What does soil need to be healthy and produce abundant crops? This week’s virtual field trip to Sunrise Cooperative tackled those topics and more! “We’re figuring out more about what is happening under our feet—anything we can do to help that microbiome produce more corn,” Sunrise’s Jonah Johnson, Soils Agronomist and Progressive Crop Technology Group, said.
Hosts Daniel Kirk, Precision Solutions Manager, and Johnson began with a definition of agronomy: the production of food, fuel, fiber and feed. “Soil is our most precious resource,” Johnson said. “We grade soil based on three aspects: physical, biological, and chemical.”
Kirk used the example of a doctor examining a patient and making recommendations to help that person be more healthy. “Soil testing does the same thing,” Kirk said. Soil sampling allows an assessment of the soil and the development of recommendations and prescriptions.
Suretech Lab in Indianapolis tests Sunrise’s samples for three main things: potassium, phosphorus, and pH level. These results allow Sunrise’s specialists to develop an individual prescription for fertilizer application on a field. This prescription is sent to equipment that delivers the nutrients at a variable rate across the field, providing the right amount in the right areas.
Johnson showed the audience the giant pile of fertilizer in the fertilizer barn. The ingredients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are mined in China and Morocco, as well as Utah, North Carolina, and Florida, then delivered by rail to sunrise. The powdered form makes it easy for plants to take up.
One in eight people in Ohio are in ag-related jobs. Johnson and Kirk shared about their career paths and the opportunities in their fields. “Precision ag has two sides,” Kirk said. “The data and hardware side, which is good for someone who likes to analyze info and likes stats and math. The equipment side suits a person who is interested in engineering, hands-on work, and trouble-shooting problems.”
Find the recording of this informative virtual field trip here!