Joel Williams

Soil health educator, rethinking soils through a lens of biology.

[Fabian Seed Farms Inc. @ABSeedman]

And just like that we go from solubilizing urea yesterday to applying it on our fields today. 5 gal of solution with 5 water for a 10gal ride. Herbicide plus full nutrition pkg. applied at the 3 leaf stage for max yield potential. Oh yeah, no up front N...none.

[Samuel Deane @ArableSam]

Lovely foliar fertilizer set up by @jhealyq
@IntegratedSoils

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

@agronomistag It's not like it's the first study to suggest similar findings, you know this already. Always gotta start somewhere I suppose, that's why they do...

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

"Years of breeding crops in the presence of easily accessible fertilisers has created high yielding crops for modern farms, but they can be ‘lazy’ underground"

https://t.co/OrKrKx6YnL

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

@HybridAg1 Great day and beautiful setting! 🍷

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

@RobHenley17 @ArableSam @DanPBrown UAS (or urea + ammonium sulphate) is also a good option with the additional S and hence more balanced N:S for protein synthesis. A small amount of nitrate inclusion 'can' be beneficial mainly around tillering as it specifically supports this process.

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

@NeddyFlanders11 @ArableSam Yes it is Mike

[Global Sustainable Agriculture & Environment @CropGlobal]

In Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment-Review of Amino Acid Foliar Application as a Stress Mitigation Strategy: Unraveling the Protective Mechanisms Against Abiotic Stress - Ma - 2026 -
https://t.co/npLdWE4m4U

[REGENETARIANISM מידת האמת @REGENETARIANISM]

Real interesting review paper on the role a wide array of root exudates play in shaping soil microbial communities and mitigating plant stress. Root exudates include a lot more than "cookies and cakes."

Full article here: https://t.co/4M98cyMReg

cc. @Johnkempf @IntegratedSoils @MattPowersSoil @samdknowlton @CSUChicoRegenAg @UnderstandingAg @AcresUSA

[REGENETARIANISM מידת האמת @REGENETARIANISM]

Interesting new open source paper on MAOM-N, Mineral-associated organic nitrogen pool size, composition, and accessibility mediated by agricultural management and soil geochemical characteristics.

Link to full paper here: https://t.co/5lkroAtRG5

Below are some excerpts:

"...Organic matter can provide a relatively slow-cycling source of bioavailable N that may be better matched to plant demand than mineral N fertilizers (Franklin et al., 2017, Yang et al., 2020)..."

"...However, in many soils, the majority of SOM-N is held within mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM).."

"....Agricultural management practices could also exert a significant influence on MAOM-N stocks (Villarino et al., 2023). On average, soils maintained under long-term cropping systems contain 37 % less MAOM-N compared to grasslands (Lugato et al., 2021). Tillage practices are likely partly responsible for this observed decline: soils maintained under conventional tillage may contain 9–20 % less MAOM-N compared to soils maintained under reduced tillage practices (Jilling et al., 2020, St. Luce et al., 2022). Mineral N fertilizers applied to agricultural soils can accelerate MAOM-N loss by stimulating microbial decomposition or through pH changes that disrupt mineral-organic associations (Ren et al., 2024). Agricultural management may also reduce the quantity of new organic N inputs available to form MAOM-N. A decrease in the amount and diversity of root exudates and other rhizodeposits under annual monocropping systems has been linked to a decline in SOM stocks and mean residence time compared to soils maintained under perennial grasslands and mixed croplands (Cotrufo et al., 2022, Domeignoz-Horta et al., 2024, Eisenhauer et al., 2017, Ma et al., 2022, Poeplau et al., 2021, Seitz et al., 2023)...."

cc. @Johnkempf @IntegratedSoils @samdknowlton @UnderstandingAg @CSUChicoRegenAg @MattPowersSoil @SusFoodTrust @ffinlocostain

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

"...grasslands can function as net carbon sinks, even after accounting for methane emissions from livestock"

https://t.co/TGanYWukIc

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

“People usually think of microplastics as a problem for oceans [...] our work shows that terrestrial plants are also on the front line and may become an important gateway for plastics into land food webs.”

https://t.co/FgORXbWLmr

[Katrina Sasse @katrinasasse]

Excited for this fantastic line up of speakers for NACC NRM to benefit farmers north of Perth in early 2026 @KevinElmy @IntegratedSoils @grant_sims

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

A selection of upcoming webinars for the new year, I'll be taking part in the biochar discussion... see you there.

https://t.co/uTL8Kx1trH

[Soil Biodiversity @theGSBI]

🪱🐜 Happy #WorldSoilDay!! 🕷️🪲

Although we celebrate soil everyday, today is a great reminder to appreciate the breadth of diversity beneath our feet.

Check out the GSBI atlas to explore the organisms that call soil home!

https://t.co/pInVkMr1hr

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

@JasonSchley @broketard Impressive! So 1/10th the rate of N yielded better.

You might appreciate this study, 1/15th of amino/peptide-N outperformed or did as well as urea-N...

https://t.co/K4bacdlx7K

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

@JasonSchley @broketard You know me, the urea vs amino treatments catch my eye! Can you clarify the lbs of actual N in each of those two treatments?

[Jason Schley @JasonSchley]

Foliar feeding PAYS, but we were told it does NOT! How far is ag BEHIND because we were told something did NOT work and we did not push back and or do our own research?

From the best treatment to the check is just under 25 bushels better. Second guess standard ag, and continue to look for answers.

This is what we focus on. How to become more efficient. This is also why we build our own data and don’t rely on everyone else’s data and a bunch of outdated information!

[Joel Williams @IntegratedSoils]

Looking forward to this tour of Saskatchewan in November- talking Nitrogen and Cover Crops

[SaskSoil @SaskSoil]

🌱 Conquest & area producers — Discover how #covercrops can boost soil biology, improve nutrient cycling & build long-term farm resilience. Join us Nov 13 for a full-day workshop with #soilhealth expert @IntegratedSoils!

🎟️ $25 - details at https://t.co/yPq8gJSy4S

#SaskAg