Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/23
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
N/A
Publications
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Progress 10/01/21 to 09/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The targeted audience of the programs managed under the umbrella of the soil-testing program includes county Extension agents, farmers, homeowners, various private businesses, public institutions, scientists, and the general public that may use or be interested in the services offered or results of these services. Selected personnel participate in and make presentations regarding the use of soil, plant, and manure analyses at local, state, regional, national, and international professional organizations including the Southern Extension and Research Activity Information Exchange Group (SERA-IEG 6), Tri-Societies (ASA-SSSA-CSSA) International meetings, Rice and Cotton Conservation Tillage Conference attendees, the Agriculture Lab Proficiency Testing Program, Arkansas Plant Food Association, Arkansas Crop Protection Association, county Extension education meetings, and Arkansas Crop Management Conference. Changes/Problems:Numerous problems were encountered in our two laboratories during 2022. Supply chain issues made procuring lab supplies and instrumentation both difficult and expensive. Staff illness due to Covid made lab management and productivity challenging due to frequent and sometimes extended staff absences and in one instance loss of life.Hiring new part-time or full-time staff was and continues to be difficult. The cost of instruments increased significantly due to inflation and low production. For example, our lab ordered a new Carbon:Nitrogen instrument to replace a broken unit and our other C:N instrument broke down lleaving the lab without the ability to determine total C and N for several months. The manufacturer still hasnot delivered the newly ordered instrument or fixed the broken instrument. We were able to procure a loaner instrument and purchase a unit made by another manufacturer, but it arrived in a broken state. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The analytical laboratoriesallowfor the training of undergraduate and graduate students, farmers, consultants, and interested individuals from the general public via the generation of manure, plant, and soil analysis reports, lab tours, assistance with science projects, and providing analytical services for classes. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Reports of analytical analyses and recommendations have been delivered to clients, educational information has been published in the form of Extension publications, soil test information is summarized and published annually in Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications (Research Series) and in oral and poster presentations made at field days and educational meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Both laboratories will continue to perform analysis of agricultural samples and deliver reports to the clients on soil, manure, and plant analysis and publish a summary of annual soil-testresults. Manure analysis results may be contributed to a national database, but we would like to publish the results and vet how credit will be given to contributors before providing the data.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Marianna Soil Test Laboratory performs routine soil analyses free to Arkansas residents and fee-based analysis for out-of-state residents plus other fee-based analyses such as soil organic matter content and soil textural analysis upon request. The Fayetteville Agricultural Diagnostic Laboratory performs fee-based nutrient analyses on soil, plant, manure, growth media, other waste products, and samples that are digested or extracted by clientele. The Fayetteville Diagnostic laboratory also facilitates undergraduate and graduate student learning by performing analyses for various college courses as well as providing students experience in operating laboratory instruments. Clientele include commercial agricultural clients, the public, and researchers. The overall mission of both labs is to facilitate the implementation and/or research investigation of best nutrient management practices through accurate and precise laboratory analyses to enhance sustainable agricultural production, which also sustain and/or improve environmental quality. Results of laboratory analyses are used by commercial growers, businesses, gardeners, and homeowners to determine the nutrient status of plant, soil and manure samples and to determine which and what amount of nutrients are required for optimum plant production, plus monitoring of plant nutrition to diagnose potential nutrient related maladies that may impair soil and/or plant productivity. Analytical data is provided to clients and used in databases that facilitate nutrient management educational objectives for Arkansas as well as regional, national, and international knowledge. For example, analytical data from large numbers of manure samples allow for the determination of the range, mean, and median nutrient contents of various animal manures. Independent research is sometimes performed by laboratory personnel but is dictated by need. Each year databases of selected analyses are reviewed and summarized for use in statewide educational programs as requested or deemed appropriate. Dissemination of analytical information and nutrient management guidelines is performed from the laboratory directly to the end-user or indirectly via the network of county Extension offices depending on the type of sample and method of submission. The results of annual soil-test results, including a special section summarizing soil-test Mg results, were summarized and published in the Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies Research Series published by the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Both laboratories participated in the appropriate North American Proficiency Testing (NAPT) programs administered through the Soil Science Society of America to ensure routine analytical procedures are accurate and precise. The Fayetteville Lab also participated in manure, forage, plant and environmental sample exchange programs. Invited or volunteered presentations were given at the International Tri-Society Meetings in Salt Lake City, UT (Virtual); in June 2022 at the SERA-IEG 6 meeting in Nashville, TN (Virtual); and January 2022 at the 2022 Cotton and Rice Conservation Tillage Conference in Jonesboro. Crop code, fertilizer recommendations and/or explanations provided on soil-test reports were updated for selected crops. A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) program to enhance the efficiency of laboratory analyses, connect the Marianna and Fayetteville Labs, and provide a more efficient sample check-in and results reporting services that was reviewed and updates were initiated in summer 2022. The LIMS is still being refined and programmed for implementation at the Fayetteville Laboratory.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
DeLong, R.E., N.A. Slaton, C.G. Herron, and D. Lafex. 2022. Arkansas Soil-Test Summary for Samples Collected in 2020. In: N.A. Slaton, editor, Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2021. Ark. Agric. Exp. Stn. Res. Ser. 684. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wordpressua.uark.edu/dist/3/599/files/2022/10/684_Sabbe_Arkansas_Soil_Fertility_Studies_2021.pdfFayetteville, AR. p.5-22.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
.
