Remineralize the Earth Embarks on a Research Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

By Dan Kittredge

Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st the nutrient density in our food crops has been consistently declining. USDA studies show that an average apple from the 1960’s had 5 times the nutrition of that same apple produced today. This is an average of course, and there are many farms who have figured out how to produce high nutrient density crops even while the national average has been plummeting.

Remineralize The Earth has just embarked on a research project in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts to document the effect on nutrient density of crops with the application of rock dusts and biological amendments.

We will compare the growth and nutritional density of carrots, cabbage and green beans planted in plots amended with two different types of rock dusts and with one biological root amendment, and one biological foliar feed.

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Research plot all laid out Rock dust ready to spread Cabbage seedlings

The two rock dusts are a finely ground volcanic product marketed as “Summa Minerals” which originates in California, and one locally available rock dust that is the byproduct of a diamond saw at a quarry. The local dust comes from the Ashfield Stone Company in Ashfield Ma. Both products are listed in the resources section of the Remineralize The Earth website.

There are six plots replicated four times. The six plots are Summa, Ashfield, Biological, Summa/Biological, Ashfield/Biological, and a control. In the plots with biological inoculation the carrot and bean seeds were inoculated, but the cabbage seedlings were not as the innoculant is not recommended for the brassica family, of which cabbage is a member. The biological foliar feed will be sprayed on all of the crops in the plot as it is not limited in effect.

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Ashfield/Biological plot before covering of seed showing inmoculant in seed row Control plot after planting Summa plot after planting. Red color of product showing up in soil color

This experiment has the potential to have significant ramifications for the national food supply. Numerous studies have shown the role of vitamin and mineral deficiencies as root causes in disease, so the potential to increase the nutrient density of food crops through remineralization could have a profound effect on national health.

Dr Ruth Hazzard of the University of Massachusetts extension is the projects’ scientific coordinator. Dan Kittredge, Executive Director of the Remineralize The Earth is managing the in field work.

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