Organic Farmer February / March 2020

purpose of constant plant feeding? If it
is just to sell a product to feed the crop
without regard to the measurement of
the real needs and condition of the soil
in that field, it is not necessarily going to
be of the greatest benefit to the farmer
or provide the best outcome for what he
wants to grow based on the cost of return.
For many who claim to use the Albrecht
system or some other type program it is
just an excuse to sell a “feed the plant”
fertility program. As a rule, a farmer is
told he cannot afford to do anything more
than feed the crop. Is that actually the
truth, or just a sales pitch? Sometimes this
may be true, but generally speaking, it is
not the most productive approach.
For long-term solutions to soil fertility
and to best supply actual plant needs
sufficient time is needed to plan and
take a meaningful and careful approach.
When growers have a program that is
the best they can plan out or afford, even
though believing and choosing to follow
that program, they should still choose at
least one small field of average or better
production and split it in half for a test.
Follow the normally proposed fertility
program on half of it. On the other half
use a true soil building program such
as the one developed by Dr. William A.
Albrecht for use in organic production.
Spend the same amount of money for
fertility on both. But when using a feed
the soil approach use the most important
nutrients to feed the soil as shown
on the soil test by prioritizing the need
for all nutrients. If the budget doesn’t
cover it all, spend the money based on
prioritizing the needed nutrients and
put it where it makes the most difference.
That will usually be quite different
in approach as compared to a normal
program that just strives to “feed the
crop what it needs” and let the soil fend
for itself.
For client after client using the correct
guidance for testing this type of
program, they now say they must feed
the soil and let the soil feed the plant to
be most productive and most profitable.
Just about all of agriculture is not geared
to think that way today under the guise
that farmers and growers cannot afford
the cost in terms of time and money.
But how do you know if you have never
tried it?
Even on organic farms, most growers
still tend to try and cut corners with a
program that requires minimal inputs
in regard to time or money. Generally it
becomes a question of how can I maximize
production and still provide enough
to do that with as little inputs as possible.
When that is accomplished, too many
are satisfied with conditions that can just
help them remain where they are. This
type of thinking should not be considered
and will never correctly apply to
those who want a program that provides
true soil health.
Will the use of cover crops, crop rotations,
compost applications, striving for
the correct soil pH, and applying the
fertilizer that has provided top yields
in the past solve the real issues that are
needed to provide excellent soil health?
Continued on Page 20
February/March 2020
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