Drescher, G.L., Slaton, N.A., Roberts, T.L., and Smartt, A.D. 2022. Soil Sampling Position on Raised Beds and Fertilizer Rates Influence Soil-Test Results and Fertilizer Recommendations In: N.A. Slaton, editor, Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2021. Ark. Agric. Exp. Stn. Res. Ser. 684. Fayetteville, AR. p.47-54. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wordpressua.uark.edu/dist/3/599/files/2022/10/684_Sabbe_Arkansas_Soil_Fertility_Studies_2021.pdf
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Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The targeted audience of the programs managed under the umbrella of the soil-testing program includes county Extension agents, farmers, homeowners, various private businesses, public institutions, scientists, and the general public that may use or be interested in the services offered or results of these services. Selected personnel participate in and make presentations regarding the use of soil, plant, and manure analyses at local, state, regional, national, and international professional organizations including the Southern Extension and Research Activity Information Exchange Group (SERA-IEG 6), Tri-Societies (ASA-SSSA-CSSA) International meetings, Rice and Cotton Conservation Tillage Conference attendees, the Agriculture Lab Proficiency Testing Program, Arkansas Plant Food Association, Arkansas Crop Protection Association, county Extension education meetings, and Arkansas Crop Management Conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The analytical laboratoriesallow for the training of undergraduate and graduate students, farmers, consultants, and interested individuals from the general public via the generation of manure, plant, and soil analysis reports, lab tours, assistance with science projects, providing analytical services for classes, and part-time jobs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Reports of analytical analyses and recommendations have been delivered electronically or via mail to clients, educational information has been published in the form of Extension reports/publications, soil test information is summarized and published annually in Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications (Research Series) and in oral and poster presentations made at field days and educational meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Both laboratories will continue to perform analysis of agricultural samples, deliver reports to the clients who submit soil, manure, and plant analysis, and publish a summary of annual soil-testresults. Publication of larger data sets with years of analytical data may be considered.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Soil Testing Program supported agronomic and environmentally sound nutrient management practices by providing science-based, accurate analyses on a range of agricultural samples generated at the farm level; facilitated the development of new recommendations and ideas by the analysis of research samples; and fostered educational programs by summarizing annual trends in soil nutrient levels. The data collected by the laboratories is unique in that it allows scientists the ability to examine how changes in agricultural practices, nutrient management regulations, and farm economics influence the nutrient content of manures and the fertility of the soil. The Marianna Soil Test Laboratory performed routine analyses on 193,659 soil samples from 1 January to 31 December 2020 representing over 1.1 million acres. Crop and soil-specific fertilizer and lime recommendations were provided with 40,487 samples. Soil-test results from soil sample analysis were used by clients to manage crop nutrient programs using precision agriculture technologies on another 136,928 samples from grid-sampled fields. Another 16,244 samples were standard check soils and solutions analyzed for quality assurance and control. A summary of the 2019 soil-test results by county, soil association number, soil series, and previous crop was published in the 2020 edition of the W.E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies Research Series. A summary of the median extractable soil-test copper values was created by crop. Preliminary numbers indicate the Marianna lab will analyze about 185,000 total samples in 2021. The number of samples analyzed in 2020 was near normal. The Marianna laboratory sought and received certification for routine soil test results from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Lab Proficiency (ALP) program results. From October 2020 thru September 2021 the Fayetteville Diagnostic Laboratory performed fee-based elemental analyses on a total of 21,590 samples including 1,452 forage, 461 plant and 173 soil samples for diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies and/or toxicities, 923 total manure samples, 7,859 research plant, 4,719 research soil, and 1,946 prepared special samples from 1 October 2020 through 30 September 2021. An additional 192 samples were analyzed for a strawberry nutrient monitoring program with clients from several states, a slight increase over the previous year. Samples were submitted by growers, individuals, and researchers from various institutions and industries. Databases of dry and liquid manure chemical properties were updated to include information from 2020-2021 samples. We share this information with interested parties for a reference of mean values for nutrient management planning. The Marianna and Fayetteville labs participated in the ALP proficiency program for plant, soil, or plant and soil analysis. The appropriate steps were taken to correct any analytical problems identified by the ALP program. The Diagnostic Laboratory also maintained certification by the National Forage Testing Association Certification Program and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Manure Analysis Program. Based on recent research, N recommendations were added for newly released rice varieties/hybrids.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
DeLong, R.E., N.A. Slaton, C.G. Herron, and D. Lafex. 2021. Arkansas Soil-Test Summary for Samples Collected in 2019. In: N.A. Slaton, editor, Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2020. Ark. Agric. Exp. Stn. Res. Ser. 675. Fayetteville, AR. p.5-22.
