Twenty years before the phrase 'environmental concern' crept into the national consciousness, he was lecturing from coast to coast on the broad topic of agricultural ecology. (C. Edmund Marshall, In Memoriam, 'Plant and Soil' vol 48.)
" The soil is the ‘creative material’ of most of the basic needs of life. Creation starts with a handful of dust.” Dr. William A. Abrecht.
William Albrecht was born of German ancestry on a farm on the prairie of north central Illinois in the Mid-West United States. After attending the local school he progressed via preparatory school to the University of Illinois where he obtained a B.A. degree in liberal arts. This led to a position teaching Latin and other subjects at Bluffton University, Ohio.
Albrecht later returned to Illinois to gain a B.S. degree in biology and agricultural science. He then started graduate research in Botany whilst also teaching in the department of botany. This period was key to his lifelong devotion to scientific study of plant physiology and agriculture. It enabled him to take a microbiological view of plant structure whilst addressing the soil as a variable environment (either favourable or unsuitable). He presented his doctoral research in 1919, and it was published in the journal Soil Science in 1920 titled 'Symbiotic nitrogen fixation as influenced by nitrogen in the soil' His paper concluded that the nitrogen level in soil had no significant effect on fixation by legumes.
Albrecht was a devout agronomist, the foremost authority on the relation of soil fertility to human health and earned four degrees from the University of Illinois. He became emeritus professor of soils at the University of Missouri. Dr. Albrecht saw a direct link between soil quality and food quality, drawing direct connection between poor quality forage crops, and ill health in livestock.
From the late 1930s, as chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri, he began work at the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station investigating cation ratios and the growth of legumes. He had been investigating cattle nutrition, having observed that certain pastures seemed conducive to good health, and at some point he came to the conclusion that the ideal balance of cations in the soil was "H, 10%; Ca, 60 to 75%; Mg, 10 to 20%; K, 2 to 5%; Na, 0.5 to 5.0%; and other cations, 5%".
While Albrecht was a highly respected soil scientist, he discounted soil pH, stating that "plants are not sensitive to, or limited by, a particular pH value of the soil." Instead, he believed that the benefits of liming soil stem from the additional calcium available to the plant, not the increase in pH. This belief has continued to be held by followers to this day, despite much evidence to the contrary. Like much of the early research into BCSR where soil pH was not controlled, it is difficult to draw solid conclusions from Albrecht's research in support of BCSR.
"..."You have to have a vision. Unless you do, nature will never reveal herself." Dr William A Albrecht.
Throughout his life, Albrecht looked to nature to learn what optimizes soil, and attributing many common livestock diseases directly to those animals being fed poor quality feeds. He observed that :
"...“Food is fabricated soil fertility.”
Albrecht was a prolific author of reports, books and articles that span several decades, starting with his reports on nitrogen fixation and soil inoculation in 1919. MVG
Albrecht was outspoken on matters of declining soil fertility, having identified that it was due to a lack of organic material, major elements, and trace minerals, and was thus responsible for poor crops and in turn for pathological conditions in animals fed deficient foods from such soils.
He laid the blame as:
"NPK formulas, (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) as legislated and enforced by State Departments of Agriculture, mean malnutrition, attack by insects, bacteria and fungi, weed takeover, crop loss in dry weather, and general loss of mental acuity in the population, leading to degenerative metabolic disease and early death.
Death and commemoration
On his death he left his research papers to his friend Charles Walters who promoted the ideas by founding the magazine Acres USA, which continues to be at the centre of the ideal soil movement, and is the current owner of the research papers.
