Introduction
For hundreds of thousands of years, Nature has provided sustenance for all living things through the natural fertility of the soil. It rings true today with one exception. Man, with his new-found technologies, decided he knows more than Nature, and been managing the soil with the idea that “what you remove, you must replace”.

This thinking is not totally wrong - but how we replace it is very important! If we add to this theory that we - MAN - can copy Nature's nutrients without considering the effect on Nature's undisputable laws, then we are assuming that we are as informed as Mother Nature, herself.

We will explore Nature's fertility cycle in the soil. Possibly, we can form a new viewpoint on how we can work with the soil and accomplish methods for more sustainable agricultural practices.

This article is the viewpoint of the writer, who, after studying the works of some of today’s prominent soil scientists, will endeavour to break down a lot of very complicated science, into layman's terms. Hopefully, you will gain a better understanding of the society and cycle of life in the soil.

The Balance Sheet
To gain a very basic understanding of the natural fertility of the soil, we must first have a look at the generally accepted principles of fertilizer management.

Long ago, a noted German scientist named Justus Von Liebig produced the “Balance Sheet Theory” – the notion that the soil is a medium that, devoid of life, is merely a storage bin for water and inorganic minerals. In 1840, Von Liebig made the observation that plant growth and yields were in exact proportion to the mineral nutrients removed from the soil. This would lead us to believe that the solution to soil management lies in the theory that if we replace in any form, the mineral content that has been removed, we can sustain agriculture and thereby maintain soil fertility. This is NONSENSE!

If this principle is accepted as fact, how can we explain Nature’s ability to achieve growth when chemical fertilizers are not added? Why do the great forests survive and flourish? How were the grasslands of the Great Plains maintained before man came along? Obviously Nature has more ability than we are willing to give it credit for. If this theory were relevant, the problems of soil degradation would not be a consideration today. It has been well documented in science that Von Liebeg’s theory has no foundation in Nature’s fertility. It leaves out the most important consideration, which is the interaction of the biological cycle of life in the soil.

In the USDA Yearbook (1957), Von Liebeg’s theory was discounted as having no basis in the overall picture of soil management. It might also be noted that Von Liebig himself denounced the balance sheet theory before his death.

Why has science and the agricultural research establishment held so tight to this principal in its recommendations to the farming industry? Could it be possible that this theory is very comfortable to the multi-national corporations involved in the manufacture of farm chemicals?

You may be sitting in a comfortable chair at this point feeling that the writer is promoting sour grapes, but please be patient. It is well documented in western society that the science of exploitation is the most finely honed, financed, and researched science in the world today. Unfortunately the steward of the soil, the farmer, is the easiest prey. It is also well known that most research today is contingent on private funding from these major corporations, how easy it is to come to a predetermined answer to the problems in agriculture today.

We can accept these conclusions of modern research, or we can open our eyes to what scientists, who, without the influence of these ingrained principles of soil management have been saying for many years. The fundamentals of soil fertility begin with the living organisms that inhabit the soil. There is far greater abundance of life within the soil than the total of all forms of life that inhabit the surface of the earth.

Life in the Soil
The soil is a living entity containing such diverse life forms, that even today, the study of these organisms is one of the most complicated and misunderstood sciences.

Soil organisms can be compared to our society above ground, because every individual in the soil’s ecosystem is dependent on others for some of its needs. It therefore gains a complexity that cannot be ignored. Like a community with a diverse social structure, every activity must be looked on as a part of the overall system - as essential services decline so does the strength of the community. Like a chain, the ecosystem of the soil is only as strong as its weakest link.

To gain a basic understanding of this complex system, we must learn a bit about the organisms that make up the society of the soil.

The microorganisms that inhabit the soil fall into five basic families:

In healthy, fertile soil, billions of microorganisms may thrive in a single gram of soil. Within this fantastic society lies the key to survival of all life that flourishes above the surface of the earth.

