Crop Management
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Biomass is the total amount of living plant material in your field. Learn why it matters and how to measure it.
Read article →Soils · Sandy Soil
Sandy Soil
Sandy soil drains fast, warms up early, and loses nitrogen with every heavy rain. Building organic matter matters more than pouring on more fertilizer.
Sandy soils have larger particles than any other texture. Water and nutrients move straight through. That makes spring workability easy, but holding fertility through a dry July is the challenge. Organic matter is usually low, and the soil can't grab and hold onto nutrients the way heavier ground can. The fix isn't more inputs — it's building a soil that can hold what you apply.
Where this soil fights you
And what we do about each one.
Nitrogen leaches through after heavy rain.
The fix — Split applications. Lean on slower-release organic nitrogen over single-pass synthetic nitrogen.
Organic matter breaks down faster than it builds.
The fix — Regular inputs with organic matter built in help you stay ahead of the burn-down.
Zinc, manganese, and boron are often short.
The fix — Tissue-test in-season and correct with a foliar when deficiency shows.
Drought stress within a week or two of the last rain.
The fix — Organic matter acts like a sponge. Every percent of organic matter you add is more water your soil can hold through a dry stretch.
How we approach it
Focus the program on soil building, not just crop nutrition. A few seasons of consistent organic-matter-rich applications improves water holding, raises the exchange capacity, and lifts the yield floor. A broadcast starter pass at planting keeps young crops moving — sandy soil warms fast but still needs a push for a strong stand.
How each crop performs here
Programs we’d run on sandy soil for the major rotation crops.
Corn
AgroBoost
3 tonnes/ac
Sandy soils leach nitrogen and dry out between rains. AgroBoost's organic matter holds moisture and N in the root zone; the MicroBoost starter gets the crop out of the ground fast.
Soybeans
MicroBoost
0.8 tonnes/ac
Beans fix their own N — pay for phosphate and micros. AgroLite at a light rate adds organic matter without overfeeding the crop.
Be the next happy customer
Talk to someone who knows your area
Our advisors live in Southwestern Ontario and farm here too. Reach out by phone or email.
From the Knowledge Hub
Longer reads on the same topics.
Farming on sandy soil? Bring us a recent soil test.
Share your soil tests and rotation. We’ll put together a program tailored to your ground — rates, timing, and placement.
Talk to our team→