Farming Video | Why Kelly Garrett Uses Pell Lime Every Year for Soil Balance

10 Mar 26 • 1m 41s

Spring is underway in western Iowa, and Kelly Garrett is already thinking about soil balance before the crop even goes in the ground. While many farmers rely heavily on dry fertilizer programs, Kelly explains why pell lime is about the only dry product he spreads across his acres. The goal isn’t just adjusting pH—it’s dialing in base saturation and keeping nutrients balanced so the soil can perform at its full potential. In this video, Kelly walks through how variable-rate pell lime applications help prevent the “pendulum swing” that can happen with traditional ag lime programs, especially when elemental sulfur and other inputs start shifting calcium and magnesium levels. It’s a practical look at how one western Iowa operation manages soil chemistry to stay balanced year after year.

00:00 Hi, this is Kelly Gear from Extreme Ag Spring is started here in western Iowa. 00:00:04 You can see back there that Steven Wind grove from calibrated agronomy is putting Pell lime on one of our farms. 00:00:11 This would be basically the only dry fertilizer my sons and I use. You know, I've said many times, our main source of fertility 00:00:16 and soil amendment is plant food. The byproduct out of the liquid feed company in Des Moines, the Pell Lime would be basically the only dry 00:00:23 fertilizer that we put on. Uh, Pell Lime is more soluble than ag lime and we put Pell Lime on in a variable rate application every 00:00:31 year to achieve nutritional balance. The pH does get adjusted, but our goal is to achieve nutritional balance. 00:00:38 Look at those base saturation numbers in our soil, bring 'em into balance to let the soil reach its potential. With the fertility that's down there, the Western Iowa soil, 00:00:46 of course, has great yield potential. The challenge is the base saturation. So when we put on all of the elemental sulfur 00:00:52 that's in our plant food byproduct, it uh, at times can strip out too much calcium in a high base saturation area. 00:01:00 We strip out what we feel is the appropriate amount of calcium. We strip out the magnesium, bring that soil into balance. 00:01:05 There are areas where we're stripping out too much calcium. That's why the Pell lime comes in. 00:01:10 Again, more soluble than ag lime and ag lime. You know, when you're putting that on every four years, you're allowing that pendulum to maybe swing too far 00:01:18 to the left and the base saturation, get too far outta whack on the low side. Then you put on that big charge of Ag Line 00:01:24 and it swings too far to the right, and you overpower some things by going out with a variable rate prescription of the Pell Line. 00:01:31 Every year, we're trying to keep it dialed in right in the center 00:01:34.345 --> 00:01:36.245

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