Of all microorganisms, bacteria make up the greatest numbers in the society of the soil. They are diverse in species and perform many different functions in the fertility cycle. Some are involved in fixation of nitrogen, both from the air and from the breakdown of organic matter. They control the nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, and iron cycles in the soil. Bacteria are also predominant in the creation of enzymes and breakdown of mineral elements into available plant nutrients.

Actinomycetes are involved primarily in the breakdown of organic matter and produce the wonderful smell of fertile soil.

Algae flourish in high moisture conditions. The blue-green variety are very efficient nitrogen fixers. Their valuable services diminish with moisture loss in the soil.

Protozoa are amoeba that consume bacteria - thereby concentrating and passing on nutrients.

Fungi are mainly decomposers, and generally work deeper in the soil than do the other species.

Microorganisms can be either plant-like or animal-like in form, and must compete in a struggle for survival that is ever-constant in the soil.

Some microorganisms are aerobic - or require air to live - they use elements from the air in the production of plant nutrients. Others are anaerobic - cannot live with air. They live deep in the soil and produce toxins that further break down organic matter and minerals into forms that are usable by plants and other organisms.

There are many factors that determine the numbers of microorganisms in the soil - the most important is their food source. Many species rely on crop wastes and organic matter incorporated in the soil. Still others may live off the remains of other dead organisms. Hence a balance is achieved by Nature in limiting excess, so that none of the species becomes redominant. Modern agricultural practices of using toxic chemicals has profoundly affected this balance.

It has been previously stated that some organisms are plant-like in Nature. If man can kill a 24-weed-spectrum with a herbicide, does it not seem fair to assume that the same chemical would have devastating effects on these tiny organisms. The other problem that arises is this: any substance polluting the soil must be cleaned up by these microorganisms. As the microbes work to break down toxic substances, their dead bodies are being used as a food source for other organisms in the soil. These toxins are carried right up through the food chain to plants and higher animals, including man.

Other methods Nature uses to control the various populations, include the build-up of excrement or by-product of that organism. A good example is nitrogen-fixing bacteria. If high quantities of nitrogen are added to the soil, certain species will assume that their "job" is complete based on the amount of by-product in the soil. The numbers of nitrogen-fixing microbes can be seriously diminished, while other microbes concerned with the breakdown of this nitrogen will flourish. We have created an imbalance that creates other repercussions. What about other organisms that use this nitrogen fixer as
a food source? It would make sense that with a decline in the food source, the population of these organisms will also be limited. While all this is happening, remember we have other organisms whose populations will dramatically increase numbers. What happens to their dead bodies? Do we now have another group of microbes that, with an expanded food supply, can increase their numbers?

Playing games with Nature's undisputable laws has never proven valuable and usually leads to disaster. It would serve us well to remember the links of the chain - and the fact that any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

The soil also contains many larger life forms that carry on in this competition for survival. They include mites; spring tails, ants, millipedes, sow bugs, rotifers, and worms to name a few. Also in this group is the ultimate soil engineer - the earthworm. This fantastic mobile soil factory carries out many worthy functions in the soil society.

As the earthworm burrows through the soil, it carries tons of organic matter down deep into the soil. On its return trip, it brings up minerals from deep in the soil. In its travels, it also consumes microorganisms and organic matter. It leaves behind castings (excrement) that contain five times more nitrogen, nine times more phosphorus, nineteen times more potassium, three times more calcium, and four times more magnesium, than is naturally present in the soil surrounding it! Along with this amazing accomplishment it also leaves microorganisms that measure in numbers at least ten times higher than those that are consumed in the process. Earthworms produce their own weight in castings each day - or about ½ pound per year per worm. An acre of fertile soil can contain as many as a million earthworms. You can do your own arithmetic on the value of their services to the farmer.

Nature can be forgiving if we work within her laws. Good soil management practices will quickly stimulate a rebirth in soil organisms if the environment is improved. The environment of the soil has been degraded to levels that are seriously threatening the soil organisms. We must now strive to gain a new perspective in dealing with the natural
fertility cycle.

