Brian Arnall spends his days drilling out soil samples from Texas to Nebraska, and everywhere in between.

As the Precision Nutrient Management Extension Specialist at Oklahoma State University, he knows that every acre of ever farm field is unique. And without a precision plan for the variable rate application of fertilizers that accounts for that uniqueness, growers could be missing out on opportunities to improve their margins and their sustainability metrics.

In this episode, Brian discusses the true "cost" of soil sampling, why growers need to back up their sustainability efforts with solid data reporting, and some of the extreme soil conditions he's encountering in the southern Great Plains.

Plus, Tom and Sally discuss a new USDA supplemental crop insurance program for growers looking at improving their Nitrogen use efficiency. The Post Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE) program provides supplemental coverage when a producer is prevented from post/split applying nitrogen in the 2-3 week V3-V10 corn growth stages due to wet weather and field conditions.

PACE is available for non-irrigated corn in select counties in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The deadline to apply is March 15. Learn more from these resources:

·        https://rma.usda.gov/en/News-Room/Frequently-Asked-Questions/Post-Application-Coverage-Endorsement

·        https://webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser2022/CropCriteria.aspx

·        https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2022/01/06/new-supplemental-insurance-pace-non

·        https://rma.usda.gov/en/Topics/Conservation