Grease and Soil

Today consisted of learning about center pivot irrigation systems.  After lunch G and I went down to the farm and started some maintenance work on the 1970s sprinkler system he owns.  The work was not technical, but necessary for keeping the implement working during the upcoming growing season.  We checked the tire pressure and pumped the tires up at each stanchion.  I spent my time checking the gear oil levels in each wheel gearbox and draining the water from the gearboxes.  We climbed the wheel stanchions to gain access to the electronic box system that controls each section of the pivot.  After checking safety features and electrical connections we would move on to the next section.  This took about two hours.  I enjoy learning about new machinery and the maintenance that is required to keep things working. 

While we were at the farm, we also prepared a soil sample to send off to the lab.  We are interested in our organic matter levels (OM).  Last spring G planted a forage mixture that included a couple different brassicas,  peas, and a couple other forbes I cannot think of at the moment.  All the plant residue, after winter grazing, is still present and holding the soil in place.  The old roots are decaying and all the leaf litter that was stomped in by cattle has decomposed into the soil too.  The OM was at 2% (low) last year and should have risen by now. 
For those who do not know, by retaining and increasing OM in soils there is increased soil structure, improved water holding capacity, more feed to support a diverse soil ecosystem,  improved buffering capacity, and plant available nutrients. Easy article on OM in soils and its benefits. 

It is always exciting to get out in the field and sample the different types of soil that occur across an landscape.  There were three different types of loams present in this field.  I noticed that as the clay content increased in one of the loams there were more noticeable hoof prints left from grazing during the winter, while the loam with higher silt and sand content had few lasting hoof prints.  As a manager knowing where your soils are subjected to structural damage by pugging and compaction is ideal for when bad weather arises one can limit soil degradation.