The Natural Fertility Cycle
To gain a new perspective on soil management we must now learn a little of how Nature's system works. Although Nature’s method of building nutrients in the soil is very complex, we will try to produce an overview in understandable terms.

The breakdown of organic matter follows a complex pattern with teeming legions of microbes, each fulfilling its own specific role. In the first stages of this cycle, called putrefaction, toxins are produced which are harmful to soil organisms and may retard plant growth. With the presence of oxygen, moisture and proper temperature this portion of the breakdown will be completed in about two weeks. If there is a lack of oxygen, due to poor soil structure this period may be lengthened. This could result in contamination of the soil by toxins such as formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide and methane. This contamination can also occur if organic matter is incorporated too deeply into the soil. Once putrefaction is completed the decomposition stage begins. Here many organisms thrive in the struggle for life. Organisms are consuming organic matter that is digested and transformed to available plant food.

It is after this stage that the organic residues are collected in water, along with amino acids and salts of humic acid to form soil plasma. Soil plasma is a jelly-like substance that coats soil particles and clay crystals to form the clay humus complex, or stable humus. The formation of stable humus is probably the single most important event in creating good soil fertility. Literally all of Nature’s organisms must play their part in the cycle to achieve this miracle. Once stable humus is formed it becomes and efficient warehouse for plant nutrients.

The sticky humus along with poly saccharides, which are complex sugars from the excrement of microorganisms, bind particles together in clusters or aggregates. It is these aggregates that give fertile soil its crumb like structure or tilth, as well as porosity.

Aggregate structures, due to irregular shape of the soil particles, provide a large surface area for the soil solution to adsorb or cling to.

The soil solution or liquid portion of the soil is made up of water and nutrients. This solution provides the microorganisms with an ideal habitat. Good soil structure can assure us of an increased population of these little farm hands.

Good soil structure provides us with many benefits. Due to its aggregate, or crumb-like structure, it provides increased porosity. This porosity allows much greater moisture retention as well as allowing life giving oxygen penetration to greater depths. It also provides protection against erosion by both wind and water.

Introduction
We should note at this time the various ways in which plants receive nutrition.

Minerals are held in the soil in the form of crystal lattice ions. These ions become available in Nature at a continuous, but very slow rate - by weathering or biological release. Weathered ions become free ions and are stored in the soil solution. By being part of the liquid portion of the soil, they are prone to loss by leaching. Biologically released ions become swarm ions and are attracted to stable humus. They are stored there and become readily available to the plant on command.

Chemical fertilizer advocates believe that for the fertilizer to be efficient, it must be in a soluble form. With excessive use of salts this solubility achieved. When in the soil solution, the mineral nutrients are in the form of free ions, and the plant then must take up water from the soil to receive nutrients. The nutrient balance for the plant is controlled by the type and amount of nutrient supplied the addition of fertilizer. Plants in search of nutrients will absorb extra quantities of water in search of minerals that are not available.

Nutrients in the form of swarm ions are readily available to the plant on an exchange basis. Only the mineral desired by the plant is exchanged and the balance is held in the humus for future use. In this exchange system, the plant uses water only for cooling and to carry out its biological functions. The plant root releases a hydrogen ion to the clay humus colloid, which in turn releases a mineral ion to the plant. The colloid then releases the hydrogen ion, which is an acid, to the mineral crystal lattice, where through biological interaction, the hydrogen or acid is used to release an ion of mineral to the colloid. This is commonly called the cation exchange. Some nutrients in the form of free ions are taken up by the plant in the soil solution, but these are not the key nutrients required for the process of photosynthesis.

With these biological actions taking place in the soil on a steady basis, addition of unwanted minerals can cause an imbalance between swarm ions and free ions. When the plant demands its selection of nutrients, it receives elements in a balanced formula. When combined with amino acids and enzymes, this triggers the mechanical and biological functions within the plant cells. This is the only way the plant can synthesize the full balance of nutrition in its cells. It would pay to remember that plants receive approximately 85% to 95% of their required nutrients from the atmosphere. This is
accomplished through biological interactions such as photosynthesis.