Dr. Albrecht published widely from 1918 through 1970:
Variable Levels of Biological Activity in Sanborn Field After Fifty Years of Treatment, Soil Science, 1938Animals Recognize Good Soil Treatment, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1940Organic Matter - The Life of the Soil, Farmer's Week, Ohio State University, 1940Good Horses Require Good Soils, Horse and Mule Association of America, 1940Calcium-Potassium-Phosphorus Relation as a Possible Factor in Ecological Array of Plants, Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1940Making Organic Matter Effective in Soil, The Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association, 1940Calcium as a Factor in Seed Germination, Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1941The Soil as a Farm Commodity or a Factory, Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 1941Soil Organic Matter and Ion Availability for Plants, Soil Science, 1941Biological Assays of Soil Fertility, Soil Science Society of America, 1941Potassium in the Soil Colloid Complex and Plant Nutrition, Soil Science, 1941Feed Efficiency in Terms of Biological Assays of Soil Treatments, Soil Science Society of America, 1942Health Depends on Soil, The Land, 1942Soil Management By Nature or By Man?, Western Soils Co., 1942Soil Fertility and the Human Species, American Chemical Society, Chemical and Engineering News, 1942We Are What We Eat - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1943Why Do Farmers Plow?, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1943Magnesium Depletion in Relation to Some Cropping Systems and Soil Treatments, Soil Science, 1943We Are What We Eat, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1943Make the Grass Greener on Your Side of the Fence, The Business of Farming, 1943Soil and Livestock, The Land, 1943Fertilize the Soil Then the Crop, University of Missouri, 1943Soil Fertility and National Nutrition, Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 1944Better Pastures Depend on Soil Fertility, The Fertilizer Review, 1944Taking Our Soil for Granted, The Ranchman, 1944Soil Fertility, Food Source, The Technology Review, 1944Mobilizing the Fertilizer Resources of Our Nation's Soil, 28th Annual Convention of the National Crushed Stone Association, 1945How Long Do the Effects from Fertilizer Last?, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1945Food Quality from the Soil, Consumer's Research, Inc., 1945Vegetable Crops in Relation to Soil Fertility, Food Research, 1945Discrimination in Food Selection by Animals, The Scientific Monthly, 1945Vegetable Crops in Relation to Soil Fertility-V. Calcium contents of Green Leafy Vegetable, Food Research, 1945By Soil Treatments on Pastures, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1946Extra Soil Fertility Lengthens Grazing Season!, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1946Why Be a Friend of the Land?, Land Letter, 1946The Soil as the Basis of Wildlife, Management University of Missouri, 1946Soil and Livestock Work Together, 42nd Annual Meeting-American Meat Institute, 1947Soil Fertility - The Basis of Agricultural Production, 4th Annual Meeting of the Western Colorado Horticultural Society, 1947Soil Fertility and Animal Production, 58th Annual Meeting of the Indiana State Dairy Association, 1947Our Teeth and our Soils, Annals of Dentistry, 1947Hidden Hungers Point to Soil Fertility, Chilean Nitrate Educational Bureau, Inc., 1947Use Extra Soil Fertility to Provide Protein, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1947Better Soils Make Better Hogs, Hampshire Herdsman, 1947Limestone—The Foremost of Natural Fertilizer, Pit and Quarry, 1947Soil Fertility and Nutritive Value of Foods, Agricultural Leaders' Digest, 1948Some Rates of Fertility Decline, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1948There is No Substitute for Soil Fertility, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1948Quality of Crops also Depends on Soil Fertility, Chilean Nitrate Educational Bureau, Inc., 1948Potassium Helps Put More Nitrogen into Sweetclover, Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1948National Pattern of Tooth Troubles Points to Pattern of Soil Fertility, Journal of the Missouri State Dental Association, 1948Climate, Soil, and Health. I. Climatic Soil Pattern and Food Composition, Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology, 1948Building Soils for Better Herds, Polled Hereford World, 1948Diversity of Amino Acids in Legumes According to the Soil Fertility, Science, 1948Carbohydrate-Protein Ratio of Peas in Relation to Fertilization with Potassium, Calcium, and Nitrogen, Soil Science of America Proceedings, 1948Is the