. Roots use acid to pry nutrients out of the ground, if your soil is low in ph (acid), it doesn't matter how much fertilizer or manure you put on the poor plants can't pry it loose anyhow. Adding lime takes time to work, several months, so get this done.
2. P and K. Generally the soil holds these in good shape, so get them built up. Can do so in fall or as you get to it. If your soil is really low in these, a band planted with a row crop about 2 inches from the row, as the young plants grow their roots hit that rich band of fertilizer and can feed much easier than if your soils are low and you broadcast the fert all over.
3. N. If you are growing a grass crop (corn, Milo, small grains, grass hay) you will need N. This stuff likes to move around, so best to add it in smaller quantities as your crop uses it.
Micro nutrients are important too, a good soil test will show thrn as well. With the much better pollution control equipment we no longer get acid rain, which provided a lot of sulphur to the ground - probably need to add some, and boron, zinc, etc.
Manure is -great- at adding all sorts of micro nutrients as well as the main ones, love it. But it will always apply all you need of one item, maybe N, maybe P, and it won't apply enough of everything else.... As well it often spreads unevenly, you will see streaks in the field. So, a lot of us like using 1/2 to 3/4 of what we need from manure, and still put a commercial fertilizer over the top to evenly spread across as well as being up the nutrients that would be short with manure. I see three large hog operations from my farm, and still can't get any manure to me; others use it all up before it gets this far. We know the value of it, we all want to use it, but at the same time it isn't a cure all...
You talked about building the organic matter up. That is a long, slow process. Your soil test should tell you what you have now. You would have to go notill and then grow a lot of cover crops and use the poorer manures that are low in nutrients, higher in fiber - which makes then really expensive to haul that much volume.... This is a life's work. I would get the other items sorted out first. Then if your soil is actually low on OM, see what steps you can take. I think maybe you are confusing fertility with organic matter, they are different things..... My farm up here in the cold north averages on of 4, and some areas are 11 or more. To be honest an organic matter over 7 can be quite difficult to farm, you run into some special situations with that. Certainly a blessing to have rich soil, but......
Farming is a commodity occupation. You are trying to rais a bulk commodity cheaper than your neighbors. Those special, high dollar crops are something to be wary of..... They either yield less, or take way way more labor, or have a fickle market, etc. certainly worth looking into, but have your eyes wide open. There is a lot of good,oppertunity but you have to have the right dirt, right market, right labor, and lots of attention to detail for those special markets......
In the end, weeds will be your downfall. Get everything else right, and new beiginning farmers domt realize the toll weeds take on their crops. Weeds will eat you alive, take out your profit and more. You have to go after the weeds full force. All the time.
Soil test. Fix your ph, fix your P and K. Domt guess, don't fling out some manure, or get a few sacks of 19-19-19.... Find out what you have, learn what you need for he crop you plan to grow. If it's corn, you need .6 pound of N for every bu of corn you plan to grow, plus some losses. If you grow soybeans, adding N can hurt yields some times..... Feed your soil to feed your crop.
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