Soil biology is taking center stage in modern crop management, and a new tool from Waypoint Analytical is helping farmers understand the underground activity driving yield potential. Maci Carter with the Oklahoma Farm Report caught up with Lizzie French, Manager of Soil Biology with Waypoint Analytical, at the Nutrien Ag Solutions booth to discuss Waypoint’s newly launched Soil Biology Report. French said the tool was born from “a huge increase in interest in soil health and sustainability” paired with new technology that now allows researchers to look directly at the microbes driving those processes. “We had this confluence of things coming together to be able to develop this report,” she explained.
French told Carter that traditional soil tests only show one piece of the picture. While they indicate nutrient levels, they don’t show how effectively nutrients are being cycled. “We typically think of the soil as a warehouse of nutrients,” she said, “but what’s missing from that is, do I have people working in that warehouse?” The biology report addresses that gap by identifying the microbial “workers” and the heavy-lifting processes that support fertility.
Explaining how the report works, French said the test analyzes microbial DNA extracted from the same sample used for a fertility test. With that information, growers can see “how many nitrogen fixers you have, how many P and K solubilizers you have,” and get direction on where capacity might need improvement. She added that sampling both high-yielding and low-yielding zones can reveal limitations that traditional tests miss, such as “high potential for losses of nutrients in those low-yielding areas.”
French emphasized that understanding microbial activity empowers producers to make more efficient management decisions. Focusing on nitrogen, she noted that every transformation—“nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification”—is microbially driven. Knowing a field’s biological capacity helps growers decide whether to split nitrogen applications or use inhibitors. It also guides residue management, since breaking down crop residue depends heavily on soil biology and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.
To wrap up, French stressed that the biology report is designed to complement—not replace—Waypoint’s chemistry and nutrient tests, offering a complete view of soil health. “That soil fertility test tells you what’s in the warehouse… and the biology test tells you if you have the activity to make those nutrients available,” she said. For farmers new to biological testing, she recommends starting with a baseline sample during routine soil testing and visiting waypointanalytical.com for guidance. “See where you’re at today,” she told Carter, and then use the data to maximize soil function heading into 2026.