Cure in the Soil?, The Furrow, 1948Soil and Protein, The Land, 1948Our Soils Our Food and Ourselves, The Mennonite Community, 1948Declining Soil Fertility - Its National and International Implications, 4th Annual Convention of National Agricultural Limestone Association, 1949Nutrition Via Soil Fertility According to the Climatic Pattern, British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference, 1949Plant and Animal Nutrition in Relation to Soil and Climatic Factors, British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference, 1949Nitrogen for Proteins and Protection Against Disease, Chilean Nitrate Educational Bureau, Inc., 1949Cows are Capable Soil Chemists, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1949Diseases as Deficiencies Via the Soil, Iowa State College Veterinarian, 1950Too Much Nitrogen or Not Enough Else?, National Live Stock Producer, 1950Soil Fertility: Its Climatic Pattern, The Journal of Osteopathy, 1950Weed Killers and Soil Fertility, The Rural New Yorker, 1950Quality of Food Crops According to Soil Fertility, The Technology Review, 1945Soil Fertility and Alfalfa Production, University of Missouri, 1950Animals Recognize Good Soil Treatment, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1951Reconstructing the Soils of the World to Meet Human Needs, Chemurgic Papers, 1951Soil Fertility in Relation to Animal and Human Health, Milk Industry Foundation Convention Proceedings, 1951War: Some Agricultural Implications, Organic Gardening, 1951Soil Fertility and our National Future, Texas Research Foundation, 1951Pattern of Caries in Relation to the Pattern of Soil Fertility in the United States, The Dental Journal of Australia, 1951Soil Fertility Pattern: Its Suggestion about Deficiencies and Disease, The Journal of Osteopathy, 1951Biosynthesis of Amino Acids According to Soil Fertility, University of Missouri, 1951Protein Deficiencies Via Soil Deficiencies, University of Missouri, 1951Managing Nitrogen to Increase Protein in Grains, Victory Farm Forum, 1951Soil Organic Matter Emphasizes Itself, 1952The Load on the Land, A Symposium, 1952More and Better Proteins Make Better Food and Feed, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1952Better Proteins Grow on Better Soils, Commercial Fertilizer, 1952Pastures and Soils, Corn Belt Livestock Feeder, Inc., 1952How Smart is a Cow?, Missouri Ruralist, 1952Soil Fertility and Amino Acid Synthesis by Plants, National Institute of Sciences of India, 1952The Value of Organic Matter, Rural New Yorker, 1952Proteins and Reproduction, The Land, 1952Soil Science Looks to the Cow, The Polled Hereford World Magazine, 1952Soil Fertility - A Weapon Against Weeds, University of Missouri, 1952Potassium Bearing Minerals as Soil Treatments, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1952Soil Acidity as Calcium (Fertility) Deficiency, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1952Our Soils and Our Health, Agricultural Leaders' Digest, 1953Red Clover Suggests Shortage of Potash, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1953Soil and Nutrition, California Fertilizer Association, 1953Soil Fertility, The Power Control of Agricultural Creation, Missouri Farmers Association, 1953Biosynthesis of Amino Acids According to Soil Fertility, Plant and Soil, 1953Proteins are Becoming Scarcer, The Polled Hereford World Magazine, 1953Human Ecology - The Soil Fertility Pattern Under it, University of Missouri, 1953WGN Farm Hour Interview, WGN Radio, 1953Nutrition and the Climatic Pattern of Soil Development, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1954Let Rocks Their Silence Break, American Institute of Dental Medicine, 1954Droughts - The Soil has Reasons for Them, Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1954The Influence of Soil Mineral Elements on Animal Nutrition, Michigan State University, 1954Lime the Soil to Feed Crops, Missouri Farm News Service, 1954Soil Acidity (Low pH) spells Fertility Deficiencies, Pit and Quarry, 1954Lime the Soil to Correct Its Major Fertility Deficiencies, Rock Products, 1954Reconstructing Soils, The Challenger, 1954Fertilizer's Services in Plant Nutrition, University of Missouri, 1954Do We Overlook Protein Quality?, What's New in Crops & Soils, 1954Thin Roots are Searching for, Thick Roots are Finding, Soil Fertility, 1955Make Tax Allowance for Fertility Depletion, Agricultural Leaders' Digest, 1955Trace Elements and Agricultural Production, American Academy of Nutrition, 1955Should Farmers Receive Tax Allowance for Soil-Building?, Missouri Farm News Service, 1955It's the Soil That Feeds Us, Natural Food Associates, 1955Agricultural Limestone - For the Sake of More than Its Calcium, Pit