Soil Sampling

Soil test results provide the starting point in a successful crop management plan. Soil sampling over several years is crucial in understanding how management affects soil nutrients and properties. However, when you consider that every 160 acres has 320 million pounds of dry soil in the top 6 inches, sampling techniques are important to ensure the 1 pound sample sent in is representative of the field. Ray Agro has the knowledge and equipment to take proper soil samples and interpret them to assist you in making profitable fertility management decisions.

Benchmark soil sampling

Random annual soil sampling can produce inconsistent results because of the randomness. By finding a small area within a management zone that is representative of that zone, we can reduce sampling error; soil property changes will then likely be due to management and not sampling error. 

Tissue & Tuber sampling

Tissue sampling is not well supported in the literature as a good management method, but can be used as a diagnostic tool to determine hard to diagnose fertility issues. Caution needs to be taken in the collection and interpretation of results and our staff can help.

For our potato growers, Ray Agro follows the potato program as outlined by A&L Canada Laboratories as it is the most comprehensive and documented program we can find for in-season fertility management. Call us today for more details.

Field Scouting Events

We offer a variety of scouting services that can be customized on one or all your fields in any combination that suits you. Our services are as follows:

• Nutrient - A single scouting event checking for visual nutrient deficiencies. Documentation and photographs of discovered deficiencies will be provided along with recommendations for recovery or follow-up in proceeding years.
• Weed/Emergence - A single trip to document emergence from six points within a field. A weeds assessment will also be performed and herbicide recommendations made that will take into account past herbicide applications for proper group rotation. Causes for poor emergence will be examined and if carryover herbicide damage occurred.
• Disease - A field scouting trip to determine if application of fungicides are cost effective. Documentation through photographs and field notes will be provided.
• Insect - Crop dependant, but typically bi-monthly crop scouting for insect damage. Threshold levels will be determined for specific insects. photos, and field notes will be provided with any recommendations for further control.

Timing Events

Application Timing recommendations - Provided if you are uncertain to proper crop staging or if you just don’t have time to keep checking field for the correct timing of herbicides, fungicides, pre-harvest applications or swathing.

Additional Scouting

An option to producers to call us out to scout on a case by case basis. An hourly charge will be levied in lieu of a contracted amount. Please note that contracted services get first scouting services priority.

Manure

This item is for those operations producing and spreading over 500 tonnes of annual manure. Our staff are up to date on NRCB regulations and will assist you in ensuring your operations are compliant with the legislation and can provide services in measuring and documenting that compliance.

Crop Planning

For those producers who want to have face to face consultation on crop selection, rotation management, and general consultative processes of the entire farm operation. This is a single fee option and we will sit down at your table or ours with you to work on a best management plan for you and your family.

Data Management 

We electronically capture your data on fertilizer applied, pesticides, and soil sampling along with any scouting reports, including weeds present, insects or disease. We maintain your info in our secure database and can make that data available at any time to our customers.

Quotation

Click this link to find a Agronomy Services Fillable Form to obtain a quote. Once you have the form filled out, please email it to our Sales Agronomist Kim ([email protected]).