Maluma

William Albert Albrecht (September 12, 1888 – May 19, 1974) chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri, was the foremost authority on the relation of soil fertility to human health and earned four degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. As emeritus professor of soils at the University of Missouri, he saw a direct link between soil quality, food quality and human health. He drew direct connections between poor quality forage crops, and ill health in livestock and from this developed a formula for ideal ratios of cations in the soil, the Base Cation Saturation Ratio. While he did not discover cation exchange in the soil as is sometimes supposed, he may have been the first to associate it with colloidal clay particles. He served as 1939 President of the Soil Science Society of America.

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 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.

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 benefit of liming soil stems 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 opinions 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.

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 :

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.

Variable Levels of Biological Activity in Sanborn Field After Fifty Years of Treatment, Soil Science, 1938 Animals Recognize Good Soil Treatment, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1940 Organic Matter – The Life of the Soil, Farmer's Week, Ohio State University, 1940 Good Horses Require Good Soils, Horse and Mule Association of America, 1940 Calcium-Potassium-Phosphorus Relation as a Possible Factor in Ecological Array of Plants, Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1940 Making Organic Matter Effective in Soil, The Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association, 1940 Calcium as a Factor in Seed Germination, Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1941 The Soil as a Farm Commodity or a Factory, Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 1941 Soil Organic Matter and Ion Availability for Plants, Soil Science, 1941 Biological Assays of Soil Fertility, Soil Science Society of America, 1941 Potassium in the Soil Colloid Complex and Plant Nutrition, Soil Science, 1941 Feed Efficiency in Terms of Biological Assays of Soil Treatments, Soil Science Society of America, 1942 Health Depends on Soil, The Land, 1942 Soil Management By Nature or By Man?, Western Soils Co., 1942 Soil Fertility and the Human Species, American Chemical Society, Chemical and Engineering News, 1942 We Are What We Eat - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1943 Why Do Farmers Plow?, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1943 Magnesium Depletion in Relation to Some Cropping Systems and Soil Treatments, Soil Science, 1943 We Are What We Eat, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1943 Make the Grass Greener on Your Side of the Fence, The Business of Farming, 1943 Soil and Livestock, The Land, 1943 Fertilize the Soil Then the Crop, University of Missouri, 1943 Soil Fertility and National Nutrition, Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 1944 Better Pastures Depend on Soil Fertility, The Fertilizer Review, 1944 Taking Our Soil for Granted, The Ranchman, 1944 Soil Fertility, Food Source, The Technology Review, 1944 Mobilizing the Fertilizer Resources of Our Nation's Soil, 28th Annual Convention of the National Crushed Stone Association, 1945 How Long Do the Effects from Fertilizer Last?, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1945 Food Quality from the Soil, Consumer's Research, Inc., 1945 Vegetable Crops in Relation to Soil Fertility, Food Research, 1945 Discrimination in Food Selection by Animals, The Scientific Monthly, 1945 Vegetable Crops in Relation to Soil Fertility-V. Calcium contents of Green Leafy Vegetable, Food Research, 1945 By Soil Treatments on Pastures, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1946 Extra Soil Fertility Lengthens Grazing Season!, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1946 Why Be a Friend of the Land?, Land Letter, 1946 The Soil as the Basis of Wildlife, Management University of Missouri, 1946 Soil and Livestock Work Together, 42nd Annual Meeting-American Meat Institute, 1947 Soil Fertility - The Basis of Agricultural Production, 4th Annual Meeting of the Western Colorado Horticultural Society, 1947 Soil Fertility and Animal Production, 58th Annual Meeting of the Indiana State Dairy Association, 1947 Our Teeth and our Soils, Annals of Dentistry, 1947 Hidden Hungers Point to Soil Fertility, Chilean Nitrate Educational Bureau, Inc., 1947 Use Extra Soil Fertility to Provide Protein, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1947 Better Soils Make Better Hogs, Hampshire Herdsman, 1947 Limestone—The Foremost of Natural Fertilizer, Pit and Quarry, 1947 Soil Fertility and Nutritive Value of Foods, Agricultural