OSKALOOSA —
Some local farmers learned about a new, fast way to get soil samples for fertility testing at a demonstration Thursday morning.
Crop Production Services representatives gave a demonstration of the AutoProbe to a group of 14 farmers gathered at the Harper Farm that Doug Boender farms on Lincoln Avenue.
The AutoProbe can drill 6-inch deep soil core samples every 17 feet, CPS ag specialist Shawn Peterson said. Farmers can get more accurate fertility readings so they know which parts of their fields need more fertilizer to maximize yields.
Peterson drove a small tractor that pulled the AutoProbe behind it for a test run so the farmers could observe it in action.
Peterson said the AutoProbe could take samples for 80 to 90 acres per hour on a typical farm field that has waterways. A farmer could get samples for 800 to 1,000 acres per day, he added.
“It goes through the field in an ‘S’ pattern,” Jim Osweiler of CPS said of the AutoProbe.
CPS leases the AutoProbe for field testing, Peterson said.
CNHI/Southeast Iowa
Related Photos
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Crop Production Services ag specialist Shawn Peterson demonstrates the use of the AutoProbe Thursday to take soil samples for fertility testing. Herald photo by Duane Nollen
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