Fertilizer Go Boom!

[fairsheet]

What a coinky-dink. A fertilizer facility down Texas way, blows up. Two days later, my National Geographic shows up with what else? A story about humanity's over-use of fertilizer!!!

The piece went specifically to nitrogen, the most essential fertilizer. Ideally, a crop will take in exactly as much nitrogen is put into the soil. If the crop doesn't take in enough, it doesn't prosper. If there's so much in the soil that the crop can't take it all in, it's left in the soil. The latter ain't good, as that nitrogen ends up where it shoudn't - specifically in water of various forms.

So..National Geographic published a map (gotta love them Nat Geo maps!) of the world, showing which regions didn't get enought nitrogen, which ones go it just right, and which ones used too much.

And..the surprise (to me anyway) is that U.S. agriculture had a few low areas, a few high areas, but on average, they got it just right. The places that tended to WAY over fertilize, were China and India. And, a lot of that has to do with the fact that fertilizer is so inexpensive for them to produce.

 

[Friday13]

Is it this article?



The Curse of Fertilizer

 

[fairsheet]

That's the one. But, I would argue that "The Curse of Fertilizer" is a poorly chosen title. The piece suggests that it's not a curse if we use the right amount. If we don't have enough, the curse is stunted crops. It's only a curse when we OVER-use it.

 

[Addy]

That's the one. But, I would argue that "The Curse of Fertilizer" is a poorly chosen title. The piece suggests that it's not a curse if we use the right amount. If we don't have enough, the curse is stunted crops. It's only a curse when we OVER-use it.

The places that tended to WAY over fertilize, were China and India. And, a lot of that has to do with the fact that fertilizer is so inexpensive for them to produce.

Another reason they overuse it, overpopulation and not enough land for growing food to feed the masses.. Nitrogen improves the yields tremendously. From Friday's link overuse by China @ 60%.
They are now planting more peas and peanuts, etc. -- fixing nitrogen in the soil -- to help the soil w/o the chemical nitrates.

This wasn't mentioned in the read, but some farmers plant clover -- turn it under for the same reason, here in the USA.
I could tell you some other farming practices going on here in the USA but it is actually almost too disgusting to talk about..
Sludge is given away free of charge to farmers and spread on their fields.. This sludge comes from many sources... all types of industrial waste..
Many are using this now since fertilizer prices have soared.
I am not sure it has ever been really approved for use.. A few years ago I looked it up, never found any site listing it had ever been officially approved.

 

[Addy]

Picture shown is on Friday's link -- is old way of fertilizing and it's still the way some of the Amish fertilize their fields.. About 8 miles from where I live,Mennonites have purchased thousands of acres. For the past few months,, acres and acres of land have been cleared, houses are springing up everywhere. They are sometimes out in their horse driven buggies on the highway..
Apparently none of them have wired their houses for electricity,, must use generators. I just brought this up b/c I am wondering what they will produce on all of the land they purchased. Their farming practices may be the safest in the end. The runoff from all the chemical fertilizers & sludge into our water systems is worrisome to me.