Dirks Bros

01/17/2026

If you seen the earlier graphic on our Two Pass System vs No Application, you maybe thinking but what happens if you compare to a traditional R1 pass with a name brand fungicide? This is the result in 2025 on our farm between those two practices. A 6.1 bushel / acre advantage to use a generic with a stress mitigator twice vs a name brand once. How did that work out with costs? Call or message us to find out? 😉

01/17/2026

What are the results when you have the right equipment, the right people, and the right products/system? A positive ROI! TOP Ag Services achieved 15.2 bushels per acre in 2025 on our farm testing our generic fungicide two pass program. The best part is; "it did not break the budget".

01/07/2026

Blueprint is a bold statement to tie with high yield soybeans. Think rather we can mitigate risk, hold budgets, and position ourselves well to maximize rainfall we do get. Feel free to share this infographic or watch this YouTube video where Celena Hawkins joins me to discuss your farm's ROI on this crop. https://youtu.be/PDMNHWutOL4

12/25/2025

11/19/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4Kk9ORh8s

Current Research: "Bucket Tests"

We’re running three major tests, all designed to answer one big question: How accurate are the soil test numbers we base our fertilizer decisions on?

First, we’re comparing your current commercial lab to the Radicle Lab. We take one bucket of soil, mix it thoroughly, and send the exact same soil to both labs five or six different times.
This shows us two things: How much do the numbers vary?
And which lab is more repeatable? Because if the lab can’t give the same answer twice, how can we trust the recommendations?

Second, we’re testing lime response—how much lime it really takes to fix low pH. We take soils under 5.8 pH, add different lime rates, incubate them for 120 days, and measure changes in pH, buffer pH, and nutrient levels. That lets us dial in lime rates that actually move the needle on your soils.

Third, we’re running a two-part study on phosphorus and potassium.

Part one: We take a portion of the soil, add controlled amounts of P or K, incubate it for 120 days, and measure how much the soil test value increases. This tells us the soil’s buffer capacity—how many pounds it takes to raise the soil test number.

Part two: Using soil from the same bucket, we grow wheat in the greenhouse. The wheat is given every nutrient it needs except the one we’re testing—one set for phosphorus, one set for potassium.
We keep growing and clipping the wheat until the soil is mined out and the plant finally shows deficiency. The soil test level at that point becomes the true critical level for that soil.

Together, these tests show us how much nutrient it takes to build a soil test, and where crops actually start running short.

All three tests give us clearer, local data so you can make smarter fertility decisions and spend your dollars where they’ll actually pay.

1. Commercial Lab vs. Radicle Lab RepeatabilityHow we compare your current lab to the Radicle Lab by sending the same soil multiple times to each lab—showin...

10/31/2025

The part we obsess about is the part that pays you back.

Dirks Bros is proud to offer crop fertility planning system that uses the next level tools and practices to find ways to be more efficient with our crop fert...

09/23/2025

What’s really leaving the field with your grain?

For decades we’ve relied on “average” grain removal numbers from the 1980s. Today, we’re actually testing the nutrients inside your grain samples — because every field, every year, tells a different story.

The question is: are you tracking what’s actually being removed, or what the book said 40 years ago?

Stay tuned for lab results!

09/01/2025

Good Labor Day! We’re excited to share that our new onsite Radicle Lab by Precision Planting is up and running — the first fully automated soil testing system of its kind. After years of development, this machine can turn soil cores into accurate data with zero human handling, and it’s fascinating to watch. We filmed a 10-minute video so you can watch it "labor" while you holiday.

Get ready for one of the most satisfying videos you’ll see in agriculture. Dirks Bros is proud to offer the Radicle Lab by Precision Planting — the world’s f...

08/20/2025

Our first annual "What We Are Learning" event was a huge success! We loved showing growers how we’re working for their success, sharing impactful insights, and unveiling some of the exciting technology shaping the future.

Shoutout to D&J Smokin BBQ for catering an amazing BBQ lunch.

08/04/2025

07/30/2025

We were one cactus short of rebranding our fertility plot as a "drought tolerance trial". We were relieved to catch a nice rain this afternoon, and we're glad the growers in its path could finally catch a break. For those still waiting, your turns next!

07/26/2025

After a year of trying it out, we’re convinced. We’re getting our own Radicle Lab right here at Dirks Bros. It’s faster, more accurate, and it’s going to change the way we manage fertility. We can’t wait to show you what this thing can do. Stay tuned!

https://radicle.ag/