ST Biologicals

How Does Calcine Help Reduce Sodic and Saline Soil Issues? Calcine is a game-changer for addressing the challenges posed by sodic soils. Here’s how it works: Salt Mobilization and Removal: Calcine shifts harmful salts out of the root zone. By displacing sodium ions, Calcine enhances the soil’s structure, making it more conducive to plant growth. Calcium and sodium can both be problematic so talk with a certified crop consultant before you embark on a remediation plan. Improved Soil Structure: As Calcine assists in the removal of sodium and excess calcium, it promotes better soil aggregation. Improved permeability and water infiltration result in a more open and less compacted soil structure. Nutrient Optimization: By decreasing sodium levels, valuable macro-nutrients like calcium and micronutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, molybdenum, and zinc can better integrate into the soil. This boosts soil fertility and microbial population diversity, leading to healthier plant growth and higher yields. You're getting a much more efficient nutrient cycle with microbial allies. Enhanced Water Retention: Treated soils with Calcine tend to hold more water, reducing the need for frequent irrigation and conserving precious water resources while reducing water pollution from erosion. Eco-Friendly: Calcine also supports the establishment of beneficial soil organisms like earthworms, which play a crucial role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem and enhancing soil health. As the soil changes from saline or sodic to fertility with the addition of organic matter from the hardy cover crops, even clay soil increases porosity. Using a cover crop can mitigate excess heat that causes evaporation so less irrigation is needed. But covers aren't necessarily able to grow in saline and /or sodic soil. Following the lead of indigenous peoples and selecting crops for tolerance to these poor soils can help with farm profit while healing the earth. Certain varieties of barley, millet, and sorghum have high salt tolerance. Learn more about sodic and saline soil issues and solutions here https://lnkd.in/ggrRb-XH #covercrop ? #salttolerant ? #farmprofit

Steps to Repair Sodic and Saline Soils The first step is a soil test. You need to know exactly what the issue is: an excess of sodium or calcium, or both. Sodic soil issues have to be addressed before soil salinity. Adding organic matter is a good beginning. Improving drainage if that's an issue also must be done. Some farmers find their soil is just too sodic to grow crops, but it doesn't have to be abandoned. Adding calcium carbonate (lime) or calcium sulfate (gypsum) displaces sodium ions from soil particles and replaces them with calcium to improve soil structure. Adding livestock to your farm with controlled grazing enriches the ecosystem and starts the process of converting your land from acreage devoid of microbes into a carbon sink. You're also increasing the biodiversity on your farm or ranch. When that happens, you've begun creating resilience to extreme weather such as floods and drought. With the decrease in tillage, you're halfway down the path to regenerative agriculture. Our team at ST Biologicals also recommends Calcine as a soil amendment, along with regenerative agricultural practices such as cover crops, minimum till, biodiversity, and decreased synthetic inputs. Those inputs are salt-based and can aggravate a soil condition that may have been the result of drought climate conditions that caused water evaporation, leaving behind excess salts. Learn more about Calcine as a soil amendment by following this link: https://lnkd.in/gaTWkHzn? #Calcine? ? #soilamendment ? #sodicsoil??

What’s the Worst-Case Scenario for Sodic Soils with Poor Drainage? If you've got sodic soil with poor drainage, you've got serious problems. Not insurmountable - but it will take time to reverse the damage that decades of soil damage from conventional farming has caused. Your soil will have compaction issues, poor water infiltration, and poor root growth. You may even have anaerobic bacteria because of water logging and poor aeration. You'll have to address the following issues to get a handle on farm profitability. ?? Poor Soil Structure: The excessive sodium displaces other essential soil components, causing soil particles to break down and form a dense, compacted layer. ?? Reduced Water Permeability: The high sodium levels reduce the soil's ability to absorb and transmit water, leading to waterlogging or drought conditions depending on rainfall and irrigation efficiency ?? Nutrient Deficiency: Essential nutrients like potassium and calcium are displaced by sodium, making them less available to plants, which leads to stunted growth and poor yield. ?? High pH Levels: Sodic soils often have high pH levels, making the environment less favorable for plant growth and microbial activity. Most plants and microorganisms prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Within this range, most essential micronutrients are available for plant uptake and it also promotes a healthy microbial community This is the worst case, let's not get too anxious yet. You might have soil salinity issues, which are easier and quicker to remedy. While you're repairing your soil you may need to foliar feed nutrients for good crop yields. Not sure what your soil problems are? Contact our team at STBiologicals.com. We’re here to help you succeed. #nutrientdeficiency ? #soilstructure ? #waterlogging???

