Customer Reviews

Neal Kinsey's Hands-On Agronomy

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An in depth discussion of soil fertility issues and how to use specific fertilizers to achieve balanced crop nutrtion. Excellent statagies for soil testing. Answers to soil problems not easily found.

Attending one of Mr. Kinsey's seminars and visiting with the farmers who have implemented his programs will convince the most staunch skeptic. His concept of "Feeding the soil and let the soil feed the plant" makes perfect sense. All elements in the soil must be within specific parameters for any plant to grow and produce to its full potential. Too much of the research results and recommendations that are available are tied to some corporate sponsorship that is ultimately tied to a product they wish to sell whether it is needed or not. Mr. Kinsey's success in 50 states and 50 countries speaks for itself. If you are a serious steward of the land and intend to stay in business in agriculture this book will help you get the not only more yield but higher quality products from your operation.

The author has a soil consultation service, and one does not have to read too many pages before one realizes that all that has been read so far is self-aggrandizment, and this continues throughout the book. The author makes the same claims that are heard or read in advertisments for quack products: State and/or university soil testing facilities produce inaccurate results because they cut corners in testing or return stock answers to stock analyses; but; the lab the author uses is 100% accurate. Growers who use the author's recommendations have increased crop yields by X%, with X depending upon the crop in question. All claimed increases are substantial.

The author includes just enough factual material on soils to give the book an air of authority, but is very short on any explanation or reason for the importance of these soil factors (other than humus). The whole book seems to be a many-paged advertisement for people to use his service.

Those interested in the subject might better spend their money on a good soils textbook.