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The targeted audience of the programs managed under the umbrella of the soil-testing program includes county Extension agents, farmers, homeowners, various private businesses, public institutions, scientists, and the general public that may use or be interested in the services offered or results of these services. Selected personnel participate in and make presentations regarding the use of soil, plant, and manure analyses at local, state, regional, national, and international professional organizations including the Southern Extension and Research Activity Information Exchange Group (SERA-IEG 6), Tri-Societies (ASA-SSSA-CSSA) International meetings, the Agriculture Lab Proficiency Testing Program, Arkansas Plant Food Association, Arkansas Crop Protection Association, county Extension education meetings, and Arkansas Crop Management Conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The analytical laboratories allow for training of undergraduate and graduate students, farmers, consultants and interested individuals from the general public via the generation of manure, plant and soil analysis reports, lab tours, assistance with science projects, and providing analytical services for classes. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Reports of analytical analyses and recommendations have been delivered to clients, educational information has been published in the form of Extension publications, soil test information is summarized and published annually in Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications (Research Series) and in oral and poster presentations made at field days and educational meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Both laboratories will continue to perform analysis of agricultural samples and deliver reports to the clients on soil, manure, and plant analysis and publish a summary of annual soil-tets results.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Soil Testing Program supported agronomic and environmentally sound nutrient management practices by providing science-based, accurate analyses on a range of agricultural samples generated at the farm level; facilitated the development of new recommendations and ideas by the analysis of research samples; and fostered educational programs by summarizing annual trends in soil nutrient levels. Laboratory services guided nutrient management decisions on more than two million acres in Arkansas. The data collected by the laboratories is unique in that it allows scientists the ability to examine how changes in agricultural practices, nutrient management regulations, and farm economics influence the nutrient content of manures and fertility of the soil. The Marianna Soil Test Laboratory performed routine analyses on 168,303 soil samples from 1 January to 31 December 2019 representing over 1.8 million acres. Crop and soil specific fertilizer and lime recommendations were provided with 40,407 samples. Soil-test results from soil sample analysis were used by clients to manage crop nutrient programs using precision agriculture technologies on another 113,514 samples from grid-sampled fields representing over 1 million acres of mostly row crop agriculture. Another 14,382 samples were standard check soils and solutions analyzed for quality assurance and control. A summary of the 2018 soil-test results by county, soil association number, soil series, and previous crop was published in the 2019 edition of the W.E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies Research Series. A summary of the median extractable soil-test sulfur values was created by crop and showed an annual decline of nearly 0.5 ppm per year for most crops. Preliminary numbers indicate the Marianna lab will analyze about 195,000 total samples in 2020, which is near normal. The number of samples analyzed in 2019 was below normal for the second year in a row because excessive rainfall prevented clients from collecting samples. The Marianna laboratory sought and received certification for routine soil test results from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Lab Proficiency (ALP) program results.From October 2019 thru September 2020 the Fayetteville Diagnostic Laboratory performed fee-based elemental analyses on a total of 21,590 samples including 1,509 forage, 395 plant and 99 soil samples for diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies and/or toxicities, 941 total manure samples, 7,894 research plant, 4,902 research soil, and 5,464 prepared special samples from 1 October 2019 through 30 September 2020. An additional 246 samples were analyzed for a strawberry nutrient monitoring program with clients from several states, a slight increase over the previous year. Samples were submitted by growers, individuals, and researchers from various institutions and industries. Databases of dry and liquid manure chemical properties were updated to include information from 2019-2020 samples. We share this information with interested parties for a reference of mean values for nutrient management planning. The Marianna and Fayetteville labs participated in the ALP proficiency program for plant, soil, or plant and soil analysis. The appropriate steps were taken to correct any analytical problems identified by the ALP program. The Diagnostic Laboratory also maintained certification by the National Forage Testing Association Certification Program and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Manure Analysis Program. Based on recent research, N recommendations were added for newly released rice varieties/hybrids.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
DeLong, R.E., N.A. Slaton, C.G. Herron, and D. Lafex. 2020. Arkansas Soil-Test Summary for Samples Collected in 2018. In: N.A. Slaton, editor, Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2019. Ark. Agric. Exp. Stn. Res. Ser. 666. Fayetteville, AR. p.7-18.