Excessive use of salt-based soluble fertilizers severely inhibits these natural processes. Microbial activity is also severely diminished, as Nature has built-in checks to maintain the balance of nutrients in the soil.

Breaking Down Soil Structure
Soil degradation began with our ancestors, who unknowingly started the process as soon as they broke virgin sod with the plow.

We have learned that the microbes are both aerobic and anaerobic. The action of the plow was to turn the soil over. However, this placed the aerobic (air-breathing) microbes down deep where there is no air, and the anaerobic microbes (those that cannot live in the presence of air) up on top. This action not only caused billions of microbes to perish, but destroyed the levels of organic materials - making them too low to adequately perform their important role in the fertility cycle.

If this was not enough, they cut their crops and carried them to a central spot to be threshed, cheating the microbes out on the next year’s foodstuffs! Then after having what straw they needed for their farm animals, they cleaned up the fields by burning the straw stacks and the stubble. Soon they found they could not continuously crop the soil and started the practice of summer fallow. Now they could produce a fairly decent crop every other year. During the fallow year the farmer used extensive cultivation to keep the land black.

You can now see the pattern forming that is leading to our soil problems of today. Hold on we've just begun. Now we have our friendly soil microbes living off a minimum of foodstuff only every other year. We can now add to this the over-cultivation that is threatening our tilth and destroying the natural habitat of the microbes.

As the soil was degraded, the life-building humus was also depleted, causing decreased yields and the breakdown of quality in our produce. Something had to be done! Man, in his infinite wisdom, and backed up by principles like "The Balance Sheet" theory, started the practice of chemical fertilization. The results were amazing and the farmer entered into an era of prosperity that may never be equaled. Fertilizer was inexpensive and reasonably easy to use. The practice lead to increased yields and the belief that more is better.

Some fertilizers have a very damaging, effect on the soil and its microbial population, and we will explore one such product later on in these pages. It is not the writer's intention to single out one product, but in the search for information we must do so. Anhydrous ammonia being one our major sources of nitrogen fertilizer, is one the writer finds most distasteful. nhydrous was used extensively in World War II, as a method of making soil hard for airplane runways. This was accomplished by the breakdown of the soil structure. Any ammonia type fertilizer added to soil has the devastating effect of dissolving the stable humus and placing it in the liquid portion of the soil. This places excess amounts of nutrients in the soil solution, thereby giving the anhydrous a false valuation as a fertilizer. Add to this the tremendous numbers of free hydrogen ions and
you have a hydration process much similar to that in concrete. Fields with long anhydrous use become very hard and compact with very poor moisture retention. This brings on a hydroponic solution where the soil is merely a medium to hold the artificial nutrient plus the seed. The writer feels that this crime against Nature must come to an end. Other chemical fertilizers are just as limiting on Nature’s cycle.

As we progressed into chemical agriculture, we noticed that pest problems were becoming more prevalent. The solution seemed easy. All the farmer had to do was spray on some pesticide and his fields were clean, we have now reached the point that with the breakdown of the soil structure, the loss of porosity causes anaerobic soil conditions.

Anaerobic soil conditions occur when the life giving oxygen cannot penetrate the soil. Such conditions are evidenced as increasing salinity areas, hard pan conditions, and soil that has just seemed to have lost its fertility, Crops refuse to grow even with the addition of fertilizer. When the aerobic microbes cannot survive, the breakdown of organic matter must all be achieved without the aid of oxygen. Also the final breakdown and passing on of nutrients to plants cannot be achieved.

This has lead the modern farmer into a no win situation where his input costs are surpassing his potential earnings from his crop. He must stop thinking that chemicals, like a magic wand, will cure all his problems. Unfortunately he is not receiving much help from modern research. These research facilities, fueled by major corporations with vested interest, seem to be working the problem backwards. They are busy trying to develop new and more efficient chemicals and chemical resistant strains of crops to deal with the degraded conditions. Why are we not trying to correct the causes of our
problems instead of just dealing with the results?

