Reconstructing historical soil fertility management in the Corn Belt
Nathan Sayre, Professor
Geography
Applications for Fall 2025 are closed for this project.
Synthetic fertilizer use is one of the most environmentally damaging features of modern agriculture. In the Iowa Corn Belt, there is evidence that farmers managed to sustain soil fertility for nearly a century without commercial fertilizers, relying instead on integrated crop and livestock production. Very little is known about how they achieved this, however. This project seeks to reconstruct soil management practices through archival research. It will contribute to developing potential grant proposals for fieldwork and oral history research. If successful, it may help identify ways to reduce chemical fertilizer use in one of the most important farm regions in the US.
Role: I have begun to assemble county soil surveys conducted by Cooperative Extension and Soil Conservation Service scientists in the 1930s and 1940s, prior to the widespread availability and use of chemical fertilizers. The URAP student would begin by (1) locating county surveys I have not yet found; and (2) reading the surveys and compiling information in a database or spreadsheet. Next, they would conduct library and online research to locate additional relevant source materials. In ongoing discussions, the URAP and I will consider ways to expand or strengthen the research by, e.g., extending it into neighboring states or further forward in time. Finally, we will assess the potential for grant proposals to deepen the research using field work, oral histories, or other methods.
Qualifications: Required: Curiosity about agriculture and sustainability; willingness to learn archival research practices and strategies; strong attention to detail; basic spreadsheet skills.
Hours: 3-5 hrs
Related website: https://geography.berkeley.edu/professor-nathan-sayre
Related website: https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2023.2284973