The Lucknow Sentinel, 1987-03-18, Page 44Page 4A
When you need water, call us
for a dependable Goulds
water system. We can select
the right size Goulds pump
that is best for your needs.
Call us for professional
service!
Cliff's Plumbing & Heating
LUCKNOW 528-3913
it
„AIL,
GOULDS
PURE WATER FOR AMERICA
Member Goulds Professional
Dealer Association
PIONEER
wvs 'S7
MARCH 16-Z0
Come for the
5 cash
/0 savings,
leave with a
Pioneer jacket!
Receive 50/o Early Pay Cash Savings on
Pioneer® brand seed corn, soybean, alfalfa and
sorghum-sudangrass seed as well as on
Sila-bac® brand silage inoculants* when you
pay for your order on or before March 20th.
But that's not all! If your paid order consists of
10 units or more, you'll take home a handsome
tan spring jacket. See you then! -forage additive
Your Pioneer Sales Representative is
LANG FARM LIMITED
R.R. 1 CHEPSTOW
881-1114
/j5PIONEER,
PIONEER HI -BRED LIMITED CHATHAM, ONTARIO N7M 5L1
PIONEER. and SILA-BAC, Brand Products are sold subject to the terms and conditions of
sale which are part of the labelling and sale documents. Pioneer and Sila-bac are brand
names; numbers identity products. "Registered trademark licensed to PIONEER HI -BRED
LIMITED, CHATHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA
Tom Perry, the owner of SoiLab, a crop consulting business located in Auburn, points out
on a map some of the over 50,000 acres in the area which the firm has assisted. (Alan'
Rivett, photo)
Soil4ab assists in conquering
the variables of cropping
By Alan Rivett
Seeds applied to soil may be the basis of
growing a crop, but as any farmer can tell
you, it's only the beginning of the long and
involved process of growing and
harvesting a crop with many variables in
between which can work both for and
against the farmer.
Conquering the variables of cropping
and making them work for the farmer by
way of increased yields and profits is
where SoiLab comes into the picture.
SoiLab, opened by Tom Perry four years
ago -out of a small office in Auburn, is part
of the burgeoning network of crop con-
sulting businesses, using a great deal of
data and analysis to come up with a cropp-
ing program, that will benefit " the in-
dividual farmers who use the service.
And, with the small margin of profits
currently realized with most crops, he
says farmers are looking for an edge in
order to prevent their profit margins from
further deteriorating.
"The profit -margin has shrunk so much
that the crop consulting services have
been growing and has become more accep-
table over the last three years.
"I'd like to think that we either save the
farmer- money or snake him money. Our
objective when working with a client is to
control the input costs while striving for
maximum return. The maximum results
for minimum inputs doesn't always mean
the highest possible returns. It's a balance
between the two that the farmer is trying
to seek," said Mr. Perry.
Prior to establishing SoiLab, Mr. Perry
worked in the fertilizer and pesticide retail
business and, through dealing with
farmers, realized there was a definite need
for this kind of service.
According to Mr. Perry, SoiLab current -
13i has 200 clients and over 50,000 acres a
year with 80 per cent of the crop consulting
business done in .Huron, southern Bruce
and Perth Counties while his work has also
taken him to parts of Wellington and Ox-
ford counties.
Upon taking on a client, Mr. Perry says
soil samples are taken which represents
the first step in developing a cropping pro-
gram for the farmer. A sample is taken of
each of the fields with one core sampling
taken per acre.
The soil is analysed using a number of
soil labs in order that results can be cross-
referenced for accuracy. The soil analysis
provides the background information of
the fields, as it indicates the percentage of
organic matter, and the PH of the soil.
Out of these tests, recommendations can
be made on the types of pesticides which
may or may not be required and the rates
of fertilizer as every crop has different fer-
tilizer requirements, he said.
However, the recommendations are not
merely based purely on scientific data.
Mr. Perry says the pesticide and fertilizer
recominendations are made with prac-
ticality in mind. ``It must be economical
and feasible to do these things. We try' to
make, it as practical as possible."
After these recommendations are made,
a follow-up service of crop
"troubleshooting" can be used where a
visit would be made looking for problem
areas in the field in order that they can be
corrected,
"The, follow-up visit is an additional part
of the service as there's lot of things that
could develop through the growing season.
If .we watch for it, there's a possibility of
preventing some of the problems" he said.
The balance of the business is in the in-
formation end of. it. Four years of cropping
records have been kept on a computer
which helps in making cropping decisions
in the future. The ciaa base is compila-
Turn to page 6A •