By James Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services

Soil testing methods are still largely the same as they were 100 years ago, and researchers and farmers continue to struggle to interpret the numbers. However, a soil test is a good place to start when optimizing crop yields. That should be followed by scouting, tissue tests, and sap tests to verify and refine your analysis.

Most standardized soil test reports include values for pH, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). Soil test values are reported in parts per million (ppm) or pounds per acre. The ppm multiplied by two equals pounds per acre. Actual soil nutrient levels are generally much higher; however, not all soil nutrients are available for plant uptake.

Soil pH measures acidity. A neutral soil has a pH of 7

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