No facial eczema spores were found on this Waikite Valley grazing property, which uses the Albrecht-Kinsey system of soil fertility, while the neighbour’s stock was severely affected.

The following is an abridged quote from a ‘Training Manual for Soil Analysis Interpretation in Northern California’ written by Gregg Young, CPAg, 1999 for his Master’s Degree.

“[William] Albrecht’s research was unusual in longevity [1916-1959], geographic range [on three continents], and thoroughness. He studied complex relationships rather than simple causes and effects.

“He analysed chemical properties of soils, fertilised and tested for yields, correlated quality considerations [protein, amino acid ratios], performed bioassay and feeding trials with animals, followed their development and that of their prodigy, [sic] and ultimately correlated health and fecundity of animals with quality of feed and soil properties of the soil on which it was produced. His work was primarily with grains, forages, and legumes.

“His studies did show how many different plants get what they need from the soil, and his principles certainly show how to optimise productivity and quality for many crops.

“Albrecht believed in getting optimum soil conditions by using soil analysis and his mineral balancing principles. Plants will then use nutrients according to their needs. This was later called the Base Cation Saturation Ratio theory of soil interpretation. I will present a body of research which substantiates this theory.

Quality over quantity

“Albrecht clearly stressed quality over quantity. He promoted high yields, but made a good case for nutritional quality being the most important goal for production of protein crops [grains, legumes] and feeds. This emphasis on quality can apply to wine grapes and quality fruit and vegetable production.

“A key difference between Albrecht and most others was his emphasis on quality of crops, pest and disease resistance, and liming to provide calcium rather than fighting acidity.”

In other words, Albrecht was well ahead of his time. The rest of the world still hasn’t caught up. Albrecht had no peers, nor will there ever be. Since Albrecht, his system has been further refined by Neal Kinsey.

Other consultants using the method are also refining it, or at least observing and measuring, to find out exactly what works best for the particular circumstances they work with. However, we still do not use ratios or a system based on ratios, despite being told we do.

No guessing

The Albrecht method works best when coordinating the soil samples, the laboratory, the consultancy, the products, and the order the nutrients are applied, the management and so on. All fertiliser from Kiwi Fertiliser is custom-blended for each soil test. There is no guessing involved. It is precise and it delivers indisputable superior results. Those results are based on quality first and quantity second.

Those that criticise the system always measure dry matter, but not quality. They may measure expenditure, but not profit. Quality leads to superior soil health, plant health, animal health and production, and most importantly, to superior human health. Pollution is reduced. This has been tested by the greatest researchers on the planet: the farmers and growers.

The quote continues. “Comparison of BCSR and SLAN. During the period when BCSR was developed, an alternative school of agronomy grew up called SLAN, which stands for Sufficiency Level of Applied Nutrients.”

“McLean (1977) gave a well-balanced explanation of the two theories, although he did not mention or cite Albrecht and his hundreds of articles on the subject. McLean also did not address the issues of quality versus quantity, soil biological activity, or fighting acidity versus amending calcium.

“Nevertheless, McLean’s overview of the two main schools of fertilisation, shows the strengths and applications of each. More research has been done on the SLAN method since it is more applicable to the use of concentrated chemical fertilisers, which has been the industry trend the last 30 years. From 1999 McLean called for more research in BCSR, and concluded that: “A combination of these two concepts seems to work best as a basis for soil test interpretation in perhaps a majority of conditions”.