07/08/08 Fertilizer & Food

Fertilizer and Food. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. We know that there is a distinct correlation between fertilizer and plant growth but how does that translate to the nutritional content of the foods produced? It's an area that is relatively unexplored but now thanks to a new joint venture, new insight may be forthcoming. WEST: It's very important that people understand the nutritional value of food as influenced by fertilizer use and we are bringing together for the first time the science of sole nutrition and the science of food nutrition and how they correlate to produce a more nutritious food. That is Ford West, President of the Fertilizer Institute about the new Professorship of Soil and Food Crop Nutrition at Oklahoma State University. The position, which is being funded in-part by the Nutrients for Life Foundation, The Fertilizer Institute and the International Plant Nutrition Institute, will explore the linkages between fertilizer use and the nutritional quality of food according to Terry Roberts is President of the International Plant Nutrition Institute - the research arm of the fertilizer industry. ROBERTS: The fertilizer industry is concerned about the current food crisis situation and it's always been really supportive of research and educational activities directed towards producing more food and more nutritious food. So supporting this professorship is really a great opportunity to collaborate with others in the industry and to capitalize on the strengths of each of our organizations. The industry pooled its resources to donate $250,000 to OSU. Through a rare matching program made available from oil and gas executive and OSU alum T. Boone Pickens and the state of Oklahoma, the fertilizer industry's $250,000 will translate to $1 million to fund a professorship in perpetuity. According to Roberts this position brings the strengths of three organizations together to address fertilizer's affect on food nutritional quality. ROBERTS: Well it would be difficult if not impossible to manage food crop nutrition without understanding how to manage the soils and soil fertility. So we would hope this new position would help address the question of can we manage plant nutrition in a way to grow higher yields with higher quality food. And we know soil fertility impacts functional foods but can we manage plant nutrition to improve food quality and if so, how? That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.