While this practice carries on, the farmer is looked on by the rest of society as a crier and wanton polluter of our environment. These wonderful new pollutants that are developed by research, become the ultimate responsibility of the farmer. The absurdity of the whole situation is the North American farmer pays billions of dollars a year to lead
to further degradation.

It has been well documented that pests attack the weak in Nature’s plan, which constitutes the law of natural selection, or survival of the fittest. As the wolf in the wild selects the sick and crippled deer, so does the insect select the unhealthy plant. This theory also holds true for weeds. As our soil degrades, Nature provides us with a warning, like a flagman on the highway, that something is wrong. This happens when the natural fertility declines leaving an imbalance in the soil. Mother Nature brings forth weeds to try and restore the balance. This is accomplished through the ability of certain weeds to flourish in deficient conditions. Weeds are incredible transportation systems for soil nutrients. Long tap roots reach down into the subsoil seeking needed minerals. When the weed dies and is incorporated into the soil it carries the nutrients back into the ecosystem. The solution is simple if we once recognize the cause of the problem and not deal only with the result.

Farmers who have adopted natural systems of soil management have found that weeds and insect problems decrease to a very negligible level as the soil balances itself. How long can you continue to handle your pest control with the magic wand?

Rebuilding the Soil Structure
Now that the farmer is caught in an ever tightening spiral of soil degradation and increased input costs, how can he step back and in to a more sustainable system of agriculture. The first step is to reshape his thinking and attune himself with Nature. Man can never better Nature because he is part of Nature himself.

Thousands of farmers, farming millions of acres around the world have found such a system - SUSTAINABLE FARMING. Some call it biological farming, others biodynamic farming - whatever the label, it is working for those who wish to try.

We have looked at the causes of our problems, now let's look at some solutions. Some farmers may use various techniques, but most programs are very similar.

The first requirement is an analysis of the problems on each individual field. The major concern in rebuilding the soil is the percentage of organic matter contained in the soil. If the organic levels are from 1-3%, measures must be taken to replenish the level. Incorporation of manure or other organic wastes are one way to achieve this. If this material is not available it may be necessary to grow a green manure crop. If you are summer fallowing, this can be accomplished in the fallow year. If you are continuous cropping - it can be achieved by planting and harvesting an early crop for feed, and then planting a fast growing crop such as German oil radish. Good green manure crops include: sweet clover, lupines, sorghum-sudan grass or rye. The establishment of increased organic matter is of the greatest importance as it is an absolute requirement
for building stable humus.

Reduce your normal fertilizer application by at least half, and herbicide usage. When the soil has become addicted to chemicals, it is not possible in all cases to eliminate these chemicals the first year. As each crop year goes by you should be able to reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizer and chemical sprays.

Plant your crop with microbial soil inoculants to insure that the microbial population can reach levels that will be required to carry out the necessary functions in the fertility cycle. You must also add a readily available source of nutrients for the plants. Sure we have incorporated fresh organic material, but it may be weeks or months before the microbial population turns it into plant food. There are some high quality plant foods available on the market today, that have very low salt contents.

Speak with a biological consultant about your particular soil conditions and he can help set up a program that will fit your individual needs as well as guide you through the first stages until you gain a basic understanding of how to deal with your soil.

The biological - or sustainable - farming system has been developed by farmers and private research. The conversion to biological farming is not as difficult as you think. Actually, the closer you work with Nature’s laws, the easier it becomes.

It is the hope of the writer that the farmer reading these pages has gained a new perception of some of the problems facing modern agriculture. There may be some experts who can pick apart some of our statements, based on their own particular
viewpoint. This article is the result of comparison and study of many different viewpoints, some of which the writer did not agree with. A common sense approach was taken to provide an overview to farmers, not experts. If you agree that farmers must go forward to a new era in dealing within Nature’s laws, “TELL THESE PEOPLE TO TAKE A WALK.”

With a renewed perspective, the farmer can hold his head up with pride in the fact that he can again take the position of Guardian of the Soil

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