What’s the Difference Between Saline and Sodic Soils? Sodic soils are characterized by high sodium content relative to other soluble cations such as calcium and magnesium. To put it simply, they're soils with an overload of sodium. This imbalance affects various soil properties. Saline soils, on the other hand, have an excess of soluble calcium cations. Plants need calcium for nutrient uptake and cell formation. But an imbalance, either too much or too little, of any mineral including calcium makes other minerals unavailable for plant uptake. Both these soil conditions will exist before you see any crusting on the soil surface or any obvious crop damage. But your farm records will show a continuous decline in productivity and an increased need for many micronutrient inputs. You'll first see stress on leaf surfaces, wilting, necrosis, and susceptibility to leaf burn. Your crop will be stunted and you'll know you have problems long before it's evident in your soil. Get a handle on these soil problems before they impact your crops. Contact our team at STBiologicals.com. We’re here to help you succeed. #salinesoil ? #sodicsoil ? #regenerativeag ? #soilconditions

Is Manure Available to You as a Soil Amendment? For generations, this has been a soil amendment of choice. But that was when livestock were common on farms. With specialization, manure has become either a limited available commodity or unlimited with contamination issues. Manures are great at recycling nutrients because they come with their own populations of microbes. And it’s good at suppressing disease and pests that try to outcompete the resident microbes. We all know when the neighbor is amending his soil with manure. It’s that wonderful “farmyard” smell we’ve come to associate with the manure spreader. Manure is high in nutrients that may not be needed by the crops at the time of spreading. That creates a high probability of nutrient leaching into groundwater or surface water. Manure brings with it flies and other insect pests. On today’s farms, there’s also the potential for chemical contamination if the manure comes from a confined animal feed operation. Broad Spectrum Biological Soil Amendments On the row crop farm, many do-it-yourself biologicals are too time-consuming or unstable. They have to be used immediately and that doesn’t always fit into a farm schedule. But some products are formulated for a longer shelf-life (not as long as synthetics) for microbial populations. At ST Biologicals we’ve tested many biological products and have found BIOACTIVE LiquiLife+? to have the most diverse microbial genera and the easiest to use. Trials done by Beck’s in 2022 on soybeans showed an increase in productivity of 2.7 bu/acre with BIOACTIVE LiquiLife+?, which resulted that year in an increase on ROI/bushel of $76.15. Corn trials in 2021 by Purple Cow Organics and Agri-Tech Consulting used carbon and the LiquiLife biology instead of a full treatment of nitrogen fertilizer (UAN). A reduction of UAN by 30% with the addition of the less expensive LiquiLife and liquid carbon resulted in a profit increase. These results are indicative of many tests we’ve done over the years. It’s possible to have profit in the first year of converting to regenerative agricultural practices. You don’t have to stop chemical inputs cold turkey. It’s not an either-or. Decrease synthetic inputs, test, and then add nutrients as a foliar spray if needed. But when you let nature do most of the work, you’ll spend less time and money with your tractor. Learn about other biological options below, then contact our team at STBiologicals.com for more in-depth discussion and guidance on what’s best for your specific acreage. ?https://lnkd.in/ggN428fa #corntrials ? #manure ? #broadspectrumbiological ? #chemicalcontamination

Not All Biologicals Are Created the Same or Are as Effective It’s one thing to know beneficial microbes can beat out pathogens but how do you put this into practice? There are numerous ways to get beneficial microbes on your fields and increase soil fertility. Compost Tea as a Biological Input Compost teas are valuable but more easily used in small-scale operations. It’s hard to imagine a large enough container for the brewing process. But compost teas used as foliar spray are effective in suppressing disease and breaking down toxins. You do get a lot of microbial activity in the tea brewing process, but you may get pathogens if you’re not aerating your brew tank properly. It’s easy to make and inexpensive, but it’s time-consuming, must be used immediately, and there are often inconsistent results. The variability in water, processing time, and the composted materials used all add up to a brew that can’t be replicated. That makes it difficult to maintain proper records. Fermenting Organic Matter to Use as a Biological Soil Amendment Like compost tea, it’s cheap, the organic matter is easily available, and it does a bang-up job of improving nutrient bioavailability and absorption. When you think of fermented organic matter, is sauerkraut the first thing that comes to mind? Most fermented soil amendments generate a lot of greenhouse gasses. Do you remember the danger of a silo full of corn silage? Those greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and hydrogen sulfide. With proper care, you can mitigate these emissions. But, like compost tea, this is a process that takes time. If you buy a fermented product from the feed store or local supplier most of the microbes are missing because it has had to be pasteurized, and we all know heat kills the good with the bad. At ST Biologicals we’ve tested many biological products and have found BIOACTIVE LiquiLife+? to have the most diverse microbial genera and the easiest to use. Trials done by Beck’s in 2022 on soybeans showed an increase in productivity of 2.7 bu/acre with BIOACTIVE LiquiLife+?, which resulted that year in an increase on ROI/bushel of $76.15. Corn trials in 2021 by Purple Cow Organics and Agri-Tech Consulting used carbon and the LiquiLife biology instead of a full treatment of nitrogen fertilizer (UAN). A reduction of UAN by 30% with the addition of the less expensive LiquiLife and liquid carbon resulted in a profit increase. These results are indicative of many tests we’ve done over the years. It’s possible to have profit in the first year of converting to regenerative agricultural practices. You don’t have to use 0 chemicals. It’s not an either-or. Decrease synthetic inputs, test, and then add nutrients as a foliar spray if needed. Let nature work for you, you’ll spend less time and money. https://lnkd.in/ggN428fa #corntrials ? #soybeantrials ? #biologicalproducts ? #syntheticinputs

