There was a time when all the vitamins and minerals we needed were available in the food we ate. There was no need to go out and buy vitamins in order to obtain the vital nutrients we need for our health and longevity. They were all there for us, in the organically grown, minimally processed foods we were able to readily obtain at any market. This began to change during the early part of the last century.
In 1939, Dr Weston Price wrote that during the previous 50 years, there had been a reduction in soil capacity in many parts of the United States. - from as much as 25% to 50%. In the 1930's, he wrote, it would have cost about $50.00 per acre to replenish the supply of phosphorous in the soil. Instead of working to replenish it, farmers were abandoning the soil. Studies of skeletons in various generations show progressively worsening skeletal deformities, suggesting a progressive increase in soil mineral depletion. At that time, only 45% of U.S. land was available for agriculture due to soil depletion.
A few small farmers took care of their fields. They allowed a field to lie fallow between crops. They rotated their crops. They used natural fertilizers. They grew wholesome food! Then,along came the heavily capitalized and industrialized factory farm, driving the small farmer out of the picture. Only a few of them are left today, and those that are, should be treasured by us, for they still, mostly, produce food that actually nourishes us fully. The modern day factory farm uses chemicals to produce crops, pushes the soil beyond its capacity to produce anything resembling wholesomeness in food, and destroys the natural fertility of the soil. Add to that the insult of the pesticides sprayed on the food we ultimately consume and we can stop wondering about the prevalence of illness and the advent of previously unknown diseases. Soil fertility today is largely something out of history.
WHAT IS SOIL FERTILITY? And Why Should We Care?
Soil fertility is a dozen or so chemical elements in mineral and rock combinations in the earth's crust. These chemicals are slowly being broken out and sent to the ocean. On the way, these chemicals become part of the soil and nourish all life forms. The fertility of the soil determines the quality of the plants that grow in it. Fertile soil contains plants that provide growth and reproduction ability to the animals that eat them. Depleted soil provides only fuel and fattening elements and are of little, or no use, to the animals that forage there.
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT What We Eat Depends On Soil Fertility
Top soil, where the fast growing plants and grasses grow, is normally held in place by the roots of these plants. When these plants are removed the wind and rain and flood waters carry away top soil and the remaining soil becomes depleted of its minerals. Depletion occurs through use as well! Whether the product of the soil is ultimately used as wheat for bread, milk and meat for foods, or wool and hides for clothing, every pound of these products represents a depletion of soil for pasturage or for grain production. The problem of soil depletion may seem unimportant to us either through ignorance of the problem or because we're under the mistaken impression that replenishment is easy.
In order to feed cattle properly, you need a good supply of young grass in a state of rapid growth. These grasses, especially wheat and rye grass, carry an abundant supply of minerals and digestive proteins. Milk production requires a high level of nutrients. When comparing these grasses with the cattle feed made of processed grain concentrates, it was found that the calves of grass fed cows were decidedly healthier than those of commercially processed grain fed cows. These grasses need well balanced, mineral rich soil.
OUR MORTALITY IS AFFECTED
The highest human mortality levels have been found in the longest occupied states - East Coast, Great Lakes, and Pacific states, especially New England. The soil depletion here has been caused by heavy rains and wind, loss of timberland, and dust storms. The soil reveals clear patterns of national strengths and weaknesses.
More recently, artificial fertilizers with heavy nitrogen content has enabled the grower to harvest one crop after another without needing to allow the land to lie fallow for a single season. Land lying fallow encourages the multiplication of soil organisms, which in turn, release soil nutrients in direct tempo with the need of plants growing in that soil.
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FARMING The Ultimate Soil Depletion
Modern farming techniques continue to deplete the soils of their essential minerals, including the very vital trace minerals we all need. Manure, compost, and other organic materials, which normally contribute abundantly to these elements have been replaced with chemicals. High crop yields demanded by the large farming conglomerates require the use of inorganic fertilizers, most of which are totally devoid of trace minerals and drastically disturb the soil mineral balance. Repetitive use of ammonia, for example, reduces the soil concentration of trace minerals even further. The result in terms of our health? Well, one is that lowered or non-existence of manganese causes bone abnormalities in grazing animals. We cannot be getting off unscathed!
The goiter belt in the midwest shows that foods grown in iodine deficient soil are also iodine deficient. Low selenium soil can produce grass staggers in horses and cattle as revealed in an unsteady gait, twitching and muscle spasms. Overuse of nitrates, phosphates, and potassium salts as fertilizers also causes deficiencies in grazing animals. Many of these are our food! In the Florida Everglades, the soil is low in copper. Domestic animals grazing there develop deficiencies resulting in bone fractures. These days, if we are only as strong as our soil, we're in trouble!
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