A former North Dakota State University Extension specialist and professor may have retired, but he hasn’t stopped sharing his knowledge of soil with the state.

Two years after his retirement from NDSU Extension, Dave Franzen has compiled over five decades of soil fertility expertise into his book, “The North Dakota Soil and Fertilizer Resource.”

“The North Dakota Soil and Fertilizer Resource” is an online-only publication for agronomists, farmers, scientists and industry professionals covering the soils of North Dakota, soil fertility, production systems and agronomic challenges.

“This online book will be an invaluable resource for North Dakotans, covering nearly every topic relating to management and fertility of our soils,” says Brady Goettl, NDSU Extension soil science specialist.

The publication, an NDSU Extension resource, is available at ag.ndsu.edu/NDsoilresource.

This resource guides the grower and their crop consultants in adopting new practices and changes in fertilizer rates and input choices. No-till and no-till-like soil management reduce dependence on some fertilizer rates and reduce the impact of drought on crop yield compared to a tillage-intensive system in North Dakota. Crop growers now have the ability, through GPS and automatic equipment controllers, to test management operations and inputs in their own fields.

More information on soil management from NDSU Extension is available at ndsu.ag/soil-26.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Sept. 2, 2026

Source: Brady Goettl, 701-367-2441, brady.goettl@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu