Thirty Years of Soil Fertility Management Trends in the Inland Pacific Northwest.

Mail-based surveys conducted in 1981, 1996 and 2011 were used to document the soil fertility management practices in the Inland Pacific Northwest. Collected data included; (1) importance placed on soil fertility by farmers, (2) frequency of collecting soil samples, (3) how fertilizer recommendations are made, (4) use of N and P fertilizers, (5) soil pH values, and (6) the use of precision technologies on the farm. The significant findings of the 2011 survey included: (1) over 62% of the growers attributed more than 50% of their annual crop yield to soil fertility; (2) soil samples were collected at least once in a crop rotation on 91.6% of farms; (3) 31.8% of growers took their own soil samples, while fertilizer dealers took 62.8% of the samples; and (4) 54% of growers made their own fertilizer recommendations. Compared to the 1981 survey results, in 2011 farmers were more likely to: (1) attribute more of their yields to soil fertility; (2) have their fields soil sampled; (3) collect their own soil samples; (4) make their own fertilizer recommendations; (5) be aware of soil pH trends in their fields; and (6) use guidance systems, auto steer systems, section controllers and variable rate application systems.