Knowing Where You re At

Transcription

1 BTYR FALL EDITION Back to Your Roots Soil Solutions Inc. Fall 2011 Volume 1, Issue 3 As the harvest is on the downhill swing and many of the crops are sitting in the bin, it s time to start planning for the future. Plans for next year are necessary, but so is a long term plan to set goals and forecasts. Farming for the future, or at least longer than the next two years should be a realization for all producers. What will your operation look like and what kind of investment do you need to be making in your infrastructure to ensure its there when you need it to be. Thought is always put into replacing or upgrading equipment, grain storage, and upcoming technology,, but what about your soil? Setting goals and budgets to rejuvenate and protect your soil should also be considered. Knowing Where You re At The first question then should be what state is it in now? Everyone needs a point of reference. Where are you at this point in time and where are you headed? If you are average, normal, or whatever word gives the best fit, how do you measure that in real numbers? Biological Ionization does just that. It s a theory that measures the nutrients and the soil health with actual measurements that give a reference point that can be qualified. Words like normal, average or good no longer are the norm! Understanding what minerals are needed to mellow and flocculate the soil, to neutralize the soil and create an environment for the biology can be understood with simple ratios. Minerals to promote vegetative growth can easily be added to fertility programs as well as the minerals that are needed for reproduction. Dr. Reams spend many years observing and testing his observations using various testing methods that confirmed or refuted his ideas. He is one of the only researchers we found that based his theories on the way nature works rather than the lab results he and all his peers were able to duplicate. Dr. Reams understood what good food is. He understood that quality starts in the soil and that many of the symptoms that cost time, money and production can be minimized by correcting the soil balances. Use of a simple tool called a refractometer will give a point of reference for food quality (Brix). No longer do you need to knock on watermelon to determine its quality. Brix measures the sugar content, and is suggestive of the nutrient density in the plant. It s just that simple! Cause if you don t know where you re going You might end up somewhere else -Toby Keith

2 President s Message Fall is here! Hopefully all are just finished or in plain sight of getting this year s harvest in the bin. Now, it s time to start getting ready for the next year s crop. The fall is the best time to start our program. Our fall program focuses on the activation of the soil according to the theories of Dr. Reams and consists of adding Calcium and Soft Rock Phosphate to aid in the rejuvenation of depleted tired soils. Surfing through the internet, it is not hard to find the articles criticizing the NPK approach to farming, along with just as many articles criticizing the biological, homeopathic, and holistic approaches as well. Controversy is abundant. Here is where we all need to do a bit of due diligence and spend some time pondering what is really happening out there. This article is dedicated to the minerals in plant growth. It s up to you, the producer, to figure out what will help you solve the problems in your production. We can help you understand what is causing the problem, and help you find solutions. This year we are having a fall promotion that saves you money and will give the opportunity to get started on what will likely be the best thing you have done for your soil. Details are on page seveni hope you take a few minutes to read over the newsletter. Take care out there. Cindy Nikolaisen, President BTYR Soil Solutions Inc. Remember, trees in a forest don t eat leaves, they eat what the microbes make of them. Whoever could make two ears of corn or two blades of grass to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put together. --- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver s Travels, 1726 "We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than we do about the soil underfoot"- Leonardo DaVinci

