[Terrapreta] Fossil-Fuel Based Fertilizers

[Jon C. Frank]

Sean,

Can you elaborate on what you mean by this with some specific examples?

SKB>The use of industrially made, [fossil-fuel based fertilizers] is a

Thanks,

Jon
  -----Original Message-----
  From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org]On Behalf Of Sean K. Barry
  Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:02 PM
  To: MMBTUPR at aol.com; lou gold
  Cc: Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] You Are What You Grow


  Hi Lou, Lewis,

  The over-use of industrial fertilizer is lethal to soil microorganisms and
leads to the degradation of agricultural soils.  The soils become degraded
because they have less soil organic matter in them.  The soil, without a
healthy soil micro-flora, loses the ability to hold onto vital plant
nutrients;  C HOPKINS CaFé Mgr.  The soils lose the ability to hold water
and the water soluble plant nutrients.  The soils are left having no
nutrients (without continued fertilizer applications) and no soil
microorganisms to deliver the nutrients to the plants.  This is what soil
"fertility" is (or was)!

  There are many other documented ill-effects from the use industrial
fertilizer in soil, e.g., reduced Cation Exchange Capacity, undesirable
changes in pH, stiffer "tilth", making in impossible to plow without larger
equipment, the unceasing need for increases in continued "fertilizer"
applications, and the nitrification of water tables, stream, rivers, and
oceans.

  Sometimes, more fertilizer washes or leaches away, than is ever used by
the plants.  Farmers pay more to pollute, than they do to improve their
crops.  Specifically, liquid anhydrous ammonia (the most inexpensive and
commonly used nitrogen fertilizer in the USA) is very toxic in soils.  It
has very rapidly degraded the native fertility of large swaths of soils in
this country already.

  The use of industrially made, fossil-fuel based fertilizers is a shameful
gluttony that Industrial Agriculture has done for this country.
  It may be one of the worst things that we have ever done to the land.

  SKB
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/terrapreta_bioenergylists.org/attachments/20070914/a2331416/attachment.html