Pathogens Don’t Stand a Chance with Robust Beneficial Biologicals When you add beneficial microorganisms (biologicals) to your soil, pathogens don’t stand a chance. Here are 7 reasons why: 1.Beneficial microorganisms, when healthy, can outcompete pathogens for nutrients and space. Plant root surfaces are prime real estate but when you add beneficials as an inoculant the space is already occupied. 2. Some beneficial microorganisms produce antimicrobial substances such as antibiotics, siderophores, and lytic enzymes that degrade and eventually kill pathogens ?? 3. Plants and beneficial microbes work with each other to create an Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) in the plant. Without the triggering of the ISR by beneficial microbes, plants are too slow in developing defense mechanisms against pathogens ?? 4. The diversity of microbial species, especially in the plant root zone, creates a buffer against pathogens. It’s tough for pathogens to get past beneficial microorganisms to infect plant roots. ?? 5. All microorganisms use chemical signaling to communicate needs. Certain species of beneficial organisms can jam the chemical signals put out by pathogens so there is less damage and pathogens are, again, without a food source. ?? 6. Plants have evolved with microorganisms to form symbiotic relationships. Microbes give plants nutrients and water when signaled, and plants give microbes carbon and sugars created through photosynthesis. When this relationship is in balance plants are healthier and less susceptible to pest or disease pressure. ?? 7. Iron is a critical element for microorganism growth.? Beneficial microorganisms not only take up iron in their bodies, but they also produce siderophores that bind to iron so excess iron is unavailable to pathogens. When plants signal they need iron beneficials give up theirs through direct contact with plant root hairs or by excreting the iron in a plant-available form. ?? Are you ready to reap these benefits? Contact our team at STBiologicals.com and we’ll go over the types of biologicals, what they are best for, and how they would benefit your farm or ranch. https://lnkd.in/ggN428fa

How to Win the Biological War in Your Field Soil Under our feet, there is a war raging for access to nutrients, water, and energy between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. You can try to win with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides - but you’ll only win skirmishes, not the war. There’s a way to gain long-term control over nutrient availability in your soil. A way for your crops to achieve optimum growth and yield. When you add beneficial microorganisms (biologicals) to your soil, pathogens don’t stand a chance At ST Biologicals we’ve tested many biological products and have found BIOACTIVE LIquiLife+? to have the most diverse microbial genera and the easiest to use. Click below to find out more. Biologicals may just change how you farm. You’re never too old - or too young - to learn something new. At STBiologicals.com we’re here to help you succeed. https://lnkd.in/ggN428fa #biologicals ? #microorganisms ? #optimumield

While winter isn't the most popular time for soil sampling, it is possible! Learn why soil sampling is important and how to collect soil samples in our latest newsletter. #SoilSampling #STBiologicals #SoilSpeaksWeListen

The Combination of Nutrient Inputs and Biologicals for Optimum Plant Nutrient Uptake Plants can uptake nutrients without biologicals, but not very effectively. Plants use a lot of energy converting nutrients into usable molecules. That’s why biologicals are so valuable for optimum plant health. Those biologicals are alive and actively cycling nutrients in the root zone. That means they’re hungry and need to be fed. The partnership of healthy plants and soil microorganisms allows both to prosper. Plants get energy from the sun through photosynthesis. They give from 5-21% of the carbon fixed through photosynthesis to the soil microbes as root exudates. Healthy plants that are photosynthesizing effectively feed the soil microbes which, in turn, supply the plant with nutrients and water. At ST Biologicals we recommend BIOACTIVE LiquiLife+? as a broad-spectrum liquid biological concentrate for delivery of a diversity of beneficial microbes. This product contains hundreds of microbe genera including nitrifying bacteria, Trichoderma, pseudomonas, and mortierella. With one product you can increase your N availability, P solubility, and overall plant vigor. https://lnkd.in/gXmArG5Q Combining biologicals with regenerative ag practices gives you effective crop production for a higher ROI. Over the long haul regen ag practices and biologicals continue to improve your soil structure, nutrient cycling, and water retention. In a world where drought and salt stress are becoming too prevalent, you can future-proof your farm. Contact our team at ST Biologicals to learn more. We’re here to help you succeed. https://lnkd.in/gpA7nHSM #drought ? #beneficialmicrobes ? #nutrientinputs ? #biostimulants