FFA Land Judging Using the 2005 Scorecard and Guidebook Terence H. Cooper Dept. of Soil, Water, & Climate University of Minnesota, St. Paul

Soil - the essence of life Darkle, darkle, little grain, I wonder how you entertain a thousand creatures microscopic. Grains like you from pole to tropic support land life upon this planet. I marvel at you, crumb of granite! (Hole, 1989)

Part 1 & 2 Surface Soil & Subsoil Describing the Soil Profile Horizon Depth Soil Color Soil Texture Gravel and Rocks

Thickness Clarion A = 18 in. Nebish A = 3 in Subsoil = 54-18= 36 in

Surface Soil Color – Munsell Color Charts Light Medium Dark

Color Clarion A = 10yr 2/1 = Very Dark Nebish A = 10yr 3/1 = Very Dark Subsoil for both = Bright or no mottles or gray colors present.

Texture & Gravel Clarion A = Loam = Medium Clarion Subsoil = clay loam = fine Nebish A = sandy loam = moderately coarse Nebish Subsoil = sandy clay loam = fine None to few = gravel in all parts of soil.

Gravel Determination 2mm sieve < 15% 15-34% 35-59% > 59%

Terrace Floodplain

0-2% slope 2-6 % 6-12 % 12-18% 0-2% -flooding or rocks 18-30 % 30-60% > 60%

Interpretations of Soil Features; 6A - E Residual - Soil formed from Bedrock. In Minnesota mainly only the following: Sandstone Limestone Basalt Granite

Type of Material that limits rooting Depth- 6A

Parent Materials -6B

Depth of Soil favorable for roots – 6C

Air and Water Movement – 6D Coarse texture Medium or moderately coarse texture Fine texture Very fine texture

Available Water Capacity – 6E - (1-3) AWC = Clarion 0-18 = loam = .2”/in /in soil= 3.6” H2O Subsoil = 36 = CL = .2”/in/in soil = 7.2” H2O C horizon 60-54 = 6 sandy loam = .15”/in/in soil = .9” H20 Total = 3.6 + 7.2 + .9 = 11.7” H2O = High

Internal Drainage – 6E-4

Well Drained Moderately Well Somewhat Poorly Poorly Drained

Amount and Kind of Erosion -7 A = original soil depth Texture = fine or coarse > 2 inches > 1” loss of original depth Orginal Surface soil depth- Clarion = 23” & currenlty=18 or 5 inches lost = erosion present

Need for Erosion Control -8 A & B None Sod Cover, Conservation Tillage Contour, Strip Crop & Conservation Tillage Grass Waterway and Gully Control.

Erosion Control - 8

Poorly Drained Somewhat Poorly Drained Both will need tile drainage.

Crop to be planted = small grains- past crop soybeans – use Table 5 P-test = 21 lbs/acre, K – test = 136 lbs/acre, no manure Subsoil K = low and Subsoil P = low SMP BUFFER = 5.9-Area 1- Soil Texture = loam Corn yield goal = 120 Fertilizer = ? N = 40 P = 20 K = 70 Lime = 7.5 tons/acre- from lime table

New Crop = corn – after soybeans. P-test = 21 lbs/acre, K – test = 136 lbs/acre, no manure Subsoil K = low and Subsoil P = low Yield Goal = 130 Fertilizer = ? N = 90 – or choose 100 as the closest answer. P = 60 K = 80 Lime = 7.5

Land Use Limitations -11 Use for Dwellings Use for Septic Tank absorption fields Part 11 - Land use Limitations Use for farm lagoons and holding basins

Features for dwellings Clarion Soil

Septic Tanks – Lester Soil

Suitability for Farm Lagoons – Clarion Soil

Questions ?