Madison County Democrat

Ohio Fertilizer Consumption Shows Big 10-Year Gain
OHIO farmers used approximately 891,609 tons of fertilizer in growing their crops last year, according to a statement by the Middle West Soil Improvement Committee, based on statistics compiled by the National Fertilizer Association. This was the highest consumption ever recorded in the state.
Fertilizer consumption in Ohio was two and a half times as great in 1949 as it was 10 years ago. In 1939, 346,224 tons of fertilizer were used on Ohio farms. Important in encouraging this trend has been the work of the state agricultural college.
For the entire United States the 1949 fertilizer consumption totaled 16,579,000 tons. This was the highest in history and exceeded the 1948 record by 623,000 tons. More than twice as much plant food was used in the United States last year as in 1939, when the total consumption was 7,707,000 tons.
The steadily increasing use of fertilizer on the nation's farms in the past 10 years is attributed to these factors: (1) Fertilizer has proved profitable in boosting crop yields per acre, cutting production costs and increasing net income. (2) Plant food gives a high return for every dollar invested. (3) Fertilizer is a "good buy" for farmers. Prices of fertilizer have remained very reasonable compared with prices of other commodities purchased by farmers and with prices received by farmers for their products.