In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Specialists Nina Prater, Guy Ames, and Lee Rinehart explore the history of fertilizer use to understand how we got to an agricultural system that relies so heavily on synthetic rather than biological fertilizers. They discuss alternatives to this system and ways farmers can build soil health in order to require less synthetic fertilizer to maintain productivity.  

Related ATTRA Resources: 

• ATTRA Fertilizer Reduction Toolkit  
• Soils & Compost  
• Soils and Sites for Organic Orchards and Vineyards 
• Growing Healthy Soil on a Large Scale with Rick Clark 

Other Resources: 

• The First Green Revolution: Debt Peonage and the Making of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Trade 
• The Hidden Costs of Land Degradation in US Maize Agriculture 
• Farmers of Forty Centuries. Organic Farming in China, Korea, and Japan 
• From Soil to Sustainability 

Contact Nina Prater, Lee Rinehart, and Guy Ames via email at [email protected], lee@ncat.org, and [email protected].

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

Learn about NCAT’s other cutting-edge sustainable agriculture programs.