Agriculture certainly doesn’t have an off-season, but the start of Spring is when things really turn up! Soil is thawing, snow and ice are melting, and water is moving. Growers are preparing soil for planting and checking equipment for maintenance, all in preparation for the next growing season. It seems like the industry as a whole takes to the field, and it’s time for the hands-on research to kick off.

Thawing soils and preparation for planting means that Spring is the critical time to investigate soil health. The use of agricultural chemicals by growers begins making Spring a good time to begin water monitoring efforts to characterize and address concerns of runoff. As winter comes to a close, sampling of soil and water becomes possible across a larger range of the landscape, making this an ideal time for:

• Monitoring studies – it’s the season to start stream sampling for monitoring residues of interest. While analytical facilities can process samples year-round, savvy scientists know that sampling and study planning happens in Spring.
• Regulatory field studies – terrestrial and aquatic dissipation studies are timed around soil and water collection availability and the typical timing of planting. Getting your required dissipation studies in the queue now will prevent submission headaches for you later on in the regulatory process.
• Specialized field research and trials – Spring is the time to turn up the dial on all field services, including:
• Investigating impacts of drift
• Volatilization studies
• Runoff studies

Our team has been busy getting our equipment field-ready, our trucks gassed-up and our antihistamines stocked. So if you’re a bit late getting to the starting line, reach out and we’ll make sure your seasonal field needs are met.