3 Growing Food The Ream s Way! A new way to understand soil chemistry holds the secret for not only rehabilitating deteriorating soils of the world, but also to put back in the stomach of the world s hungry, a richer more nutritious food in greater abundance. Dr. A.F. Beddoe The sad part is that it s no longer new. Over 50 years ago, brilliant minds like Reams, Albrecht, Northern, and others recognized the erroneous direction agriculture and food production was taking. We can spend hours defending and explaining how each sector has its faults and short comings, but that is not our focus. We need to find solutions and reduce the need to react to the epidemic that is occurring in our fields, gardens and hospitals. An overview of what we need to do: We are growing food.for something! It s time to start thinking about what plants need to grow. Let s consider the following: Depending on the source, research indicates that 80 95% of plants are made up of water, sugar, and protein. Water, sugar and protein consist mainly of N, C, O, and H. All these minerals that are supplied in abundance in the environment. Basic protein consists of all four minerals, basic sugar molecules are made up of C, O, and H, and water, of course, is O and H. The remainder of the plant is made up of Calcium, Phosphate and trace minerals. Looking at a mineral tag from your animal feed supplements, the first mineral on the tag is Calcium, the second Phosphate, then the electrolyte minerals of potassium, magnesium and sulfur. Following this is the trace minerals. If we are growing food, the question then becomes why aren t we applying the minerals that are needed for nutrition. Let s take this a bit father. Vegetative growth (roots, stems and leaves) is controlled by three minerals calcium, potassium and chloride. Chloride is a mineral that can be detrimental to the soil flora. Calcium has characteristics of building structure, regulating other minerals and works with Phosphate to promote photosynthesis. It is involved in cell wall rigidity, and the development of pith. Potassium is an electrolyte mineral that mainly draws and holds water. It does other important functions in the plant. The choice then becomes do you want a plant with increase sugar content, or a plant that has higher potassium levels and more water. Cationic mineral (plant reproduction) include all the other minerals with the exception of Hydrogen, Oxygen, Helium, and Nitrogen. Phosphate creates the synapses for photosynthesis and sugar production in the plant, Sulfur and Magnesium are also electrolyte minerals that draw and hold water. This choice seems clear. Ok, you re asking why don t just use more nitrogen? You could, but here is the complication. Nitrogen is free in the air we breathe (i.e. 78%). If your plant is healthy it can absorb the nitrogen it needs from its environment. Biology living in an environment in the ground that contains air and nutrients can absorb and recycle all the nitrogen a plant needs. In an ideal world, you just decreased your inputs. Synthetic fertilizers will add salts to the soil which in turn will slow your biology s activity or stop it all together. The rest of the minerals are considered trace minerals. Each plant has a specific need based on its DNA. If we ensure as many of the minerals need for plant growth are present in the soil, the plant will be able to take up what it needs. In the soil, Calcium is needed for flocculation. Some call this mellowing, but it s the softening, the structuring and the start of creating a neutral environment. Excess potassium and magnesium will shift the soil balance to cause hardening, compaction and cracking. All mineral should balance to your water soluble Calcium levels. It s an overview. A place to start finding solutions.

4 . Piecing the P Biology The microbes in the soil are slowly gaining the recognition they deserve! Nutrient recycling, disease protection, soil building, mineral stabilization and conversion, soil temperature, energy, etc. are just some of the functions of these diverse little critters. The goal is to create the environment that these amazing organisms can live in, thrive in and make you money. They need air, water, food and a neutral ph. They don t tolerate compaction, salts, excess toxins, synthetic fertilizers, or excess temperature, excess tillage or disruption A cloak of loose, soft material, held to the earth s hard surface by gravity, is all that lies between life and lifelessness. --- Wallace H. Fuller, Soils of the Desert Southwest, 1975 History is largely a record of human struggle to wrest the land from nature, because man relies for sustenance on the products of the soil. So direct, is the relationship between soil erosion, the productivity of the land, and the prosperity of people, that the history of mankind, to a considerable degree at least, may be interpreted in terms of the soil and what has happened to it as the result of human use. --- Hugh H. Bennett and W.C. Lowdermilk, circa 1930s Soils are developed; they are not merely an accumulation of debris resulting from decay of rock and organic materials... In other words, a soil is an entity -- an object in nature which has characteristics that distinguish it from all other objects in nature. --- C.E.Millar & L.M.Turk, 1943 Ph E= Energy is required to build m rimental as not enough ene The key is to learn and und needed and at what stage of ing the function of minerals release gives us the basis o ments to To be a succes first know the Xenophon, Oe B.C.

5 uzzle Together Chemistry How many minerals does it take to grow a plant? Just Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium, or a unique balance that will result in completed DNA and nutrients needed for growth and repair. There are many minerals, but which ones are needed, available and able to meets the needs of the plants. Calcium, Phosphate and trace minerals, when applies in the right ratios, will produce a plant that can resist disease, insects, frost and drought. Nitrogen and the rest of the electrolyte minerals are needed for energy and hydration. Excessive use of the wrong minerals will create tie ups and problems. ysics MC 2 ass. Too much energy is as detrgy in the plant s growing cycle. erstand what kind of energy is the plant growth. Understandin the soil and the energy they f engineering soil and environgrow healthy crops. sful farmer one must nature of the soil. --- conomicus, 400 Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals. --- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, the Latin name for man, homo, derived from humus, the stuff of life in the soil. --- Dr. Daniel Hillel Each soil has had its own history. Like a river, a mountain, a forest, or any natural thing, its present condition is due to the influences of many things and events of the past. --- Charles Kellogg, The Soils That Support Us, 1956