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The targeted audience of the programs managed under the umbrella of the agricultural analytical-testing program includes county Extension agents, farmers, homeowners, various private businesses, public institutions, scientists, and the general public that may use or be interested in the services offered or results of these services. Selected personnel participate in and make presentations regarding the use of soil, plant, and manure analyses at local, state, regional, national, and international professional organizations including the Southern Extension and Research Activity Information Exchange Group (SERA-IEG 6), Tri-Societies (ASA-SSSA-CSSA) International meetings,Arkansas Plant Food Association, Arkansas Crop Protection Association, county Extension education meetings, the Arkansas State Plant Board, and Arkansas Crop Management Conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The analytical laboratories project allow for training of undergraduate and graduate students, farmers, consultants and interested individuals from the general public via the generation of manure, plant and soil analysis reports,lab tours, assistance with science projects, and providing analytical services forclasses. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Reports of analytical analyses and recommendations have been delivered to clients, educational information has been published in the form of Extension publications, soil test information is summarized and published annually in Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station publications (Research Series) and in oral and poster presentations made at field days and educational meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Both laboratories will continue to perform analysis of agricultural samples and deliver reports to the clients on soil, manure, and plant analysis andpublish a summary of annual soil-test results.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Soil Testing Program supported agronomic and environmentally sound nutrient management practices by providing science-based, accurate analyses on a range of agricultural samples generated at the farm level; facilitated the development of new recommendations and ideas by the analysis of research samples; and fostered educational programs by summarizing annual trends in soil nutrient levels. The data collected by the laboratories is unique in that it allows scientists the ability to examine how changes in agricultural practices, nutrient management regulations, and farm economics influence the nutrient content of manures and fertility of the soil. The Marianna Soil Test Laboratory performed routine analyses on 119,496 soil samples from 1 January to 31 December 2018. Crop and soil specific fertilizer and lime recommendations were provided with 48,483 samples representing 713,164 acres. Soil-test results from soil sample analysis were used by clients to manage crop nutrient programs using precision agriculture technologies on another 73,237 samples from grid-sampled fields. Another 10,439 samples were standard check soils and solutions analyzed for quality assurance and control. A summary of the 2017 soil test results by county, soil association number, soil series, and previous crop was published in the 2018 edition of the W.E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies Research Series and the 2018 summary was prepared for publication in early 2019. Preliminary numbers indicate the Marianna lab will analyze about 200,000 total samples in 2019, which is near normal. The number of samples analyzed in 2018 was below normal because excessive rainfall prevented clients from collecting samples. The Marianna laboratory sought and received certification for routine soil test results from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Lab Proficiency (ALP) program results. From October 2018 thru September 2019 the Fayetteville Diagnostic Laboratory performed fee-based elemental analyses on a total of 15,824 samples including 1,866 forage, 329 plant and 282 soil samples for diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies and/or toxicities, 788 dry- and 188 liquid-manure, 5,542 research plant, 2,699 research soil, and 3,880 prepared special samples from 1 October 2018 through 30 September 2019. An additional 224 samples were analyzed for a strawberry nutrient monitoring program with clients from several states, a slight decrease over the previous year. Samples were submitted by growers, individuals, and researchers from various institutions and industries. Databases of dry and liquid manure chemical properties were updated to include information from 2018-2019 samples. We share this information with interested parties for a reference of mean values for nutrient management planning. The Marianna and Fayetteville labs participated in the ALP proficiency program for plant, soil, or plant and soil analysis. The appropriate steps were taken to correct any analytical problems identified by the NAPT program. The Diagnostic Laboratory also maintained certification by the National Forage Testing Association Certification Program and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Manure Analysis Program. Based on recent research, N recommendations were added for newly released rice varieties/hybrids, and crop codes for industrial hemp and peanut production were added as new crop codes requested by clients. New websites with forms and descriptions of lab services and instrumentation information were prepared and launched in the summer of 2019 for both laboratories.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DeLong, R.E., N.A. Slaton, C.G. Herron, and D. Lafex. 2019. Arkansas Soil-Test Summary for Samples Collected in 2017. In: N.A. Slaton, editor, Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2018. Ark. Agric. Exp. Stn. Res. Ser. 657. Fayetteville, AR. p.7-20.
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