RhizoMetRx

Live from Commodity Classic: The "Crunchy Agronomy" Crossover with Mary Pat Sass & Sean Nettleton

In this special episode of RhizometRX, recorded live at the 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas! Faith and Mary Pat Sass (co-host of the Beyond the Crops podcast, founder of Grounded Journals) join Sean Nettleton (host of The Crop Cast). Together, the trio explores the fascinating parallels between human health and soil health—a concept they playfully dub "crunchy agronomy." They discuss how settling for "average" on a standard soil test is just like settling for "average" on a routine blood panel, and why feeding your crops unbalanced fertilizers is exactly like feeding a toddler Pop-Tarts: it just makes them want to graze for more snacks. Finally, Mary Pat shares the heart behind her business, Grounded Journals, and why physically documenting your farm's history and struggles is vital for future generations. Meet the Guests: Mary Pat Sass: Farm wife, content creator, co-host of the Beyond the Crops podcast, and founder of Grounded Journals—prompted memoirs designed specifically for farmers and ranchers. Sean Nettleton: Host of The Crop Cast and BW Fusion Agronomist. A regular voice on RhizometRX, Sean is passionate about marrying regenerative practices with conventional agriculture. In this episode, you’ll learn: The "Crunchy Agronomy" Connection: How Mary Pat’s personal journey toward better health and whole foods mirrors the shift toward better soil health and balanced plant nutrition. Average vs. Optimal: Why a standard soil test is like a basic trip to the doctor—it might tell you you're "average," but an Indicator soil test (like a comprehensive blood panel) tells you what you actually need to function at an optimal level. The "Pop-Tart" Effect: Why crops fed a steady diet of unbalanced synthetics constantly "snack" and fail to build resilient health, drawing a direct parallel to the way humans react to heavily processed foods. Regen Meets Conventional: Why you don't have to be an "all or nothing" farmer. Faith and Sean discuss how BW Fusion acts as a consulting bridge between regenerative ideals and the realities of conventional farming. Documenting Your Farm’s Legacy: Mary Pat shares the inspiration behind Grounded Journals. The group discusses why writing down your seasonal practices, market challenges, and field changes is one of the greatest gifts you can leave for the next generation. Resources & Links Mentioned: Grounded Journals: groundedjournals.co [https://www.groundedjournals.co/](Prompted journals for farmers and ranchers) Beyond the Crops Podcast: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-crops/id1686265288] Hosted by Mary Pat Sass & Jenna Ochsner The Crop Cast:  [https://bwfusion.com/cropcast]Hosted by Sean Nettleton X (Twitter): @FaithLois12\ [https://x.com/faithlois12?s=21&t=7zK-SRaJI1eIEeI-9OOcMQ] After You Listen:  * Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes * Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals * Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com [infinityagsolutions@gmail.com].

The "Feed the Soil" Myth: Why Chasing PPMs is Costing You Money

In this solo episode of Rhizometrx, Faith drops a major agronomic hot take that goes against decades of industry advice: It is time to stop blindly "feeding the soil" to build arbitrary PPM levels. With fertilizer prices climbing and margins tightening for 2026, dumping hundreds of pounds of bulk nutrients into the soil is an expensive, outdated strategy that ignores plant stress and nutrient tie-up. Faith uses a highly relatable "Pantry and Milk" analogy to explain why hoarding Phosphorus in your soil is useless if you don't have the Zinc required for the plant to consume it. She challenges growers to look at all 17 essential plant nutrients—not just the big five—and explains how feeding the plant first encourages root exudation, pumps carbon (WEOC) into the soil, and unlocks the fertility "bank" you've already paid for. If you are tired of the industry's scare tactics telling you to apply more pounds or go backwards, this episode will give you the confidence to rethink your budget. In this episode, you’ll learn: The "Feed the Soil" Myth: Why over-applying hundreds of pounds of fertilizer to build a soil test PPM actually degrades your carbon levels and reduces overall system efficiency. The 17 Essential Nutrients: The industry hyper-focuses on N, P, K, S, and Ca. Faith asks: If you blow your whole budget dumping hundreds of pounds of just those five, how are you paying for the other 12 your crop desperately needs? The Pantry Analogy: Why Phosphorus is like boxes of cereal and Zinc is like milk. You can stuff your soil "pantry" with cereal, but if you don't buy milk, the plant can't eat it—it just sits there as wasted money. The "Bad Bank" of Soil: Traditional soil tests are like a bank that is only open 16% of the time and doesn't post its hours. Faith explains why you need an Indicator test to understand when your nutrients will actually be available. Real-World Audit: After reviewing 300 soil tests across 60 fields in just two days, Faith reveals that she only recommended Phosphorus applications on 10% of them. Realistic Yield Goals: Why setting your yield goals based on APH (Actual Production History) rather than arbitrary sky-high numbers prevents over-spending and carbon burnout. * Subscribe to Rhizometrx! (Note: As planting season ramps up, episodes may shift to a bi-weekly schedule, so make sure notifications are turned on). * Audit Your Pantry: Look at your 2026 fertility plan. Are you buying more "cereal" when you really just need a little bit of "milk"? * Share this episode with a grower who is feeling the financial stress of the current fertilizer market. After You Listen:  * Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes * Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals * Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com [infinityagsolutions@gmail.com].

