by BERNARD TOBIN
For Keith Reid, soil fertility specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, a soil fertility test is as powerful a diagnostic tool as an X-ray. But a fertility test often only confirms a diagnosis that Reid has reached after contemplating every field fact – from damage patterns to field history and even the width of a combine header.
This was the case when Reid arrived at a Bruce County soybean field in mid-July after a grower named Allan called seeking some advice.