| May 2003 Articles |
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Kent's Korner -- "Looking Back" |
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If you have not already heard, I retired this past fall. Larry Schonert is now the President and General
Manager of TSM® Services, Inc. My experience in the field of soil fertility spans 50 years, if you start counting the year my Dad (Paul Durbin) started the "Farmer City Fertilizer Company" located in Farmer City, Illinois. I took soil samples and worked in his soil laboratory. There were three (3) soil tests back in those days: (1) pH colored in red (2) phosphorus colored in blue (3) potassium colored in green. Maps were made using a colored pencil. These were the days when you stayed in business because of your reputation for being honest. The farmers did not use the dishonest dealers and they closed due to lack of business. Today the dishonest dealer gets a CCA certification and continues doing what he always did and it's okay because he has his CCA. Now that I have retired, the industry will cross me off as an "approved" agronomist (since I am certified both as a CCA and CPAg) to an "unapproved" agronomist (since I will let my certifications run out). I think it is the money I will not be paying!! I still come to the office every day and help whenever the busy season time is here. The "Total Soil Management®" program is still today the very best soil fertility program ever. It had to come up through the years the hard way. Now that we have "Nutrient Management" plans, it has had to prove itself over and over again. Here is some interesting information. We have compared the "Total Soil Management®" program to (1) University of Illinois' recommendations, (2) Purdue's recommendations, (3) Ohio State's recommendations and Michigan State's recommendations for the past 10 years right here at Catlin, Illinois. I will compare only the "Total Soil Management®" program on budget E and the University of Illinois "Agronomy Handbook" recommendations. Actually, we have two (2) fields with them duplicated at Catlin, Illinois. Let's take field B only. Over the past 10 years, the University applied an average of 165 pounds of P2O5 per acre while the TSM® program applied 80 pounds per acre. We applied 49% as much as the University of Illinois. The University of Illinois applied 155 pounds of K2O while TSM® applied only 136 pounds per acre. We applied 88% as much as the University of Illinois. Maybe TSM® E didn't get as good a yield. The fact is that TSM® E out-yielded the University of Illinois recommendations in both soybeans (Field B + 4.8 bushels & Field C +5.6 bushels per acre) and corn (Field B + 3.2 bushels and Field C 7.8 bushels per acre). The soil test values were pretty much equal. |
| Averages for Field B | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSM® | University of Illinois | Difference in pounds | Difference in percent | Difference in bushels | |
| P2O5 applied | 80 | 165 | 85 | 49 | |
| K2O applied | 136 | 155 | 19 | 88 | |
| Corn Yield | 177.6 | 174.4 | 3.2 | ||
| Soybean Yield | 64.8 | 60.0 | 4.8 | ||
| Averages for Field C | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSM® | University of Illinois | Difference in pounds | Difference in percent | Difference in bushels | |
| P2O5 applied | 61 | 134 | 74 | 45 | |
| K2O applied | 130 | 141 | 11 | 92 | |
| Corn Yield | 185.6 | 177.8 | 7.8 | ||
| Soybean Yield | 60.8 | 55.2 | 5.6 | ||
| 10 -Year Comparison for Field B | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | P2O5 applied | K2O applied | Corn Yield | Soybean Yield | ||||
| TSM® | U. IL | TSM® | U. IL| TSM® | U. IL | TSM® | U. IL | | |
| 1993 | 13 | 61 | 82 | 40 | 135 | 127 | ||
| 1994 | 10 | 56 | 41 | 78 | 73 | 65 | ||
| 1995 | 37 | 115 | 53 | 74 | 163 | 160 | ||
| 1996 | 12 | 50 | 41 | 83 | 57 | 56 | ||
| 1997 | 26 | 89 | 75 | 58 | 185 | 182 | ||
| 1998 | 15 | 77 | 47 | 106 | 55 | 52 | ||
| 1999 | 76 | 91 | 29 | 54 | 217 | 215 | ||
| 2000 | 28 | 70 | 35 | 100 | 64 | 60 | ||
| 2001 | 46 | 96 | 68 | 64 | 188 | 188 | ||
| 2002 | 138 | 120 | 209 | 120 | 75 | 67 | ||
| Totals | 400 | 825 | 682 | 777 | 888 | 872 | 324 | 300 |
| Average | 80 | 165 | 136 | 155 | 177.6 | 174.4 | 64.8 | 60 |
| 10 -Year Comparison for Field C | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | P2O5 applied | K2O applied | Corn Yield | Soybean Yield | ||||
| TSM® | U. IL | TSM® | U. IL| TSM® | U. IL | TSM® | U. IL | | |
| 1993 | 6 | 75 | 41 | 49 | 62 | 56 | ||
| 1994 | 22 | 75 | 67 | 49 | 216 | 209 | ||
| 1995 | 9 | 54 | 47 | 94 | 44 | 38 | ||
| 1996 | 28 | 59 | 76 | 38 | 161 | 151 | ||
| 1997 | 15 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 61 | 57 | ||
| 1998 | 32 | 69 | 70 | 77 | 173 | 170 | ||
| 1999 | 15 | 70 | 64 | 150 | 72 | 65 | ||
| 2000 | 29 | 98 | 74 | 56 | 189 | 178 | ||
| 2001 | 13 | 52 | 50 | 72 | 65 | 60 | ||
| 2002 | 134 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 189 | 181 | ||
| Totals | 303 | 672 | 652 | 705 | 928 | 889 | 304 | 276 |
| Average | 61 | 134 | 130 | 141 | 185.6 | 177.8 | 60.8 | 55.2 |
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