Navigating the Fertilizer Market: Tips and Tricks to Increase Efficiency in 2026

Fresh off the floor of Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Faith returns with a pulse check on the Ag Industry and a tactical guide for navigating the volatile fertilizer markets of 2026. While the industry buzzes with new biologicals and tech, the reality for growers remains the same: we must compete on a global scale by becoming the lowest-cost producer. In this episode, Faith breaks down specific, actionable strategies to make every pound of N, P, and K go further. She explains why nitrogen is useless without sulfur and molybdenum, why phosphorus applications need to shift to in-season timing for energy, and why high-magnesium soils in the Midwest require a completely different potassium strategy than the rest of the country. If you are looking to cut waste and focus on what actually gets into the plant, this episode is your blueprint. In this episode, you’ll learn: Commodity Classic Takeaways: The industry shift toward biologicals, structured water, and new adjuvant tech, plus the global pressure to lower cost-per-bushel. Nitrogen Efficiency: Why split applications are non-negotiable in 2026. Faith details the "protein synthesis pack"—why you must pair N with Carbon, Sulfur, and Molybdenum to prevent waste. Phosphorus & Zinc: Why P is actually a late-season energy limiting factor. Faith advises moving P applications in-season (sidedress) and explains why you should never apply Phosphorus without Zinc. The High-Mag Potassium Problem: For Midwest growers with high magnesium soils, broadcast K is often tied up immediately. Faith explains why moving Potassium to a sidedress or foliar pass is the only way to beat the soil antagonism. The Nitrogen/Potassium Block: How over-applying Nitrogen can physically block Potassium uptake, leading to disease and standability issues that look like a deficiency but are actually an excess. Stress Mitigation First: Why the first dollar of your 2026 fertility budget should be spent on mitigating herbicide and weather stress, because a shut-down plant takes up zero nutrients. After You Listen:  * Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes * Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals * Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com [infinityagsolutions@gmail.com].

Stress Mitigation: The 2026 Game Plan

Fresh off the Agronomy Roadshow in Indiana and heading into Commodity Classic, Faith Lois returns for a solo episode packed with practical, albeit controversial, agronomic advice for the 2026 season. In this episode, Faith delivers a "hot take" on Potassium application for high-magnesium soils in the Midwest: stop applying it upfront. She explains why moving Potassium in-season can unlock early-season Calcium uptake, build better stalk structure, and improve economic efficiency. Conversely, she contrasts this with the soil needs in Nebraska, highlighting why agronomy is never one-size-fits-all. Beyond specific nutrients, Faith pivots to the macro-view of agriculture. She argues that in a global market, the American farmer must become the lowest-cost producer to win. The strategy? Shift your mindset from "feeding the soil" to "mitigating stress." From herbicide stress to the oxidative stress caused by excess nitrogen, Faith explains why the first dollar you spend in 2026 should be on keeping the plant's metabolic engine running, not just piling on fertilizer. In this episode, you’ll learn: The Potassium Pivot: Why growers in high-magnesium soils (IL, WI, IN) should stop applying K upfront and move it to a sidedress pass to prevent it from antagonizing early-season Calcium uptake. Global Competitiveness: Why chasing every last bushel is a losing strategy in 2026. The goal is to drive down the cost of production per bushel to compete on a global scale. Stress Mitigation is King: Why a stressed crop cannot uptake nutrients, no matter how high your soil test levels are. Faith argues that stress mitigation (herbicide stress, weather, nitrogen load) should be the #1 investment this year. The Nitrogen-Disease Link: How plugging a plant with excess nitrates creates oxidative stress and feeds pathogens like Tar Spot, and why "more nitrogen" often leads to "less efficiency." The Carbon Gap: A look back at why fertilizer was more efficient in the 80s (higher carbon levels from manure/rotation) and how raising your WEOC (Water Extractable Organic Carbon) can restore that efficiency today. The 5% Rule: Why 95% of the biological heavy lifting happens in just 5% of the soil (the rhizosphere), and why you need to focus your management there. After You Listen:  * Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes * Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals * Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com [infinityagsolutions@gmail.com].

When Did We Stop Farming for ROI? Auditing Your Fertility Plan for 2026

In this solo episode of Rhizometrx, host Faith issues a wake-up call to growers as they head into the 2026 planning season. With margins tighter than ever, Faith challenges the industry's obsession with chasing the "last five bushels" regardless of cost. Faith opens the books on real-world data, comparing traditional "build and maintain" fertilizer programs against the Baseline RX approach. She breaks down a sobering case study where chasing a specific Phosphorus PPM number resulted in a $165/acre net loss over four years. Conversely, she shares incredible success stories of fields crushing their 5-year APH by 30 to 60 bushels while spending less on fertility. If you are tired of trading money to grow corn and ready to detach your emotions from arbitrary soil test numbers, this episode is your blueprint for auditing your inputs and reclaiming profitability. In this episode, you’ll learn: ROI vs. Ego: Why chasing high yields for the sake of a number often leads to "trading money," and why it's okay to leave bushels on the table if they aren't profitable. ** The $165/Acre Mistake:** Faith walks through a data set showing how a 4-year Phosphorus build program cost a grower significant capital with negative ROI. Potassium Pitfalls: A look at a potash application plan that bled $25/acre per year simply to move a soil test number that didn't correlate to yield. Grow the Crop, Not the Acre: The mindset shift needed to move away from building soil test levels (PPM) and toward feeding the specific crop in front of you based on true limiting factors. Real-World Wins: Faith shares data from a grower who, by addressing limiting factors rather than broadcasting bulk fertilizer, achieved yields 50+ bushels over their APH on significantly less fertility spend. Resourcefulness: Why modern farmers need to adopt a "Depression-era mindset" of resourcefulness—auditing every dollar and ensuring it performs—even when markets eventually turn back up. After You Listen:  * Subscribe to RhizoMetRx to stay updated on new episodes * Share this episode with fellow growers, consultants, or agronomy professionals * Join the conversation—send your questions, field observations, or feedback to infinityagsolutions@gmail.com [infinityagsolutions@gmail.com].