From: Dan Winter <danwinter>
/* SOIL REMINERALIZATION & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE */
/* written 4pm 4/26/94 by David Yarrow in en.agriculture */
For Immediate Release
Forum
Soil Remineralization and Sustainable Agriculture
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, APRIL 14, 1994 -- An invitation has been
issued to join a one-day forum to explore the potential of soil
remineralization for sustainable agriculture. The Forum will be held on
May 24, 1994 (with a dinner the evening of May 23 at the USDA,
Agricultural Research Service Center, Beltsville, Maryland.
Natural stone and aggregate materials and fines produced from crushed
stone, sand and gravel contain a broad spectrum of minerals and trace
elements that can be applied to soils. Potential benefits are increased
yields and long term soil fertility that is sustainable and
ecologically sound. There is also a potential for
pest control, co-utilization with sewage sludge or wastewater technologies,
bioremediation of soils and other areas of sustainable development. The
effect on nutritional content of remineralized crops is an important
factor in the examination of the value of remineralization. The main
emphasis of the one-day Forum will be on sustainable agriculture.
These issues should greatly interest all those concerned with
environmental and economic sustainability, especially for agriculture
and forestry, creating long term soil fertility and enhancing the
nutritional content of food. The Forum will take a look at the results
of remineralization around the world, as well as prior and current
research. The diverse audience will also explore its future potential,
and the possibility of forming partnerships involving government, industry,
farmers, and universities which will contribute to future exploration of
remineralization and sustainability. The effects on soils and plants
will be examined along with effects on human nutrition.
Perspectives on soil remineralization will come from those that have
advocated remineralization; the aggregate and stone industries, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Speakers will
come from the fields of agriculture, geology, forestry, nutrition, and
the environment. Presenters will include:
* Mr. Greg Watson, Northeast Director, Nature Conservancy
* Dr. Robert Bruck, State University, North Carolina
* Dr. William Fyfe, Pres., International Union of Geological Sciences
* Dr. Bernadette Marriott, National Research Council
The Forum is being hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/
Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Bureau of Mines, National Stone
Association, and National Aggregates Association.
For registration, contact
Engineering Division of National Aggregates Association,
900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 301-587-1400, Fax: 301-585-4219.
The Forum will be held in the main auditorium, Building 003, on the
west side of US Route 1 just north of the Capital Beltway (I-95) on
Circle Drive at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The dinner
the evening before (and lodging if needed)
will be held at the nearby Holiday Inn, College Park, also located on
the west side of US Route 1 at 10000 Baltimore Blvd. Phone 301-345-6700
for reservations.
Conference sponsors are:
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Dr. Ron Korcak
Bldg. 004, Room 119, BARC-West, Beltsville, MD 20705
U. S. Bureau of Mines
Dr. Aldo Barsotti
810 7th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20241
National Aggregates Association
Mr. Richard Meininger
900 Spring Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910
National Stone Association
Mr. Larry Quinlivan, Mr. Charles A. Pryor, Jr.
1415 Elliot Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Workshop Agenda
Forum on Soil Remineralization
Monday, May 23, 1994
Building 003, USDA/ARS
Noon to 5:00 p.m. - Poster Set-Up
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Registration, Holiday Inn, 10000 Baltimore Blvd.
7:00 p.m. Buffet Dinner at Holiday Inn
Guest Speaker - Mr Greg Watson, The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA
Tuesday, May 24, 1994
Auditorium, Bldg 003, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, Maryland
8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Session I
Soil Remineralization - An Overview
Moderator - Dr. Ron Korcak
8:00 Welcome
8:10 - 8:20 Goals of the Workshop
Dr. Ron Korcak
Fruit Lab., USDA/ARS, Beltsville, MD
8:20 - 8:50 Soil Remineralization Around the World
Ms. Joanna Campe
Editor, Remineralize the Earth, Northampton, MA
8:50 - 9:05 The Aggregates Industry
Mr. Rick Meininger
Vice Pres. of Research, National Aggregates Asso., Silver Spring, MD
9:05 - 9:20 Industry/Association Interactions
Mr. Robert Able
Chair, Remineralization Task Force, NAA, Collins, NY
10:00 - 10:30 Break
10:30 - Noon Session II
Remineralization in Agriculture & Forestry
Moderator: Mr. Rick Meininger
10:30 - 10:45 Soil/Plant Interactions
Dr. Ron Korcak
USDA/ARS Fruit Lab, Beltsville, MD
10:45 - 11:10 Use of Mega Industrial Byproducts in Remineralization
Dr. William Fyfe
Dept. of Geology, Univ. Western Ontario, London, Ontario
11:10 - 11:35 Soil Remineralization and Forestry
Dr. Robert Bruck
Office of Outreach & Extension, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
11:35 - Noon Sustainability: A Geologists Perspective
Dr. Ward Chesworth
Land Resource Sci. Dept., Univ. of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Noon Lunch
1:15 - 3:00 p.m. Session III
Diversity and Remineralization
Moderator: Mr. Larry Quinlivan
1:15 - 1:40 Effects of Rock Dust on Soil Microbiology & Plant Nutrition
Dr. David Miller
Biology Department, Oberlin College, Ohio
1:40 - 2:05 Microbial Realm in Relation to Rock Powder Blends
Mr. Bruce Tainio
Tainio Techniques & Technologies, Cheney, Washington
2:05 - 2:30 Potential Benefit of Soil Remineralization:
Selenium in Human Nutrition as a Model
Dr. Orville Levander
Vitamin & Mineral Nutrition Lab, Beltsville, MD
2:30 - 2:55 Geophagy and Human Nutrition
Dr. Bernadette Marriott
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Break & Posters
Session IV
Posters - Case Histories
4:00 - 5:00 Session V
Conference Synopsis
Moderator: Dr. Aldo Barsotti
4:00 - 4:20 Synopsis & Needs - An Industry Perspective
Mr.Jim Schmitt
Granite Rock Co., Watsonville, CA
4:20 - 4:40 Research Needs
Dr. W. D. Kemper
National Program Staff, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, MD
4:40 - 5:00 General Questions and Answers
5:15 - 6:15 Planning Task Group and Speakers
+ - - - - - - - - C O M M E N T A R Y- - - - - - - - - - - +
The impetus which gave rise to this Forum was a 30-page proposal I
prepared in June 1992 for Mr. Robert Able of Gernatt Gravel Co., largest
gravel producer in NYS. Mr. Able presented the proposal to the National
Aggregates Assoc., which enthusiastically adopted it. Then the USDA,
Bureau of Mines, National Stone Assoc. got excited and signed on to the
concept.
So, two years later will see the first national level conference on
the use of finely ground rock powders as an amendment to regenerate worn
out farm and forest soils. For the first time a gathering of PhD's,
bureaucrats, industry reps, and eco-activists will review the existing
information on this essential bioremediation process and consider the
next steps for its broad scale application to the environment.
Unfortunately I won't be there. In August 1992 I was electrocuted by
6000 volts and fell 15 feet to break my back. Totally broke, confined
to bed and wheelchair, consigned to a medical trash can, and in daily
pain, I can't attend to see what will bec ome of my initiative.
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +
-- for a green and peaceful planet,
David Yarrow, turtle from Salt Lake
1227 Dorset St., So. Burlington, VT 05403; 802-865-1218
"be earthwise, not clockwise"