5 ms·
There's a better way to add nitrogen to soil and it's through the nitrogen cycle. The US Midwest (which grows a lot of corn) used to be highly populated with ru
by mcgt 6y ago
There's a better way to add nitrogen to soil and it's through the nitrogen cycle. The US Midwest (which grows a lot of corn) used to be highly populated with ruminants who did exactly this.
We killed them all (well, most) and now grow corn which we use most to finish off cattle, which is also a ruminant.
Maybe a better solution would be to feed the ruminants off the land now used by the corn? Imagine what that might do.
- mohaine 6y agoThis IS a nitrogen cycle. Sure it would be great to utilize waste nitrogen as well but that doesn't take away from this. Btw this is how lagumes fix nitrogen. This nothing new but since it is already in maze it can probably be crossbred into production corn lines without that toxic GMO label.
- mcgt 6y agoBacteria fix nitrogen, not legumes.
- adrianN 6y agoIt would make the ruminants meat more expensive. That's a hard sell politically.
- quixoticelixer- 6y agoHow do ruminants add nitrogen to the soil?
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- function_seven 6y agoThey pee on it. http://fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Figure-12.1.png http://fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/wp-content/uploa... (Image hotlinked from https://fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/dairy-soils-and-fertiliser-manual/chapter-12-nitrogen-and-nitrogen-fertilisers/12-1-introduction/ https://fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/dairy-soils-and...)
- quixoticelixer- 6y agoYeah but where is that nitrogen coming from? It's coming from plants.
- function_seven 6y agoYeah, hence the “Nitrogen Cycle”.
- quixoticelixer- 6y agoYes but they do not actually add nitrogen to the soil
- noselasd 6y agoSure they do, they add nitrogen back to the soil that the plants extracted from the soil.
- Scoundreller 6y agoPoop and pee.
- quixoticelixer- 6y agoNitrogen that they get from plants
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]