ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the setting and management of Sanborn Field and presents summaries of 100 years of results to illustrate the impact of long-term culture on nutrient status and organic matter level in the soil. The site for Sanborn Field, when selected in 1888, was in an uninhabited area southeast of the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia. The site occupied by Sanborn Field was described in early handwritten notes as being in grass with scattered woody species. Crop yields obtained from Sanborn Field over the 100 years of culture have been impacted by cropping systems, technology, and management. The decline in soil productivity among plots between 1888 and 1913 is reflected in the comparison of yields, particularly between untreated and manured plots. The chapter demonstrates that close interaction of soil nutrient status and crop performance.
