Ray and Stephanie Tucker and their son Nathan farm 5000 acres in north central Kentucky, an 8th generation farm family.
When it comes to grass hay and pasture production, early-season management sets the tone for the entire year. What happens at green-up influences stand density, forage response, nutrient efficiency, and ultimately how much you can get out of every acre. Building a strong forage program isn’t about chasing a single pass or product. It’s about supporting soil function, nutrient availability, and plant health from the start. If soil conditions or nutrient availability limit growth at green-up, those challenges can carry through the rest of the season and impact both yield and forage quality.  That’s why many hay and pasture growers focus on programs that support early nutrient efficiency and soil function — not fertilizer alone. In many hay and pasture systems, early fertility focuses heavily on nitrogen to drive growth. While nitrogen can increase biomass, it doesn’t always improve forage quality or feed value. Bigger plants don’t automatically mean better hay. In some cases, bulk without balance can lead to more waste and less efficient utilization.
A crop may still require calcium even when soil pH is within the optimal range because soil pH alone does not indicate how much calcium is actually available to plants or how effectively it is taken up. While pH reflects soil acidity or alkalinity, it does not measure exchangeable calcium levels.
Sugar-based nutrition helps feed soil microbes, fuel crops, and support nutrient efficiency during critical growth stages.
Tobacco growers, you're invited to join Southern States and Sugar Creek Ag on December 9th, 2025 , for an in-depth meeting focused on foliar nutrition, humic products, and practical in-season strategies to strengthen crop performance. Hosted at Palace Pointe in Roxboro, NC , this meeting will bring together growers from across the region to talk through real field challenges, field-proven solutions, and key timing considerations for the upcoming season. Growers will hear the latest updates from Sugar Creek Ag’s team, including: Field-tested insights on foliar timing How humic products support root health and nutrient uptake In-season solutions that stabilize performance when the soil can’t keep up Additional Southern States agronomy topics relevant to Carolina tobacco acres Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 Time: 5:00 PM Location: Palace Pointe, 5050 Durham Rd, Roxboro, NC
Applied together, EARTHQUAKE Liquid Humic and Forage Factor are Farmer-Proven to be effective and give your hay fields and pastures the growth, density, and quality you want!
Have you ever asked yourself … “How much of the fertilizer I applied, is actually getting utilized by the crop?” We recommend a base saturation soil test and to amend accordingly. And we also suggest THINK SOIL FIRST!
To best answer this question, it helps to understand the process of humification. Humification is the natural conversion of organic matter into humic substances by microorganisms in the soil.
Optimizing soil health is vital for higher yields. Growers must support the physical, biological, and chemical properties of the soil in order to improve its structure, water productivity and storage, nutrient cycling, and overall crop productivity.
The microbes in your soil contribute to: breaking down organic matter, increasing the availability of nutrients, carbon sequestration, moisture retention, drainage, soil structure, and suppression of pests and pathogens. They work hand-in-hand with root systems!
