Sample Results Are In

[Five Seasons]

So happy right now! I took 3 samples for 3 different plots on saturday. Sent them via fedex and got the email back today from whitetail institute. At $15 a sample I think this is money well spent and maybe I'm lucky because this is old AG land or maybe it's just our soil but the pH for all 3 plots was perfect. I was fully prepared with some of the horror stories to have to buy a pallet of lime or hire a ag lime truck. 

Looks like I still have some minor fertilizing to do but nothing major. 

What have you guys seen in central NY for pH?

[stubborn1VT]

Most would be lucky to only buy a pallet of lime.  I sent a test to them for a possible woods plot and it came back with pH of 4.8.  Even that little plot would have needed 1500 lbs.

Congrats on your test results.  That should put you way ahead of the game and make it possible to plant most anything.  

[SpacemanSpiff]

Nice. Yearly fun around here on the farm. Materials aren’t getting any cheaper. Dont cheap out on fertilizer. Maintenance is cheaper and easier that playing catch up. 

[LET EM GROW]

Ph is good, but your Organic Matter means alot as well. Check your OM % .. a lower PH with high "OM%" can still produce great results. the beauty of soil.. My Camp property in Central Steuben County started out at 4.8ph and full of Shale, where my home property 20 miles west has the most perfect growing rock "less" soil you could ever imagine. Black in color.. 

I add lime every 5-7 years just to "spruce" it up.. but rotating crops, and planting big diverse blends will keep your soil healthier than just adding lime.. keep things growing or planted in the soil at all times of year.. worms are the soils best friend. 

[Berniez]

On 1/28/2022 at 2:31 PM, Belo said:

What have you guys seen in central NY for pH?

This year its time for another soil sample but For me it's 80,000 lbs every 3-5 years (They drop it off, give me a spreader and in about 5 hrs its all done. I just power wash the spreader and they pick it up) Cuts the cost about to about $30/ton. (That's before the rise in diesel fuel thanks to Biden)  Sure beats opening up 2000 bags and then spreading them.

[Five Seasons]

holy crap!

[mlammerhirt]

Guessing that 30 a ton is gonna bump to 50 a ton.......what are you hearing for price this spring?

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[onlybrowning]

This year its time for another soil sample but For me it's 80,000 lbs every 3-5 years (They drop it off, give me a spreader and in about 5 hrs its all done. I just power wash the spreader and they pick it up) Cuts the cost about to about $30/ton. (That's before the rise in diesel fuel thanks to Biden)  Sure beats opening up 2000 bags and then spreading them.

Last time I applied lime, I found a guy that delivers it in a dump truck spreader with field ready tires. I’d use him again for sure. Price was still way less than bags and he spread it all right from the truck at the desired rate per acre. Not sure where you’re located but this guy drove over an hour to me from Bennington, VT.


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[LET EM GROW]

Thats how we used to have ours done. But we recently just get ahold of the local farmer to add our field acerage into his Lime purchase throw him a few bucks and he spreads on our fields too.  

[Berniez]

12 hours ago, mlammerhirt said:

Guessing that 30 a ton is gonna bump to 50 a ton.......what are you hearing for price this spring?

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I called the co-op yesterday and they said:

1. The quarry isn't open yet so they don't have an exact price but figure $30/TON (I paid about $26 three years ago. Again . thank you Joe Biden)

2. I am sure a fuel surcharge (Biden again) will be added but the quarry (from Mass.) has not set a price on that

3. They were not going to loan the spreader until it warms up as the frozen clumps of lime really bother the spreader

You can get smaller amount (like a dump instead of a tandem but the price is  higher. (You need to do a cost analysis on price per ton based on the acres you want. I could have gone with 30 tons but buying the extra 10 tons brought the total cost/acre was worth it)

BTW You need a tractor with a bucket or a lot of undocumented workers to shovel 40 tons into the spreader.