21A. Organic-matter content is one of the most important but often overlooked soil properties.
Pesticides typically attach to organic matter, reducing the chances of leaching.
Therefore, the lower the organic matter content in a soil, the more likely a pesticide will leach and threaten groundwater. When the organic-matter level is low, there is also an increased risk of applying excessive amounts of pesticides and possibly damaging the crop. Therefore, some pesticide labels will list lower application rates for soils with a lower organic-matter content. When you know your soil's organic-matter content, you know when you can lower rates, which means savings in dollars. 21C. One way to estimate organic-matter content is to determine the soil type and look up its properties in the county soil survey.