Do humans eat through more soil than cows?
We are using far more soil than and that is because cows are the ones who are providing us the matter that keeps our soil alive. Simply put, the value of soil comes from the manure because it is the organic matter. If there is no organic matter, there are often fewer nutrients capable of 'hanging on' and allow it to bring seeds to life. I am writing this article after I listened to a Canadian Government's release of a study on soil quality in which concluded soil quality is in decline because of a number of factors, including fewer cows! (you can listen to it at the link at the bottom of this article).
Twenty years ago, one federal and one provincial agency came together and decided to study dirt on the small island province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. I write this because it can apply to many governments and farmers around the world who are also unsure about why soil quality is in decline. The government reps dug up 600 samples since 1998 and came together this past year to conclude that the quality of the beautiful red soil is in decline.
Judith Nyiraneza from Agriculture Canada says:
"That there has been 'a major drop in organic matter and it is concerning because if we cannot keep up the soil organic matter, it implies the soil fertility will decline too"
Judith goes on to say that soil quality has fallen so much in quality due to:
- Intensive tillage
- Decline use of [manure from] livestock
- Type of soil
- High precipitation
Another representative, Barry Thompson, from the provincial agriculture department agrees by saying that PEI has been using less green [cow] manure in combination with farmers doing more intensive agriculture (i.e. fewer crop rotations and less resting periods for fields).
Clover can provide perfect organic matter and act as a cover crop during the winter
It would seem that farmers many places around the world are being impacted by a lack of natural manures. China, for example, regularly subsidizes farms to use synthetic fertilizers since there is a significant lack of green manure. This often leads to poor soil quality due to the lack of organic matter found in soil, increasing the farms' reliance on these fertilizers and co-marketed products and seeds.
It is a bit like being on a juice cleanse or a pill supplement diet while running marathons. You may realize a dramatic decline in ability to withstand yourself for longer periods of time, and also very quickly realize you are not getting any fibre which could have added years to your life. Over time, the soil feels the effects of this diet and inevitably has less life in it to give back to the seeds it germinates.
There is also the impact of rain, melting snow and wind that penetrates tilled soil that is not covered by winter crops or with resilient organic matter to hold nurtients together. The essence of the soil, the organic matter, is simply swept away leaving fewer nutrients behind for the spring season. Farmers are then forced to offset the swept away nutrients by buying synthetic fertilizers which are often subsidized by governments. This in term usually requires farms to grow in size to offset their costs thus further increasing the pressure on what is left of the organic matter.
Less organic matter will compromise the future prospects of growing food and ability to rely on natural water resources
Despite their conclusion saying high precipitation and intensive tillage causes a decline in soil quality, Thompson claims that there is no need for rules or regulations for farms to do mandatory winter cover crops or increase the regulations for increasing the number of crop rotations.
Question: Is a lack of manure from livestock really the reason for a decline in the soil?
In 20 years, I will prepare another update for you because the study is ongoing.
Here is the original voice clip announcing the study's result
Please note that all images have been taken by sown4steem.