Climate change and weather are dynamic.  How can we adjust our inputs, specifically irrigation and nutrition, to be more successful with these changes?

Our guest, Matt Yost develops land management practices that promote resiliency to weather variations and changing climate. Precise management of the 4 R practices and relationships with irrigation to improve soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maintain profitability.  Matt discusses the grant that he received from the 4R Research Fund and what they are trying to understand.

Matt Yost is an Assistant Professor and Agroclimate Extension Specialist at Utah State University.

What is the difference in total calcium, soluble calcium, and exchangeable calcium?  All calcium sources need to be considered and know how it is behaving in the soil in order to get the plants to use it.  

Dr. Jim Walworth, Professor of Soil Science Extension Specialist st the University of Arizona, joins Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara Director of Agronomic Services to discuss these topics with a bonus conversation on pecans!

Spring flush for citrus is a critical growth stage.  John Martzen, agronomist with GAR Bennett, joins Vanessa Dominguez (Vicencio) to talk about some of the nutritional concerns and strategies.  Zinc and Manganese are important to maximize growth  and fruit development during this time.

Read Vanessa's article we mentioned and sign up for the Citrus Newsletter HERE

To find out more go to Yara.us or YaraCanada.ca

Wouldn't it be nice if we could see how the roots of a plant respond to treatments?  Dr. Isaac Madsen, Extension Agronomist at Washington State University, teaches us about the innovative work he as been doing with scanner technology and root observation.

• What is the advantage of looking at roots instead of at the shoots?
• What crops can we do this with?
• What do we learn from these observations?
• Are there other forms of nitrate-based fertilizers that eliminate the NH4-induced root damage?
• What is the interest in oil seed crops in the Pacific Northwest?

Check out Dr. Madsen's Youtube channel to see some of the scans!

Spring is here and our turf is transitioning out of dormancy, depending on where you live.  What knowledge do turf managers need to make smart choices for feeding their turf as we go from winter to spring and then to summer?  Our two guests, Dr. Brian Unruh and Dr. Marcos Schiavon compliment our own Turf & Ornamental Crop Manager, Neil Mayberry with some things to look out for and some golden nuggets for an amazing summer.  They explain some of the key regional differences and key indicators for effective nutrition.

Links we talked about:

• Golf Course Superintendent's BMP manuals
• Dr. Unruh's TurfGator Website
• Yara's Optimum Turf website
• Yara Optimum Turf on Twitter

As wine grapes come out of winter dormancy and begin bud break, proper balanced nutrition is critical for quality and yield goals.  Paul Crout, CCA/PCA, Product Manager/Agronomist, for Helena Agri-Enterprises teach us more about this important stage of the wine grape life cycle.  

Wine grapes may be the highest value fruit crop in the US with nearly 1 million acres of grape-bearing land.  Understanding a complete and balanced nutrition plan can help achieve the yield and quality goals of the vineyard.

Find out more about wine grapes HERE

For the last ten years, The Fertilizer Institute has designated five growers and their retailer as advocates of the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship.  Each pair that are selected play a crucial role in showcasing the real-world economic and environmental benefits of implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles. 

Myron Johnson, with Double J Farms, a 4th generation farmer in Alabama and his retail advisor, Drew Schrimsher with GreenPoint Ag join Christy Hicks, Yara Sales Agronomist, to help us understand what they are doing to protect the environment and optimize profits.

4Rs Advocates Class of 2021

Videos of past 4R Advocates

Become an advocate

Learn more about Nutrient Stewardship

Soil structure and health is critical growers to improve crop productivity and sustainability.  Dr. Karl Wyant, VP of Ag Science at Heliae Agriculture helps us understand the importance of soil health and quality.  Our new Director of Agronomic Services, Dr. Rob Mikkelsen also joins to add insight to the discussion. In this part 1 discussion we are going to look at the physical and chemical connection to soil health. In Part 2, we will discuss the Biological component.

We refer to Karl's article in the Progressive Crop Consultant magazine, "Managing Soil and Structure Quality" published in the January/February edition.

Karl mentioned, "The Biology of Compaction" article from Ohio State

To learn more from Karl, email him at [email protected] or visit Phycoterra's web site.

2020 was a challenge for all of us but there were many silver linings and lessons learned.  Tim Kreger, Executive Director of the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association, joins with Yara Sales Agronomists Brian Grill (#turfbeard) and Cole McNally to discuss the challenges that faced the Turf Grass industry and how our professional managers turned these into lemons.

Tim is also a co-host with Allen Knight of the popular Pullin' Weeds Podcast.

For more information about Yara's Optimum Turf Strategies, check out Yara.us or Yaracanada.ca

Part 2

Last week we discussed the importance of calcium and that you cannot rely on soil tests to identify difficiencies in Ca.  This week we talk about how to make Ca an important part of your overall nutrition plan.  We unfold the four R's of Nutrient Stewardship with Ca. If applied properly, your overall input costs can be reduced while improving quality and yield in a sustainable way.