AFM AFM Soil & Land Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which soil testing parameter is most critical for determining lime application rates on US farmland?
- Soil pH (Correct answer)
- Organic matter percentage
- Cation exchange capacity (CEC)
- Soil texture class
Correct answer: Soil pH
Soil pH directly determines the need for lime to neutralize acidity and optimize nutrient availability for crops.
Question 2: What does a Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) primarily provide to farm managers?
- Crop yield history records
- Detailed soil map units and interpretations for land use planning (Correct answer)
- Fertilizer purchase recommendations
- Weather data overlays
Correct answer: Detailed soil map units and interpretations for land use planning
SSURGO provides detailed soil map units, properties, and interpretations that guide land use decisions, drainage planning, and productivity ratings.
Question 3: Conservation tillage practices primarily benefit farm managers by:
- Increasing short-term yields significantly
- Reducing soil erosion and lowering fuel and labor costs (Correct answer)
- Eliminating the need for herbicides
- Improving drainage in poorly drained fields
Correct answer: Reducing soil erosion and lowering fuel and labor costs
Conservation tillage leaves crop residue on the soil surface, which reduces erosion and decreases the number of field passes, saving fuel and labor.
Question 4: A Highly Erodible Land (HEL) determination affects an AFM-managed farm primarily because:
- It increases property tax assessments
- It requires a conservation plan to maintain eligibility for USDA program benefits (Correct answer)
- It prohibits any row crop production
- It mandates organic certification within five years
Correct answer: It requires a conservation plan to maintain eligibility for USDA program benefits
Under USDA's Highly Erodible Land Conservation provisions, producers farming HEL must apply an approved conservation system to remain eligible for federal farm program benefits.
Question 5: Which practice best improves water infiltration on compacted US agricultural soils?
- Increasing nitrogen fertilizer rates
- Subsoil tillage or deep ripping to break up plow pan (Correct answer)
- Switching to drip irrigation
- Applying potassium at higher rates
Correct answer: Subsoil tillage or deep ripping to break up plow pan
Subsoil tillage disrupts the compacted layer below the normal tillage depth, allowing water and roots to penetrate more easily.
Question 6: When evaluating land productivity for leasing purposes, an AFM manager would most likely use:
- The county average property tax rate
- Soil productivity index scores and yield history to set a fair cash rent (Correct answer)
- The seller's asking price as the baseline
- Machinery inventory value
Correct answer: Soil productivity index scores and yield history to set a fair cash rent
Soil productivity index scores combined with actual yield history provide an objective, data-driven basis for establishing equitable cash rent rates.
AFM AFM Soil & Land Management 1
Which soil testing parameter is most critical for determining lime application rates on US farmland?