Leaders' Digest, 1948 Some Rates of Fertility Decline, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1948 There is No Substitute for Soil Fertility, Better Crops With Plant Food Magazine, 1948 Quality of Crops also Depends on Soil Fertility, Chilean Nitrate Educational Bureau, Inc., 1948 Potassium Helps Put More Nitrogen into Sweetclover, Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1948 National Pattern of Tooth Troubles Points to Pattern of Soil Fertility, Journal of the Missouri State Dental Association, 1948 Climate, Soil, and Health. I. Climatic Soil Pattern and Food Composition, Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology, 1948 Building Soils for Better Herds, Polled Hereford World, 1948 Diversity of Amino Acids in Legumes According to the Soil Fertility, Science, 1948 Carbohydrate-Protein Ratio of Peas in Relation to Fertilization with Potassium, Calcium, and Nitrogen, Soil Science of America Proceedings, 1948 Is the Cure in the Soil?, The Furrow, 1948 Soil and Protein, The Land, 1948 Our Soils Our Food and Ourselves, The Mennonite Community, 1948 Declining Soil Fertility - Its National and International Implications, 4th Annual Convention of National Agricultural Limestone Association, 1949 Nutrition Via Soil Fertility According to the Climatic Pattern, British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference, 1949 Plant and Animal Nutrition in Relation to Soil and Climatic Factors, British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference, 1949 Nitrogen for Proteins and Protection Against Disease, Chilean Nitrate Educational Bureau, Inc., 1949 Cows are Capable Soil Chemists, Guernsey Breeders' Journal, 1949 Diseases as Deficiencies Via the Soil, Iowa State College Veterinarian, 1950 Too Much Nitrogen or Not Enough Else?, National Live Stock Producer, 1950 Soil Fertility: Its Climatic Pattern, The Journal of Osteopathy, 1950 Weed Killers and Soil Fertility, The Rural New Yorker, 1950 Quality of Food Crops According to Soil Fertility, The Technology Review, 1945 Soil Fertility and Alfalfa Production, University of Missouri, 1950 Animals Recognize Good Soil Treatment, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1951 Reconstructing the Soils of the World to Meet Human Needs, Chemurgic Papers, 1951 Soil Fertility in Relation to Animal and Human Health, Milk Industry Foundation Convention Proceedings, 1951 War: Some Agricultural Implications, Organic Gardening, 1951 Soil Fertility and our National Future, Texas Research Foundation, 1951 Pattern of Caries in Relation to the Pattern of Soil Fertility in the United States, The Dental Journal of Australia, 1951 Soil Fertility Pattern: Its Suggestion about Deficiencies and Disease, The Journal of Osteopathy, 1951 Biosynthesis of Amino Acids According to Soil Fertility, University of Missouri, 1951 Protein Deficiencies Via Soil Deficiencies, University of Missouri, 1951 Managing Nitrogen to Increase Protein in Grains, Victory Farm Forum, 1951 Soil Organic Matter Emphasizes Itself, 1952 The Load on the Land, A Symposium, 1952 More and Better Proteins Make Better Food and Feed, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1952 Better Proteins Grow on Better Soils, Commercial Fertilizer, 1952 Pastures and Soils, Corn Belt Livestock Feeder, Inc., 1952 How Smart is a Cow?, Missouri Ruralist, 1952 Soil Fertility and Amino Acid Synthesis by Plants, National Institute of Sciences of India, 1952 The Value of Organic Matter, Rural New Yorker, 1952 Proteins and Reproduction, The Land, 1952 Soil Science Looks to the Cow, The Polled Hereford World Magazine, 1952 Soil Fertility - A Weapon Against Weeds, University of Missouri, 1952 Potassium Bearing Minerals as Soil Treatments, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1952 Soil Acidity as Calcium (Fertility) Deficiency, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1952 Our Soils and Our Health, Agricultural Leaders' Digest, 1953 Red Clover Suggests Shortage of Potash, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1953 Soil and Nutrition, California Fertilizer Association, 1953 Soil Fertility, The Power Control of Agricultural Creation, Missouri Farmers Association, 1953 Biosynthesis of Amino Acids According to Soil Fertility, Plant and Soil, 1953 Proteins are Becoming Scarcer, The Polled Hereford World Magazine, 1953 Human Ecology - The Soil Fertility Pattern Under it, University of Missouri, 1953 WGN Farm Hour Interview, WGN Radio, 1953 Nutrition and the Climatic Pattern of Soil Development, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1954 Let Rocks Their Silence Break, American Institute of Dental Medicine, 1954 Droughts - The Soil has Reasons for Them, Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1954 The Influence of Soil Mineral Elements on Animal Nutrition, Michigan State University, 1954 Lime the Soil to Feed Crops, Missouri Farm News Service, 1954 Soil Acidity (Low pH) spells Fertility Deficiencies, Pit and