6 E=MC 2 and A Whole Lot More! In today s approach to agronomy, there is very little talk about energy. Producers are sold fertilizers by the pound per acre. Yields are determined by mineral requirements of the crop and the dollars that a producer has to spend. Applying killicides is an accepted and expected process. And, most producers need not walk out in their fields as they have someone else advising how to run their operation. Historically, 100 years ago, it took one unit of energy to produce 10 units. Today the exact reverse if true. For every 10 units of energy spent on production, only 1 unit is produced. Producers are now consumers! The question becomes how do you get the most mass or energy from the soil and inputs used for plant fertility. Basic Rules Always use clean inputs. Avoid excess salts, fillers, and compounds. Develop and understanding regarding mineral characteristics and impact on plant growth, soil conditions and biology. Develop an understanding about energy related to the use of colloidal minerals, electrolytes and salts. Explore the function of biology and its effects on mineral recycling and availability. Mass is congealed energy. Most have heard the equation of E = mc 2, energy equals mass times a really big number (best explanation I have ever heard, courtesy or Mr. Steve Westin!) When pondering this, there are a lot of really exciting features that come into play! Consider the following: In order for plant growth, adequate amounts of mineral energy must be available. Too little energy will result in a plant that stunts or declines in its growth process, too much energy in the environment will result in a plant that also stunts, but shows signs of burning and decomposition. Balance is essential. Erg readings at germination time should be close to ergs. At reproduction growth, conductivity should be 2 5 times higher ( ergs) With this energy level in the soil, the plant is able to complete its life cycle quicker and with more efficiency. The second element of this is choosing the right mineral energy to feed the plants. If the producer is producing food, the goal should be balanced nutrition. Use of Calcium, Phosphates, and trace minerals make the most sense. The use of Calcium and Phosphate together will release energy into the soil, stimulate the photosynthesis production in the plant, and increase the magnetic energy that allows for better trace mineral uptake. Fertilizing plants with electrolyte minerals alone will produce a plant, but it will be lower in sugar content and contain more water. Download our previous newsletters at: Soil Foodweb Succession Chart What does your plant need? Bare Parent Material F:B = 0:1 (100% bacterial) Conifer, oldgrowth forests F:B = 100:1 to 1000:1 Bacteria Protozoa Fungi F:B = 0.01:1 Nematodes The Soil Foodweb Succession Chart: Fungal to Bacterial ratios for different soil conditions! Weeds F:B = 0.1:1 Early Grasses F:B = 0.3:1 Mid-grasses, vegetables F:B = 0.75:1 Deciduous Trees F:B = 5:1 to 100:1 Shrubs, vines, Bushes F:B = 2:1 to 5:1 Late successional grasses, row crops F:B = 1:1

7 $23 per acre! Fall 2011 Promotion Activate your soil this GSR Dormant Calcium(90 gram) Micronized Soft Rock Phos Microbial Tea Starter w/ Brewing charges $12.50 savings per acre! Some restrictions apply Organization Name See your local sales rep for details or call our head office Phone: fall using the Ream s Biological Ionization method for better results next spring. Order now for guaranteed fall delivery O rga n i z a t i o n

8 Back to Your Roots Soil Solutions Inc. P.O. Box 1236, 208-2nd Avenue West, Shellbrook, SK S0J 2E0 Office Ph: Office Fx: Building Nutrient Dense Food..One Brix at a Time!.1992 Earth Summit Statistics 1992 Earth Summit Report* indicate that the mineral content of the world's farm and range land soil has decreased dramatically. Percentage of Mineral Depletion From Soil During The Past 100 Years, By Continent: North America 85% ** South America 76% Asia 76% Africa 74% Europe 72% Australia 55% Caption describing picture or graphic. * You may remember the 1992 Earth Summit by the fact that President Bush wouldn't sign any of the treaties. ** Some US farms are 100% depleted and some are 60% depleted, the average is 85% depletion as compared to 100 years ago. This is worse than in any other country in the world because of the extended use of fertilizers and "maximum yield" mass farming methods.