Soil Microbiology Discussion 2010
As fertilizer prices started their dramatic increases in the fall of 2021 the agricultural establishment began discussing the microbiological phase of the soil environment. In years past fertilizer education focused strictly on the chemical phase of the soil environment. The chemical phase approach uses a buildup-maintenance idea which relies on a bank account concept which uses soil testing for increasing the levels of nutrients with yield-based inputs to replace nutrient removal.
With lower fertilizer prices and higher commodity prices the chemical approach to fertilization worked reasonably well for cash flow as long as the weather helped with crop yields. However, if a farmer’s marketing plan missed high commodity prices, cash flow problems started to increase as a result of higher fertilizer prices. As high fertilizer prices remained problematic the agricultural establishment started discussions about soil bio-stimulants and the idea of soil health helping deal with the problem of high fertilizer prices.
Many farmers were confused about the discussion of the soil’s biological phase. Over the years the agricultural establishment and its institutions have focused on the physical (John Deere) phase of soil and the chemical (Monsanto) phase of soil. So, when articles about soil microbes being a very important part of producing a profitable agricultural crop, farmers wondered why they had not heard these types of discussions since the end of World War II.
When Growers Mineral, Corp. started in 1955 the company’s approach of trying to enhance the soil’s biological phase was met with skepticism and that continued for several decades. It is very reasonable to understand this skepticism since the key factors of soil biology are microscopic (not visible to the human eye). The only way to overcome that hurdle for the early founders was to create financial success for individual farm operations.
However, with the start of the 21st century (2001) human medicine started focusing on approaches to systemic disease that were more biological (immune therapy) and less physical (radiation) and less chemical (chemotherapy) in nature. This change in human medicine made an agricultural discussion about soil biology a much easier undertaking. So, in 2010 the company was able to start the discussion about the Growers Program from a biological viewpoint because human medicine research was opening many new doors of knowledge. (The Growers Solution Late Fall 2010 Volume 23 Issue 5 “Soil Fertility and Soil Microbiology”)
The soil biological discussion was somewhat easier in the earlier 2000’s than in the past; however, the arrival of COVID 19 helped to undermine the negative reviews about the Growers Program and the soil biological phase. In years past the terms like swab and microbes, which were belittled by the agricultural establishment, are now well accepted in the general population. So now the idea that it doesn’t take large weight volumes of the elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to produce a crop (product) that is composed mainly of the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen is starting to attract a much larger audience.
This is an exert from the Summer Growers Solution (2024) written by Jim Halbeisen, Director of Research & Education
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