The cost of producing agricultural products seems to be always increasing.
It is more important than ever to make wise decisions when buying inputs for your pastures and hay fields so that you accomplish your goals without spending more money than is necessary.
With hay season starting to wrap up, now is a good time to begin making plans for the 2026 forage year. Making hay is stressful on your soil. A ton of Bermudagrass hay removes approximately 50 pounds of Nitrogen, 14 pounds of Phosphorous, and 45 pounds of Potassium, along with lesser amounts of other nutrients. You must either fertilize adequately to meet your production goals, or have enough nutrients stored in the soil bank and available to the plants to make up the difference.
When you cut hay from the land without fertilizing, you are withdrawing nutrients from the soil bank.
Without taking a representative soil test of your field, it is impossible to know accurately what is in the soil and what you need to apply to meet your production goals.
To help forage producers make better fertilizer decisions, the Bowie County Extension Office is offering a Fall Soil Testing Drive from September 15th to October 3rd. During the drive, producers can receive a reduced price on soil tests from the Texas A&M Soil Testing Lab and save the cost of shipping the samples to the lab.
Please contact the Bowie County Extension Office at 903-628-6702 or email [email protected] for more information on how to participate in the drive. Do your soil and your bank account a favor and take some soil tests today.
Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. The Texas A&M System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.
