Rapidly rising fertiliser prices in 2022 exposed how dependent many farm businesses had become on a volatile global input market. In a commentary for the New Hampshire Bulletin, National Center for Appropriate Technology executive director Steve Thompson argued that farmers already using biological fertility offer practical lessons in reducing that exposure.
Examples from working farms
Montana grain grower Bob Quinn began converting his family farm to organic production in 1989 and built a market for KAMUT-brand khorasan wheat. The article notes annual production at or above 50,000 acres without synthetic fertiliser.
Maryland dairy farmer Ron Holter manages a 150-cow seasonal herd on grass without supplementary grain. His adaptive grazing system uses multiple paddocks, frequent moves and long recovery periods; the pastures have received no synthetic fertiliser since 1995.
In Ohio, Dave Brandt’s long-running use of cover crops maintained cash-crop yields while reducing nitrogen fertiliser use by nearly 90%, according to the commentary. The proposed mechanism is not a substitute product but a system: living roots, legumes, organic matter and soil organisms cycling more fertility.
Transition is a managed process
Thompson suggests a three-to-five-year transition rather than an abrupt withdrawal of inputs. Farmers need to monitor crop response, learn how cover crops and grazing behave locally and protect yield while biological capacity develops. The examples are compelling, but they are farm reports rather than a guarantee that every enterprise will achieve the same reductions.
The article is clearly labelled commentary. Its value lies in showing routes to greater self-reliance and in directing growers to technical help, including NCAT’s ATTRA resources.
Read the original commentary
How to end our reliance on synthetic fertilizer was written by Steve Thompson and published by the New Hampshire Bulletin.