AGRONOMY
Certified Agronomists
Our general approach to agronomy is to partner with the grower, and/or their agronomist and PCA to use facts and science to derive the most cost-effective solutions to improve your yields.
Holloway’s agronomists, either directly for the grower or working with their agronomist and/ or PCA, take a strategic approach to collecting soil, water, and tissue samples. Every field presents a unique challenge, and we collect samples based on both grower and agronomist knowledge. In any given field or block we might collect four or five samples, which we then send to accredited labs for analysis. From there, we make amendment recommendations based on the lab reports. Our agronomists are empowered to make materials recommendations based on the needs of the grower — even if Holloway does not sell the necessary materials.
Soil Analysis
Holloway’s agronomists have decades of field-assessment experience. It is a best practice to interview the grower and the “guys in the field,” including the irrigator so we can learn about the field’s history.
We also make a point to collect as many samples as necessary so we can get a comprehensive measurement. We generally collect four to six samples in a 40 acre plot. We assess the soil from several points of view: A physical exam tells us if the soil has more sand or clay. Analyzing for the presence of minerals and nutrients, including the soil’s salt load, will tell us if the soil is conducive to growing the crop you want.
Our goal is to prevent growers from wasting money by planting in ground that simply cannot sustain certain crops.
See our Agronomy Packages for various ways we can test the soil.
Water Analysis
Water is the most overlooked element when it comes to soil analysis. It’s the “wild card” that many growers forget about. Holloway’s agronomists routinely analyze water in order to assess whether certain minerals and other unwelcome materials are coming from the water.
For example, if you are amending soil with gypsum to offset the soil’s sodium load, but you don’t know the water has high bicarbonate levels, the bicarbonate and gypsum will react to form lime. In that scenario, you’ve made a big investment to add complications to your soil.
Together, soil and water samples tells us what the field needs, and what the rules for amendment are.
Tissue Analysis
Our agronomists routinely select leaves and petioles to analyze for nutrient levels. We think of this tissue analysis as the report card that tells us how the crop is doing in real time. Tissue analysis will tell us what we can do fertility-wise to improve growing conditions to see the crop through its growing cycle.
Holloway will always make the best recommendations for soil amendments and nutrients based on scientific analysis that will affect your bottom line, not on our bottom line. We are confident that this sets us apart.
Contact Sales to discuss how we can help you analyze and get the most out of your soil.
Testimonials
Watch what can happen when growers partner with Holloway’s Agronomy team
Holloway Ag’s agronomists took soil samples from Tom Sandrini’s alfalfa farm because there were areas that were high producing and some that struggled. By analyzing the soil, they recommend and applied a gypsum-sulfur blend of soil amendments in November 2018, as well as a compost blend to help improve yield.
In Sandrini’s first cutting, he produced 2,400 bales. His second cutting was delayed 18 days due to foul weather in May, but even with the two regular irrigations and the hay going without water for 18 days, the 2nd cutting totaled 3,400.
Thirty days later Sandrini did his third cut and got 3,100 bales on the 30-day cycle. One of his smaller fields produced more than 460 bales two times in a row, when only once before had he gotten more than 400 bales of alfalfa hay in a single cutting. The fourth cutting of this field totaled 485 bales!
One of his a 20-acre fields had only produced over 600 bales in a cutting once before. It started out with 465 in the first cutting then jumped to over 870 bales in the next two cuttings.
Sandrini estimates his production to be in the 2.5 – 3 ton per acre range using the prescription from Holloway Ag’s agronomy team.
Stone fruit orchard soil analysis leads to a custom blend that improves soil health
The agronomy team at Holloway Ag took soil samples at each of Ryan Metzler’s stone fruit orchards to determine deficiencies in the soil and create a custom blend soil amendment prescription to improve tree health.
Better tree health equals more fruit and better fruit. The Holloway Ag team took an individualized approach to the soil in each orchard to yield the best results for the grower.