.jpg)
TIMELY TOPICS
Pulverized limestone is one of the most important soil amendments for ensuring soil productivity. Finely ground limestone neutralizes naturally occurring soil acidity, making plant nutrients present in the soil profile more available to growing plants.
Lime is frequently over applied by gardening enthusiasts anxious to help their plants. But on the farm, getting effective limestone applied in the Rockbridge region comes with challenges these days. A single acre may require as much as two tons of limestone and specialized application equipment is required to accurately and evenly apply the limestone. Anyone in the Rockbridge region with pasture or cropland seeking an application of limestone in recent weeks may have found it difficult to find a supply of limestone, a willing applicator, or both.
A number of factors are impacting the local supply of pulverized limestone. First, quarry operations face significant demand for other products and some local quarries have stopped producing pulverized limestone or they do not employ a process that yields product that is fine enough or otherwise suitable for land application.
“Agricultural Limestone” has a definition under Virginia law and quarries that market limestone labeled as “Ag Lime” must meet minimum standards and is subject to inspection by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As a result, many quarries sell pulverized limestone but they do not sell it as “Ag Lime” or “Agricultural Limestone.” The use of such product for neutralizing soil acidity is strictly on a buyer-beware basis. Bagged Ag Lime used for small areas is a reliable neutralizing agent but the packaging and handling of bagged Ag Lime makes it very expensive relative to limestone purchased and transported in bulk.
Another factor is demand for pulverized limestones. Reports from reliable sources in the regional farming sector indicate farmers from east of the Blue Ridge hauling corn to feed mills in Harrisonburg have been back-hauling pulverized limestone to correct soil acidity on cropland in the Piedmont and Tidewater regions.
Finally, there is a limited capacity of service providers to apply limestone when there is an equal if not greater demand that they apply fertilizer to fields ahead of the growing season.
So, what is small-holder who has limited equipment to do in order to get the limestone they need to correct soil acidity? First, conduct a soil test and make sure the field needs lime. Just because broom sedge is present does not mean the field needs lime; it may just need some phosphorus fertilizer. Soil testing is available through Virginia Tech and the Rockbridge Extension office has the forms, soil boxes, and a helpful guide that will empower you to take your own soil test.
Second, you may have to move your limestone application to late summer or fall. Limestone poses very little risk to the environment and generally can be spread year-round. Demand on the applicator’s time is diminished in the late summer and fall. Some farms are having limestone delivered in dump trucks and piled on the farm and they load the spreader with their own or a neighbor’s loader-tractor. The supply and demand realities of our local market for limestone may force farm operators to “go-onfaith” and the word of other farmers as to the quality of the lime source.
If you think your fields need lime; get a current soil test to confirm the fields’ need lime; determine the total amount of lime you need, and begin making the connections to secure the lime and applicator for later this summer or in the fall. There are a number of laboratories that will test pulverized limestone for its capacity to neutralize soil acidity.
For more information on soil or limestone testing, contact me, Tom Stanley, at the Rockbridge Extension Office at (540) 463-4734 or [email protected].
