With harvest just about wrapped up in Manitoba, fall field work is ongoing.

John Heard, crop nutrition specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, says soil testing is always important to figure out what nutrients have been depleted from the ground. However, he says in years of frost or hail, soil-testing can also help figure out what nutrients are already in the soil.

"Sometimes if those nutrients were not used and exploited by the crop, that means they may still remain there and be of benefit to next year's crop," Heard says. "If we measure nutrients in the soil now, that level is very closely related to what is available in next year's crop. Our farmers, if they're using the soil test — particularly the nitrogen soil test — are far better able to estimate crop needs and focus than in environments where the soil test doesn't work."

Heard adds that the best soil sampling happens once the ground has cooled off, but says producers should test before tillage equipment hits the field.