More Calcium Increased Yields

How an unconventional approach to soil management resulted in increased yields.

Member Profile
This southern Illinois farm has been a SoilRight client for 30 years. They grow corn and soybeans.

The Challenge
Some of the soils that we work on for SoilRight clients are very difficult to change. In many cases, it may take several years of dedicated effort to fix. The soil found predominantly along the banks of the Illinois and Mississippi River has been a challenge for SoilRight President, Randy Darr. It is dark, black and has the consistency of a Tootsie Roll, giving it the name black stick. This soil type also tends to be hard when dry, swampy when wet and the organic matter isn’t great. It has a very difficult time absorbing oxygen, doesn’t drain well as a rule, and has a very high exchange capacity because the clay content is so high. Because a soil probe won’t enter the soil very easily, it is very difficult to sample for data.

The Result
When SoilRight began working on this soil over 30 years ago for various clients, they discovered that the magnesium level was through the roof. Magnesium is a soft metal and can cause soils to be very sticky and impermeable for water to penetrate. The calcium level for this soil was very low. However, the pH of the soil was tremendously high caused by the high magnesium.

Conventional thought would say that the last thing you would want to do is apply calcium lime, since the pH was so high. However, that is exactly what SoilRight calculated to do. Several tons per acre of high calcium lime was applied. With the exchange capacity so high, it took several years to get the calcium level up high enough to supply enough calcium for plant growth.

In doing so, the magnesium level decreased. As a result of SoilRight’s expert recommendations, over the next few years the soil became much more permeable to water and was easier to manage. Tillage passes became more productive and yields increased because the plants were now receiving more calcium. While this soil is not easy to fix, through ongoing testing and continual implementation of SoilRight’s recommendations, it can be improved and made profitable for years to come.