Sorry, I had to stop reading here:
“In North America, in excess of 86% of the wheat crop is fertilized, in excess of 96% of the corn crop is fertilized. About 20% of the bean crop is fertilized. The reason for this is that corn and wheat need added nitrogen in the depleted soils where they are grown because as the plants mature they”strip” the soil of it’s nutrients, soybeans/canola are of much lower impact.”
First, fertilizer use is down due to high fertilizer prices.
Crops don’t “strip” the soil of nutrients. This is one of the henny-penny environmentalist loaded words. Plants don’t “strip” nutrients - they use them. If there are nutrients in the soil in excess of what the plant can use given the other growing conditions (soil moisture, growing degree days, pest pressure), guess what? The nutrients are left in the soil. Doesn’t matter what type of plant we’re talking about, they all need NPK and micro-nutrients in varying amounts.
Soybeans don’t merely use less nitrogen - soybeans are a legume, and legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. Alfalfa, clover, peas, beans (inc. soybeans), peanuts, etc — all legumes fix nitrogen into the soil. But for maximum production potential, they still need phosphorous and potassium in the proper proportions.
i grew up on the farm my dad grew up on, and his dad before him. one year my grandpa planted soybeans and the crop was beautiful. when they were big and green and looking like a bumper crop, grandpa and dad plowed them all under. dad was appalled by this but the next year when they planted corn.....hooowhee. they had more corn than anyone. people were trying to buy corn from them and grandpa said no thank you. he sold what he needed to and used what he needed for livestock feed. i didn’t understand this as a kid but over the last few years i have gotten the point. with proper crop rotation and natural fertilizer options you too can have bumper crops. it translates pretty well into veggie gardens too.
Nitrogen is only one of several nutrients that may be in fertilizer. Potash and other elements are also needed by crops and without their replenishment, crops are reduced in size.