Setting up a good balanced fertility program for your crop begins with doing a soil test and analysis.

Ray Dowbenko with Agrium was one of the keynote speakers during the CPS Crop Information Day yesterday.

Soil tests take into account your soil texture, soil moisture, available nutrients and yield potential.

Dowbenko says farmers typically focus on the major four Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium and Sulphur because they have the biggest impact on crop yield:

"It doesn't preclude the importance other nutrients such as micronutrient, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, boron, chloride," he said. "The soil PH as it dictates soil chemistry and the availability of certain nutrients certainly organic

percentages." Dowbenko also stated, "I think from a nutritional perspective the ability to mineralize and release nutrients but people also think about herbicide degradation so organic matter is also important in a water holding capacity."

He notes with last year’s moisture producers will want to look at varying soil depths as nutrients like nitrogen and sulphur are readily mobile and can move further down in the soil profile.