Quarry, 1954 Lime the Soil to Correct Its Major Fertility Deficiencies, Rock Products, 1954 Reconstructing Soils, The Challenger, 1954 Fertilizer's Services in Plant Nutrition, University of Missouri, 1954 Do We Overlook Protein Quality?, What's New in Crops & Soils, 1954 Thin Roots are Searching for, Thick Roots are Finding, Soil Fertility, 1955 Make Tax Allowance for Fertility Depletion, Agricultural Leaders' Digest, 1955 Trace Elements and Agricultural Production, American Academy of Nutrition, 1955 Should Farmers Receive Tax Allowance for Soil-Building?, Missouri Farm News Service, 1955 It's the Soil That Feeds Us, Natural Food Associates, 1955 Agricultural Limestone - For the Sake of More than Its Calcium, Pit and Quarry, 1955 Capital No Substitute for Soil Fertility, Rock Products, 1955 The Living Soil, The Golf Course Reporter, 1955 Chemicals for the Improvement of Soils, University of Missouri, 1955 Fertilizer for Higher Feed Value, University of Missouri, 1955 Proteins, The Struggle for Them by all Forms of Life, Premised on the Fertility of the Soil, University of Missouri, 1955 Physical, Chemical, and Biochemical Changes in the Soil Community, Wenner-Gren Foundation International Symposium, 1955 Why Your Cattle Break Through the Fence, Western Livestock Journal, 1955 Soils, Nutrition and Animal Health, Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 1956 Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth, University of Chicago Press, 1956 Trace Elements and the Production of Proteins, Original Manuscript, 1957 Soil Fertility and Biotic Geography, The Geographical Review, 1957 Soil Fertility and the Quality of Seeds, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1957 Balanced Soil Fertility, , American Agricultural Reports, 1958 Balanced Soil Fertility, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1958 Balanced Soil Fertility - Less Plant Pests and Disease, Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine, 1958 Balanced Soil Fertility - Less Plant Pests and Disease, Manuscript, 1958 Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, Natural Food and Farming Digest, 1958 Some Significant Truths About the Good Earth, Natural Food Associates, 1958 Calcium - Boron Interaction, University of Missouri Bulletin, 1958 Nitrogen, Proteins and People, Agricultural Ammonia News, 1959 Nature Teaches Health via Nutrition, Guest Editorial, 1959 Water: An American Problem, National Council for Social Studies, 1959 Diagnoses or Post-Mortems?, Natural Food Associates, 1959 Soil and Health, Natural Food Associates, 1959 Human Health Closely Related to Soil Fertility, School and Community, 1959 Growing Our Protein Supplements, University of Missouri, 1959 The Biotic Pyramid, 1960 Soil Fertility in Relation to Animal Nutrition, Manuscript, 1960 Trace Elements, Allergies, and Soil Deficiencies, The Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1960 Man and His Habitat - Wastebasket of the Earth, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1961 Soils - Their Effects on the Nutritional Values of Foods, Consumer Bulletin, 1961 Fluoridation of Public Drinking Water, Manuscript, 1961 Introduction of "Soil, Food and Health", Manuscript, 1961 Fertile Soils Lessen Insect Injury, 1962 Organic Matter for Plant Nutrition, Clinical Psychology, 1962 Rocks, Dust and Life, Manuscript, 1962 Organic Matter Balances the Soil Fertility, Natural Food and Farming, 1962 The Healthy Hunzas, The Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1962 Soils Need "Living" Fertility!, Western Livestock Journal, 1962 Soil and Survival of the Fit, Manuscript, 1963 Only Balanced Diets for Plants, Via Soil, Can Grow Balanced Proteins, Mineralas, 1963 A Policy for Preventing Agricultural Suicide, Natural Food and Farming, 1963 Biosynthesis of Amino Acids According to Soil Fertility, Plant and Soil, 1963 Lime the Soil to Correct Its Major Fertility Deficiencies, Rock Products, 1963 Grow Self-Protection Via Soil as Nutrition, Clinical Psychology, 1964 Magnesium - Its Relation to Calcium in Body Tissues, Let's Live, 1965 Plant, Animal and Human Health Vary With Soil Fertility - Modern Nutrition, 1966 Magnesium in the Soils of the United States, Let's Live, 1966 The "Half-Lives" of Our Soils, Manuscript, 1966 Plant, Animal and Human Health Vary With Soil Fertility, Modern Nutrition, 1966 Magnesium Integrates With Calcium, Natural Food and Farming, 1967 Problems of Quality in the Productivity of Agricultural Land, Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1968 Soils and Chemistry, Manuscript, 1968 Trace Elements and Soil Organic Matter, Manuscript, 1968 Calcium Membranes in Plants, Animals and Man, The Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1968 Concerning the Influence of Calcium on the Physiological Function of Magnesium, Manuscript, 1970

Posthumous publications Albrecht'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) 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)