The Start of Scientific Farming is 'Soil Health Checkup'... Andong City Implements Pledge of the 8th Elected Term

Andong-si Agricultural Technology Center, Customized Consultation Service Also Available

The 8th Civil Election Pledge, the Start of Soil Health Check and Scientific Farming.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] The Agricultural Technology Center of Andong City, Gyeongbuk, is implementing the ‘Soil Health Checkup’ service, a pledge of the 8th local government administration.

The ‘Soil Health Checkup’ is a service that scientifically analyzes the nutrient status of farmland soil and informs the amount of nutrients needed for crop cultivation.

Just as people undergo health checkups every year to monitor their health, paddy fields and dry fields also need to be tested through soil analysis to examine their nutrient and health status.

Maintaining strong and healthy soil increases the productivity and quality of the crops grown on it.

Accordingly, the Agricultural Technology Center provides soil diagnosis and consultation services using advanced analytical equipment such as ICP and UV devices.

The main analysis items include soil chemical properties such as soil pH, organic matter, electrical conductivity (EC), available phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and magnesium to diagnose soil conditions and recommend appropriate fertilization amounts. Customized soil fertilizer prescriptions for each crop are issued free of charge throughout the year.

By offering crop-specific tailored consultations and scientifically rational fertilization amounts, crop growth improves and excessive fertilizer use is prevented, resulting in cost savings for farm management.

In the long term, this pledge aims to reduce soil environmental pollution by preventing excessive use of compost and fertilizers.

Farmers wishing to receive the ‘Soil Health Checkup’ can collect soil samples and visit the Agricultural Technology Center’s comprehensive testing laboratory to submit them. To eliminate the inconvenience for farmers living far away from bringing samples to the center, soil mailboxes will be installed next year at agricultural consultation offices in each eup, myeon, and dong to provide convenience. In the future, through continuous annual soil testing of more than 4,000 samples, farmers will be able to check overall soil information such as suitable cultivation sites and soil chemical properties by simply entering the land parcel number and utilize it for agriculture.

The soil sampling method requires that before planting crops, no fertilizers or compost be applied. Remove about 1 cm of surface debris from 5 to 6 points, then collect about 1 kg of soil at a depth of 15 cm for paddy and dry fields, and 30 cm for orchards.

Farmers who have difficulty collecting samples can request assistance at agricultural consultation offices for on-site guidance.

The analysis takes about two weeks, and the final results can be checked by mail or through the Heuktoram website.

An official from the Andong Agricultural Technology Center said, “The start of scientific farming begins with a soil health checkup,” and added, “We hope many farmers will use this service to practice sustainable agriculture.”

For inquiries related to the soil health checkup, contact the Agricultural Environment Team at the Andong Agricultural Technology Center.