County to host soil fertility workshop

     Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Clinton, Jackson, and Jones counties are co-hosting a soil fertility workshop on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a focus on interpreting soil test results to make more informed fertilizer decisions for both row crops and forage crops. This workshop will be led by Virgil Schmitt and Rebecca Vittetoe, ISU extension field agronomists in eastern and east central Iowa.

     In Jones County, the workshop will be held at the Citizens State Bank Youth Development Center in Monticello.

     “With lower commodity prices, many farmers are looking to trim costs,” said Vittetoe. “For fertilizer, don’t simply trim costs, but rather selectively maximize economic returns to fertilizer expense by understanding how to interpret soil test results and how to use the results to make fertilizer recommendations.”

     Even if you already have soil testing and recommendations hired out to an agri-business, you can still gain a very good understanding of how recommendations are made, and this workshop will help you to decide where it makes the most sense to reduce fertilizer costs while improving farm income.

     Topics to be covered during the workshop include the importance of soil testing and interpreting soil test results, calculating nutrient removal rates, and understanding the odds of getting a return on a fertilizer investment.

     Please feel free to bring along a copy of your soil test results. The cost to attend is $40 per person and covers lunch and workshop materials.

     To pre-register by Tuesday, Feb. 11 or for additional information, contact the Jones County Extension office by calling 319-465-3224, or emailing jenfisch@iastate.edu. Space is limited to the first 30 registrants.