RhizoMetRx
RhizoMetRx is where dirt meets data. Agronomist Faith breaks down the chemical, physical, and biological factors driving crop performance—going beyond outdated checklists to deliver real, actionable agronomy. If you’re ready to understand the hidden half of the plant, improve profitability from the root up, and rethink soil fertility, this podcast is for you.
RhizoMetRx
Rethinking Nitrogen & Building Better Soil Systems: A Crop Cast Roundtable Re-Air
In this special episode of Rhizometrx, we are unlocking the archives to bring you a powerhouse roundtable conversation that originally aired on The Crop Cast. As we head into the 2026 growing season, the themes discussed here—managing input costs, rethinking nitrogen efficiency, and questioning traditional soil sampling—are more relevant than ever.
Faith joins Crop Cast host Sean Nettleton, along with Nebraska agronomists Kyle Olson and Chase Perry, for a no-holds-barred discussion on the state of modern agronomy. The group dives deep into why "grids suck," why over-applying nitrogen is burning out your soil’s carbon engine, and how moving to a system like Baseline RX can help you cut costs without cutting yield. If you are looking for a blueprint to navigate tight margins while building long-term soil resiliency, this is the conversation you need to hear.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The "Grid Sucks" Mentality: Why grid sampling often creates artificial variability rather than identifying the true biological and physical variability that zone sampling captures.
The Nitrogen Paradox: Why too much nitrogen often looks like a deficiency, and how excess N burns up Water Extractable Organic Carbon (WEOC), leading to stalk quality issues and disease pressure.
Fungicide as a Symptom: The linear relationship between over-applying nitrogen and the need for multiple fungicide passes. Are we treating disease, or are we treating a self-inflicted nutritional imbalance?
Profitability Over Yield: Shifting the goalpost from "highest yield at all costs" to "highest ROI." How to use tools like Ferticast to make intelligent cuts to your fertility budget without sacrificing the crop.
The "Easy Button" Problem: How modern agriculture has relied on band-aids (more chem, more fert) rather than addressing the root cause: soil health.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
- The CropCast: Sean’s podcast powered by BW Fusion
- Follow Faith on X @FaithLois12
- Dirt to Dollars: Follow Kyle Olson & Chase Perry on Facebook
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.