Volume 8 is a timely and worthy addition to the preceding Albrecht Papers. This collection of writings from William Albrecht analyses the interconnectedness of soil health, animal health, and human health. It is through these connections that Albrecht illustrates agriculture as a cycle of nutrition that begins and ends in the soil, affecting both animals and human in the process. In this respect, Albrecht makes a compelling case for the need to restore soil fertility in order to improve the health of animals and ultimately of humanity at large. Scientists, farmers, and policymakers alike will benefit from Albrecht's work, which challenges its readers to take seriously the responsibility to improve quality of life in the 21st Century.

This collection presents more of Albrecht's brilliant, classic essays that provide essential insights into the health of our soil. Albrecht was one of the first to see the danger in relying on agri-chemicals instead of soil fertility for healthy crops. In this carefully organized collection of writings, Albrecht explains the workings of the soil-crop system and substantiates his theory that depleted crops, weeds, and poor animal health stem directly from the lack of major elements and trace minerals in soil. As pressure builds on contemporary agriculture to become simultaneously more robust and sustainable, Albrecht's findings - now more than ever - provide crucial information necessary for realizing agriculture that is socially viable and ecologically responsible.

In this collection of writings, Albrecht reveals the significance of balancing soil nutrients for successful crop production. It is not enough simply to supply soil with nutrients; nutrients and minerals interact in a precise way, and it is only when they are balanced according to specific ratios that their optimal benefits are realized. Albrecht's well-researched insights demonstrate the importance of balanced biochemical dynamics in producing healthy and nutritious plants, and in doing so, paves the way for agriculture that is sustainable and ecologically responsible.

Nature works and has been working for a billion and a half years-ever since there were living things on earth. This is important. We talk of controlling nature, but any wise farmer or stockman knows that nature makes the rules for us to learn and follow, if we can. In short, the ecologist is in a position to furnish us, in many ways, models which we can follow in our own operations. Before the prairies were settled, plowed and fenced, wild herds moved back and forth across them, never staying in one place after the grass was cropped too short. These moving herds distributed minerals from their droppings and remains, for it is well-known that wild animals usually maintain a good mineral balance by visiting salt-licks and varying their pasture-grounds. Here in a nutshell is the model for proper use of grasslands. It takes a lot of common sense to get across the information we need. He has it and can put it out so we can all understand it. (From the Introduction)