Iowa farmer Kris Wernimont carefully uses the right amount of fertilizer and pesticide on her corn and soybean fields, and solar panels power the electric fencing in her pastures. Thats because she is a steward of natural resources, as these actions conserve energy and lead to cleaner water and healthier soil.

In October we announced a new project, funded by the Council for Best Management Practices, designed to sample soil this fall to see how much nitrogen is left after 2012's dry growing season and, in many areas, low corn yields.

With this years drought conditions there is less residue than normal in many fields. In some, the crop was harvested as a forage or cut as silage, leaving very little residue at all. Without residue to absorb the energy of raindrop impact and keep the wind off the soil surface, soil erosion will be greater and surface crusting could be a problem. Also, without the water-conserving residue mulch, soil moisture losses by evaporation will be much higher.

It’s apparent Mother Nature dealt farmers throughout much of the United States a rough, dry hand this summer.

The combination of drought conditions, heavy irrigation, and widely varying yields means that soil testing is more important than ever this year.

Just when you thought scorching droughts were becoming the “new normal” in agriculture, a weather-research firm told the farm media at last week’s Farm Progress Show that 2013 will likely be nothing like 2012.