Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Marty Kraft <martyk@allspecies.org>]

Zack

Thanks for the refocus to an earlier time frame. I guess this hoped  
for brief history of the chem ag story is going to be difficult to  
come by. I will put this in a file and add to it as i learn more.  
Maybe i can't use it on our current codes issue but have it for the  
future. History for the future, hmmmm?

I will also send this on to some environmental studies professors who  
may have students that would like to write a paper on the issue.

Marty


On May 12, 2010, at 4:42 PM, Zachary Domike wrote:

> Hey Marty,
> You might have to go further back and look at the international  
> producers.  Before WWI, the Germans had the highest tech in many  
> ways, and fertilizers were promoted there, and in Britain, from the  
> late 19th century.
>
> Rudolf Steiner initiated Biodynamics in 1924 in reaction to the  
> effects of industrial fertilizers, the weakening of the plants and  
> the death of soil microbes from overstimulation, or 'fertilizer  
> burn.'  The war industries turned their chemical plants to  
> artificial fertilizer production and the marketing was fostered by  
> the war, as soldiers returned to the cities instead of returning to  
> the farm.
>
> > From Wikipedia - "...fertilizer plants at Bramford, and Snape,  
> > Suffolk in the 1850s to create superphosphates, which were shipped  
> > around the world from the port at Ipswich.  By 1871 there were  
> > about 80 factories making superphosphate."
>
> ..."the development of the Haber process from 1908 to 1912 made it  
> possible to synthesize ammonia (commonly used in chemical and  
> pyrotechnic warfare as well as some fertilizers), and in 1913 BASF  
> started a new production plant in Oppau, adding fertilizers to its  
> product range. BASF also acquired and began mining anhydrite for  
> gypsum at the Kohnstein  in 1917."
>
> It was a good time to be proud to be of German heritage (as were my  
> ancestors) but that was reversed during two World Wars.  
> Historically, Bd is a compilation of the rural collection of 'old  
> wive's tales' that formed the old ways of agriculture in the south  
> of Germany and Austria - but they lost the wars, so have disappeared.
>
>  I think this explains why biodynamics (Bd) is underrepresented in  
> the US.  Of course, the wine industry is leading the way with Bd  
> today with extensive prizes and recognition.
>
> Woooooo!
> Zack
>
>
>  From: Marty Kraft <martyk@allspecies.org>
> > Subject: [Livingontheland] Move to Chem
> >
> > Hi
> >
> > I am looking for a one page reference of how, after WW II,
> > the  chemical companies took over agriculture schools and got
> > rid of the
> > biological/ecological people and shifted agriculture as it
> > was practiced. I want this to present to elected officials who
> > are very
> > busy and can't read the whole story even thought they
> > should. We are
> > working on code revision in KC.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Marty
>
>
>
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