In this solo episode of Rhizometrx, host Faith issues a wake-up call to growers as they head into the 2026 planning season. With margins tighter than ever, Faith challenges the industry's obsession with chasing the "last five bushels" regardless of cost.

Faith opens the books on real-world data, comparing traditional "build and maintain" fertilizer programs against the Baseline RX approach. She breaks down a sobering case study where chasing a specific Phosphorus PPM number resulted in a $165/acre net loss over four years. Conversely, she shares incredible success stories of fields crushing their 5-year APH by 30 to 60 bushels while spending less on fertility.

If you are tired of trading money to grow corn and ready to detach your emotions from arbitrary soil test numbers, this episode is your blueprint for auditing your inputs and reclaiming profitability.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

ROI vs. Ego: Why chasing high yields for the sake of a number often leads to "trading money," and why it's okay to leave bushels on the table if they aren't profitable.

** The $165/Acre Mistake:** Faith walks through a data set showing how a 4-year Phosphorus build program cost a grower significant capital with negative ROI.

Potassium Pitfalls: A look at a potash application plan that bled $25/acre per year simply to move a soil test number that didn't correlate to yield.

Grow the Crop, Not the Acre: The mindset shift needed to move away from building soil test levels (PPM) and toward feeding the specific crop in front of you based on true limiting factors.

Real-World Wins: Faith shares data from a grower who, by addressing limiting factors rather than broadcasting bulk fertilizer, achieved yields 50+ bushels over their APH on significantly less fertility spend.

Resourcefulness: Why modern farmers need to adopt a "Depression-era mindset" of resourcefulness—auditing every dollar and ensuring it performs—even when markets eventually turn back up.

After You Listen:

• Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes
• Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals
• Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.

In this special episode of Rhizometrx, Faith steps outside the traditional agronomy bubble to welcome Dr. Blaine Ellison, a veterinarian and ruminant nutritionist. Together, they explore the undeniable connection between the health of the soil, the quality of the crop, and the performance of the animal.

Faith and Blaine discuss a critical disconnect in modern agriculture: why agronomists and animal nutritionists rarely talk to one another. They dive deep into how chasing high tonnage and planting populations often results in indigestible fiber (lignin), creating headaches for nutritionists trying to balance a ration. From the dangers of excessive potassium in dry cow diets to the misunderstood role of phosphorus in fertility, this conversation challenges producers to look at their farm as a holistic system rather than fragmented parts.

Meet the Guest:
Dr. Blaine Ellison is a veterinarian turned ruminant nutritionist with over 30 years of experience. He has worked as a consultant for large herds, served in tech service for major companies, and operates his own private feed business. He approaches nutrition from a theoretical standpoint, having learned from the original authors of nutritional models.

Key Topics & Takeaways:

** The "Silo" Effect:** Why the vet, the nutritionist, and the agronomist need to be in the same room. A disjointed team leads to solving problems that shouldn't exist in the first place.

Quantity vs. Quality: How pushing for maximum tonnage (via high planting populations) creates tall, lignified plants that are high in indigestible fiber, forcing nutritionists to supplement energy back into the ration.

The Potassium Paradox: Agronomists often push Potassium (K) for yield, but high K levels in forages can be metabolically toxic to pre-fresh cows. Blaine explains the importance of managing DCAD (Dietary Cation-Anion Difference) starting at the soil level.

Calcium Bioavailability: The parallels between plant-available calcium (for root structure) and bioavailable calcium for the ruminant (to prevent milk fever).

The "Zero Baseline" Mistake: Just as agronomists often assume the soil supplies zero nutrients (leading to over-fertilization), nutritionists often assume forages supply zero micronutrients (leading to over-supplementation).

Manure Management: Viewing manure not just as a waste product, but as a carbon-rich fertility asset—provided it is accounted for correctly to avoid nutrient loading near the barn.

After You Listen:

• Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes
• Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals
• Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.

As the 2026 crop planning season heats up, Faith welcomes back Nebraska agronomists Kyle Olson and Chase Perry to dig through the data. After reviewing thousands of Indicator soil tests from across the Corn Belt, the trio discusses the glaring trends emerging between farms managed with biology in mind versus those stuck in a synthetic rut.

In this deep dive, they explore why manure-fed soils are showing vastly superior CSAT scores compared to synthetic-only systems, and how over-applied nitrogen in 2025 likely contributed to the heavy disease pressure seen across the Midwest. The group also tackles the geographical battle of Potassium vs. Magnesium—contrasting the high-K soils of Nebraska with the high-Mag, tight clays of Illinois—and why chasing a "perfect" grid-sampled PPM number is burning through your budget without boosting your ROI.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The Manure Advantage: Why 10 out of 10 growers prefer manure over synthetics, and how the carbon bond in manure drives higher CSAT scores and long-term soil efficiency.

Nitrogen & Disease: The correlation between heavy front-loaded nitrogen programs and increased disease pressure (Tar Spot, Southern Rust). Why "too much N" often looks like a deficiency because the plant is plugged with nitrate.

The Phosphorus-Zinc Link: Why you should never apply Phosphorus without Zinc. Faith explains how high P levels often induce Zinc deficiencies and why maintaining a 10:1 ratio is critical.

The K:Mag Divide: A look at regional soil differences. While Nebraska growers enjoy decent Potassium availability, Illinois and Wisconsin growers fight High-Magnesium soils that tighten up and block K uptake late in the season.

Manganese as the Governor: How Manganese regulates Potassium uptake and why low Manganese levels can lead to "luxury consumption" of K without yield gain.

Grids vs. Zones (Again): Why grid sampling co-mingles soil types and hides the true limiting factors, whereas zone sampling offers a customized rifle approach to fertility rather than a shotgun blast.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Dirt2Dollars: Kyle and Chase’s educational video channel

Creekside Agronomy (Kyle Olson)

CMP Enterprises (Chase Perry)

After You Listen:

• Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes
• Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals
• Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com.