Episode 008: On-The-Go Soil Mapping

Soil sampling, specifically grid-based soil sampling, has long been a foundational practice in site-specific crop management, and rightfully so. Soil test results at 2.5-acre grid resolutions communicate valuable information about nutrient levels, pH, organic matter, and other crucial factors for site-specific management decisions. But grid soil sampling - when used by itself - does not convey soil property changes between sampling points or offer high enough resolution information about soil texture and related properties. On-the-go soil mapping has emerged over the past several decades as a viable technology for measuring soil properties - especially electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and OM - at high resolutions. These properties are often some of the biggest yield determining factors because they are directly related to soil water holding capacity, nutrient availability, and crop protection efficacy. In this episode of the FarmBits podcast, Tyler Lund joins us to discuss the intricacies of on-the-go soil mapping as a complementary technology to traditional soil sampling that unlocks smarter management decisions previously unattainable in ag. Tyler is an executive at Veris Technologies, an on-the-go soil mapping company based out of Salina, KS, that has serviced the agricultural community since 1995. As a son of Veris's founder, Eric Lund, it's safe to say that Tyler has earned his stripes in this industry. Throughout the episode, Tyler offers insights about the benefits of on-the-go soil mapping, the advantages of different types of sensors, how we can best make use of soil map information, and what new technologies are on the horizon for on the go soil mapping. For any farmer, consultant, or researcher out there who has ever looked at yield maps year after year and thought, "What is going on in that spot that makes it so productive? And there so unproductive?" this episode is a must listen. Ultimately, soils drive crop productivity and understanding the soil enables better management. That's exactly what this episode is all about. "Some of the challenge when I think people are introduced to soil texture, soil EC mapping is 'I can't change it so why would I map it?' and you know this kind of takes a little perspective change that, no we're not changing the soil, we're changing the way we manage it. . . . we're probably not even ever going to raise up the poor yields to the high yielding areas. We're just trying to reach the potential of each soil." - Tyler Lund Tyler Lund Contact Information: Twitter: @tylerlund LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-lund-1502b23/ Veris Contact Information: Website: https://www.veristech.com/ Twitter: @VerisTech YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VerisTech or https://www.youtube.com/user/VerisTechnologiesInc FarmBits Team Contact Info: E-Mail: farmbits@unl.edu Twitter: @NEDigitalAg Samantha's Twitter: @SamanthaTeten Jackson's Twitter: @jstansell87 Opinions expressed by the hosts and guests on this podcast are solely their own, and do not reflect the views of Nebraska Extension or the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.