350: Soil Testing 101: Why It Matters for Sustainable Agriculture with Dr. Patrick Freeze of Ward Labs

Habitat Podcast

Jared Van Hees

Sports, Wilderness

4.9 • 584 Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2025

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Habitat Podcast #349 - In today’s episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with a bonus episode from my good friend Al Tomechko talking with Dr. Patrick Freeze from Ward Labs. We discuss: The role of soil testing in agriculture Understanding Liebig's Law and its implications The importance of residue management and cover crops The balance between tillage and no-till practices Insights into nutrient management and soil health And So Much More! Shop the new Amendment Collection from Vitalize Seed here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/new-natural-amendments ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PATREON - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon - Habitat Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brand new HP Patreon for those who want to support the Habitat Podcast. Good luck this Fall and if you have a question yourself, just email us @ info@habitatpodcast.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon - Habitat Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Latitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/hplatitude⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Midwest Lifestyle Properties - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3OeFhrm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/vitalizeseed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Down Burst Seeders - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/downburstseeders⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 10% code: HP10 Morse Nursery - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/MorseTrees⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 10% off w/code: HABITAT10 Packer Maxx - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ $25 off with code: HPC25 First Lite - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3EDbG6P⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LAND PLANS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave us a review for a FREE DECAL - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/2uhoqOO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Morse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – info@habitatpodcast.com Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us: info@habitatpodcast.com habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Redeem your lab bucks on free bet spins or even cash in for real money.
0:04.6	That's satisfaction from Lab Brooks.
0:06.4	And for extra satisfaction, here's the T's and C's.
0:08.6	Let's rock.
0:09.8	18 plus participates in selected promotions to get LabBucks.
0:15.3	Go get LabBugs.
0:17.5	Within them four offers or rewards. Lab bucks expire for T's and C's a bride. You want to make sure that you're not over supplying things or undersupply.
0:21.6	You want to make sure that you're not over supplying things or even undersupplying.
0:33.6	So if you go back to, you know, like intro to soils, probably maybe in some cases,
0:38.5	intro to general chemistry, but Justice von Liebig, you know, way back in the day, he had his
0:43.9	concept of the law of the minimum. So the lowest amount of the thing is going to impact the yield
0:49.6	overall. So you have to make sure that everything's being met across the board. You're limiting
0:53.0	on one thing, a micronutrient of some kind. If the pH is off, you could be limiting your overall production or quality. So having that information is really critical. And these aren't an expensive test. You know, it's like 20 bucks and some change for a general fertility test. So you get a lot of information for a little bit of money. And you know, you can do composite sampling for a whole area.
1:13.6	So you don't have to spend a whole lot just to get that information,
1:16.6	but it will make a huge difference in terms of like how you manage your soil, you know, for whatever you're working on.
1:26.6	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast, the podcast for wildlife habitat management, hunting strategy, and land stewardship.
1:37.3	And now your host, Jared Van Heaves.
1:42.3	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast. Hey guys, Al here. Jared Van Heads.
1:46.1	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast.
1:47.6	Hey guys, Al here.
1:50.7	As I mentioned before, we wanted to at Vital I.C.
1:54.8	Do more webinar type videos, educational videos this year.
	...

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