The Dirt: an eKonomics podKast

On this episode of The Dirt, Mike Howell reconnects with Dr. Nathan Slaton to chat about the future of nutrient management and the FRST program—the fertilizer recommendation support tool.   How can we use collective soil test data to inform fertilizer use? Dive in as Dr. Nathan Slaton walks us through the value of the FRST program and how it will help us better understand soil test recommendations...

Tune in to this week's episode of The Dirt as Mike Howell sits down with Dr. Audrey Gamble to chat about soil fertility and the necessity of managing nutrients in our crops. Dr. Gamble uncovers the important work that Auburn University has done on the Cullars Rotation as they perform on-farm soil fertility trials.   How does a field without nitrogen or potassium perform? How does each nutrient imp...

On this week's episode of The Dirt, Mike Howell sits down with Dr. Alan Blaylock and Dr. Rob Mikkelson to discuss the history of the fertilizer industry.   How did we discover the need for crop nutrition? How did the modern fertilizer industry begin and how does it impact farming today? How did we discover these nutrients and process them for fertilizer? Uncover everything you need to know about t...

Tune in with Mike Howell and special guest Mark Tully as they review the current market environment and take a closer look at commodity and fertilizer pricing as it stands today.   As the Manager of Market Research at Nutrien, Tully has a unique understanding of the current environment. From supply and demand trends and commodity prices to fertilizer production and global market changes, Tully bre...

Join Mike Howell on this week's episode of The Dirt as he sits down with the President of the Soil Science Society of America, Michael Thompson, to discuss how the organization supports soil science.   Mike and Michael take a closer look at variety of disciplines that exist in soil science and the ways that the SSSA supports them. They dive into the importance of soil science and how we can work t...

On this week's episode of The Dirt, join host Mike Howell as he sits down with Jacob Taylor, a Precision Ag and Conservation Specialist at Quail Forever.   Mike and Jacob take a look at how farmers can positively contribute to the conservation of wildlife using their unproductive land. The best part? Jacob shares how farmers can make a profit while doing it.   Visit www.quailforever.org to learn m...

Join Mike Howell and guests Dr. Lee Burras and Rebecca Vittetoe as they chat about how soil moisture can impact your crops and nutrient management plans. Gain valuable insights into how subsurface moisture works and the innovative technologies we can use to measure it.   Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com   Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.y...

On this episode of The Dirt, Mike Howell reconnects with Lyle Cowell, Senior Agronomist at Nutrien, to discuss how you can make the most out of your fertilizer during forage production.   Mike and Lyle take a closer look at forage production in North America and how to best maintain soil fertility for maximum production. Learn more about the role of nitrogen in forage crops and best practices for...

Join Mike Howell as he chats with Brett Gardiner, 12-time Canadian Pro Rodeo announcer of the year.   Brett and Mike continue the ongoing discussion about mental health in agriculture, focusing in on the impacts on males in the agriculture community. They chat stigma, getting over the initial barrier to seeking help and where to go for help when the need arises.   For mental health support in Albe...

Mike Howell reconnects with crowd-favorite Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien Ag Solutions to discuss recent weather events like the derecho that hit Houston, wild solar activity and the shift from El Niño to La Niña.   Eric then discusses some of the wider climate trends and crop impacts we're seeing around the world as we head into summer. You won't want to miss Eric Snod...

Mike Howell connects with Craig Jorgenson, President and CEO of The Sulphur Institute to discuss the wider uses of sulfur.   More than just the fourth major crop nutrient, this versatile element is an important industrial material to the mining, chemical and energy industries. It is also essential to producing other fertilizers, such as phosphate.   Learn more about The Sulphur Institute at sulphu...

On this episode of The Dirt, host Mike Howell speaks with Dr. Florence Becot, a professor at Penn State University and lead of the Ag Safety and Health Program.   They dive deeper into the impacts of mental health on the farm, where farmers can reach out for help, who else can help farmers who might be struggling or in a crisis, and how farmers can support other farmers not only in their communiti...

Soil testing offers a great perspective into your soil and nutrient management, but there are some factors to consider for getting the most accurate results. Listen as host Mike Howell visits with Dr. Bryan Hopkins on soil testing and the considerations you should make when testing and analyzing your soil results.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research, visit nutrien-ekonomics.com For fu...

A recent court ruling essentially took several dicamba-based herbicides off the market for American farmers growing soybeans and cotton. Host Mike Howell and guest Tom Eubanks discuss the impact this will have on US-based soybean and cotton growers, what the courts have stated about remaining stocks of these products, and how growers can voice their concerns.   To discover the latest crop nutritio...

Tune in with Mike Howell and returning guest Dr. Alan Blaylock, Senior Agronomist at Nutrien as they discuss the current needs of potassium in soils across the country. You'll learn what trends they've seen in nation-wide soil tests and what growers can do to combat those trends. They also chat about the value that potassium can add to crops beyond an increase in yield.   For more information on t...

Host Mike Howell and returning guest Karl Wyant, Director of Agronomy, Nutrien, discuss the impacts your water sources can have on the effectiveness of your spray applications of pesticides and fertilizers.   To check out the Purdue University study on the impact of water quality on pesticide performance, visit https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ppp/ppp-86.pdf   To discover the latest crop...

On this episode of The Dirt, Mike Howell connects with Melissa Ploeckelman, Outreach Specialist with the National Farm Medicine Center. They dive into the topic of on-farm mental health and how the stress of farming can impact the mental health of farmers.   Mental health can sometimes be a taboo subject, especially in the world farmers operate in. Mike and Melissa speak to how to work past the st...

Join our host, Mike Howell as he chats with Dr. Karl Wyant, Director of Agronomy at Nutrien about mixing liquid fertilizers. They'll get into jar testing, the benefits, possible risks, protecting yourself and your crops and who to go to when you have questions.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research, visit nutrien-eKonomics.com .

Host Mike Howell and guests Lyle Cowell and Alan Blaylock, both senior agronomists with Nutrien are getting deep into the details of soil salinity, how salts accumulate in soil and when they can become limiting to plant growth or impede the ability to manage soil properly.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research, visit nutrien-eKonomics.com   To learn more about soil salinity, check out t...

Join host Mike Howell and guest Eric Miltner as they dive into the specifics of fertilizer for lawns and turf grass. This episode of The Dirt digs into types of grass, regionality, soil testing and more while providing actions you can take today to help you better care for your lawn and other turf grasses.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com

Nitrogen loss is a significant challenge for farmers. Gain valuable insights into the main causes of nitrogen loss and discover practical methods to prevent it. This episode of The Dirt provides actionable tips for farmers to maximize nitrogen inputs and enhance crop yields.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com  

Jeff Tarsi joins Mike Howell for the season 3 premiere of The Dirt. To kick-off the season, we're talking about the findings from a new Nutrien study that identifies how farmers and consumers differ on key agricultural issues. For more information on this study, visit https://news.nutrien.com/agperceptions/keyfindings   To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com

Thanksgiving has undeniable ties to agriculture. In this special episode, Mike is joined by his two sons. Together, they discuss the holiday's agronomic history and reflect on some of their own favorite traditions and foods.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com

All nutrients have multiple roles, but a lot of micronutrients have enzymatic roles...and that's the case with both copper and manganese. Lyle Cowell joins the show to explain the roles these two micronutrients play inside the plant.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com

When it comes to potash, there's always more to talk about. Dig deeper into sources of potash (red or white?), application timing (fall or spring?), and just how important it is for growers to make sure they are replacing enough of the nutrient that is removed during harvest.   To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com