[greenworm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut nitrogen in a form that plants can absorb is scarce, and the lack of it led to low crop yields for centuries.

[ColossalContrarian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('greenworm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut nitrogen in a form that plants can absorb is scarce, and the lack of it led to low crop yields for centuries.

[dukey]

There is a fairly major fertiliser shortage here in the uk

[Tanada]

Legumes and some other plants fix nitrogen from the air, but the rest need soil with nitrogen already in it usually from animal wastes or dead animals as a source.

[auscanman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('greenworm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut nitrogen in a form that plants can absorb is scarce, and the lack of it led to low crop yields for centuries.

[Denny]

Its no surprise at all that fertilizers are in short supply, its just the cost-benefit curve for farmers in action. Even though fertilisers are mosre expesive than ever, when crop prices are through the roof, as they are now, an added 5 or 10 kg per hectare may well bring back ten times its value in extra crops. Back when wheat and corn were half today's prices, the trade-off favored a smaller fertilizer application rate.

But, fertilizer production facilities were never scaled to support these high crop prices.

I don't think its a natural gas shortage to blame, not n North America at least.

[seahorse]

Thanks for a great post auscanman.

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('greenworm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut nitrogen in a form that plants can absorb is scarce, and the lack of it led to low crop yields for centuries.

[Novus]

It is possible to grow peanuts without nitrogen fertilizer.

[wisconsin_cur]

Peanuts are a legume, they fix nitrogen into the soil.

Of course you cannot grow peanuts (really successfully anyway) in most of the United States.

[manu]

I guess everyone can take a short course on natural composting.
Something tells me that the people who live in the cities are going to wake up one morning and the stores will be empty.

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('manu', 'I') guess everyone can take a short course on natural composting.
Something tells me that the people who live in the cities are going to wake up one morning and the stores will be empty.

[Hagakure_Leofman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', 'T')hat should be an exciting introduction to subsistence farming. Very exciting.

[greenworm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou must not garden or grow your own food. Nitrogen requirments aren't the same for all plants.

[greenworm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'m sorry, but your post just oozes scientific ignorance.

[greenworm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')thers have tried to explain it and done a good job. Let me try to help you with your reading skills.

[Pops]

The idea that if everyone in the world just learn to stick a bean in the ground beside the corn and add in a squash for good measure everything would be peachy seems the height of silliness to me.

Surprisingly, people have known about legumes for a while and as a rule today, soy is rotated with corn and wheat and other grains and clovers are inter seeded with grasses, planted between orchard rows and such.

The Green Revolution a while back hybridized plants enabling them to utilize applied N. As a result, crop yields increased 5 fold and the current methods support the 6b or so people of the world.

So either we

All become Organic farmers.
Start paying a whole lot more for food.
Cut back to the types of yields of 50 years ago.
Or re-engineer the entire system in pretty short order to... $this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'insert miracle here') ... and continue down this path.

[seahorse2]

Hey Pops,

How do you see the food issue evolving over the next five years? Some, like Jack, see a big die off looming? Do you see things getting that dire?

[Pops]

I think there may be bigger problems for producers adapting to higher feed prices in the next couple years baring something big changing.

Hog farmers have had it pretty good for a while and hopefully have some capital to draw from, I'm not so sure about poultry and egg producers though. Dairy is still up but mostly supported by exports of cheese, whey, etc.

The deal is the processors (Tyson, Cargill and the rest) only own the plant but the farmer has the investment in the origin of our food. He based his budget on his contract but when the books don't balance...


I doubt anyone who can see this post will starve in the next 5 years, but I bet they will pay lots more for food and most everything else they choose to buy. I heard today the average expenditure of food and energy has gone from 10% to 17%, and I would guess it is not done rising.

For the people who can't post here, I'm thinking jack may be right. Again baring some big change but I couldn't begin to guess to what extent.

[greenworm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he idea that if everyone in the world just learn to stick a bean in the ground beside the corn and add in a squash for good measure everything would be peachy seems the height of silliness to me.