and Quarry, 1955Capital No Substitute for Soil Fertility, Rock Products, 1955The Living Soil, The Golf Course Reporter, 1955Chemicals for the Improvement of Soils, University of Missouri, 1955Fertilizer for Higher Feed Value, University of Missouri, 1955Proteins, The Struggle for Them by all Forms of Life, Premised on the Fertility of the Soil, University of Missouri, 1955Physical, Chemical, and Biochemical Changes in the Soil Community, Wenner-Gren Foundation International Symposium, 1955Why Your Cattle Break Through the Fence, Western Livestock Journal, 1955Soils, Nutrition and Animal Health, Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 1956Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth, University of Chicago Press, 1956Trace Elements and the Production of Proteins, Original Manuscript, 1957Soil Fertility and Biotic Geography, The Geographical Review, 1957Soil Fertility and the Quality of Seeds, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1957Balanced Soil Fertility, , American Agricultural Reports, 1958Balanced Soil Fertility, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1958Balanced Soil Fertility - Less Plant Pests and Disease, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1958Balanced Soil Fertility - Less Plant Pests and Disease, Manuscript, 1958Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, Natural Food and Farming Digest, 1958Some Significant Truths About the Good Earth, Natural Food Associates, 1958Calcium - Boron Interaction, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1958Nitrogen, Proteins and People, Agricultural Ammonia News, 1959Nature Teaches Health via Nutrition, Guest Editorial, 1959Water: An American Problem, National Council for Social Studies, 1959Diagnoses or Post-Mortems?, Natural Food Associates, 1959Soil and Health, Natural Food Associates, 1959Human Health Closely Related to Soil Fertility, School and Community, 1959Growing Our Protein Supplements, University of Missouri, 1959The Biotic Pyramid, 1960Soil Fertility in Relation to Animal Nutrition, Manuscript, 1960Trace Elements, Allergies, and Soil Deficiencies, The Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1960Man and His Habitat - Wastebasket of the Earth, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1961Soils - Their Effects on the Nutritional Values of Foods, Consumer Bulletin, 1961Fluoridation of Public Drinking Water, Manuscript, 1961Introduction of "Soil, Food and Health", Manuscript, 1961Fertile Soils Lessen Insect Injury, 1962Organic Matter for Plant Nutrition, Clinical Psychology, 1962Rocks, Dust and Life, Manuscript, 1962Organic Matter Balances the Soil Fertility, Natural Food and Farming, 1962The Healthy Hunzas, The Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1962Soils Need "Living" Fertility!, Western Livestock Journal, 1962Soil and Survival of the Fit, Manuscript, 1963Only Balanced Diets for Plants, Via Soil, Can Grow Balanced Proteins, Mineralas, 1963A Policy for Preventing Agricultural Suicide, Natural Food and Farming, 1963Biosynthesis of Amino Acids According to Soil Fertility, Plant and Soil, 1963Lime the Soil to Correct Its Major Fertility Deficiencies, Rock Products, 1963Grow Self-Protection Via Soil as Nutrition, Clinical Psychology, 1964Magnesium - Its Relation to Calcium in Body Tissues, Let's Live, 1965Plant, Animal and Human Health Vary With Soil Fertility - Modern Nutrition, 1966Magnesium in the Soils of the United States, Let's Live, 1966The "Half-Lives" of Our Soils, Manuscript, 1966Plant, Animal and Human Health Vary With Soil Fertility, Modern Nutrition, 1966Magnesium Integrates With Calcium, Natural Food and Farming, 1967Problems of Quality in the Productivity of Agricultural Land, Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1968Soils and Chemistry, Manuscript, 1968Trace Elements and Soil Organic Matter, Manuscript, 1968Calcium Membranes in Plants, Animals and Man, The Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1968Concerning the Influence of Calcium on the Physiological Function of Magnesium, Manuscript, 1970Albrecht's Foundation Concepts (The Albrecht Papers, Vol I), [Paperback], William A. Albrecht (Author), Charles Walters (Editor)Soil Fertility & Animal Health (The Albrecht Papers, Vol II), [Paperback], William A. Albrecht (Author), Charles Walters (Editor)[1]Albrecht on Calcium (The Albrecht Papers, Vol V), [Paperback], William A. Albrecht (Author), Charles Walters (Editor)Albrecht on Pastures (The Albrecht Papers, Vol VI), [Paperback], William A. Albrecht (Author), Charles Walters (Editor)Albrecht on Soil Balancing (The Albrecht Papers, Vol VII), [Paperback], William A. Albrecht (Author), Charles Walters (Editor)
