Blog

February 22nd, 2012

Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC president and CEO, discusses the USAID-funded Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC) and the industry’s necessary role in fertilizer research and development.


Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC president and CEO, discusses the USAID-funded Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC) and the industry’s necessary role in fertilizer research and development.



February 21, 2012 – MUSCLE SHOALS, Alabama, United States – The Fertilizer Industry Round Table (FIRT), a forum for industry leaders from across the supply chain to share best practices, innovations and market trends, held its annual board of directors meeting February 14 at IFDC’s headquarters in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 


The board, consisting of 37 members and chaired by William O’Neill, Jr. of International Raw Materials Ltd. (IRM), is comprised of both established and emerging companies with research and production interests in the fertilizer industry. Among them are Honeywell, J. R. Simplot, Mosaic Company, Potash Corp and Shell Sulphur Solutions. The research community is represented on the board by such organizations as IFDC, the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), OISC Purdue University, The Sulphur Institute (TSI) and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). 


“This is a unique organization that truly cuts across all disciplines in the fertilizer sector, which is what makes it so interesting,” said Luc Maene, director-general of IFA, referring to the fertilizer manufacturers, distributors, researchers and advocacy organizations that make up FIRT’s membership.


When asked about the biggest challenges facing the industry, Maene stated, “To feed 9.4 billion people by 2050, we know the fertilizer industry needs to help generate higher agricultural productivity. The industry has a big role to play in working with the world’s growers to promote best management practices using existing fertilizer products. But the industry should also participate in the research and development of the fertilizers of the future that will respond to the seeds of the future.” (Maene’s reference was to enhanced seed varieties that continue to be modified to produce higher yields and to be more resistant to adverse climatic and environmental conditions.)


These two major points – the efficient use of existing fertilizer and the development of new fertilizer technologies – appear to be common topics of industry conversation, and both subjects were covered equally by board members during the meeting.


“All of the organizations involved in FIRT recognize the importance of making the efficient use of existing fertilizer technologies a priority,” said John Shields of IFDC’s Research and Development Division. “Critical to this effort is educating the various actors in the value chain – suppliers, agro-dealers and farmers – in improved nutrient and crop management practices. This is a particularly important effort in the developing world.”


Shields also shared thoughts on future technological advancements that echoed Maene’s statement. “It is also important that these stakeholders be made aware of new and promising technologies on the horizon,” Shields said.


The subject of new fertilizer technologies was highlighted by Dr. Amit Roy, president and CEO of IFDC, who gave a presentation on the progress of the Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC) for the FIRT board. The Center is designed to bring together scientists from all disciplines in fertilizer, seed and agro-economic research in a virtual setting, to more efficiently partner in common research goals. The Center is aligned with the fertilizer industry’s continuing efforts to develop new fertilizer technologies, and is expected to fast-track the most promising research into development.


“Fertilizers contribute 40-60 percent yield increases when properly applied to crops, but the current products are not necessarily the most efficient. For example, the loss of nitrogen from urea, the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer, ranges from 45-75 percent,” said Roy. “A new generation of more efficient fertilizers is needed to meet both current and future food production challenges. The VFRC is singularly positioned to connect the best minds in the rapid development of these new products.”


The cornerstone of FIRT is its general membership meeting to be held in November, presented in partnership with TFI. The annual meeting is designed to review best practices and processes across a wide range of fertilizer, agricultural and environmental topics. These proceedings are published annually, creating a permanent record of developments in the world fertilizer industry.


Background on FIRT


FIRT was established informally in 1951 during an annual American Chemical Society conference. Dissatisfied with the level of attention given to the subject of fertilizer and related issues, a number of industry leaders elected to gather separately to discuss common production issues and share best practices. Among these founders was Travis P. Hignett of the Tennessee Valley Authority, who later served as a special consultant to IFDC for more than a decade.


This level of knowledge sharing was considered revolutionary in the fertilizer industry. Before that time, companies within the industry were well-known for keeping their operations private, particularly their fertilizer formulations. This new era of transparency, led by FIRT, ultimately proved beneficial for the entire industry, improving the production, quality, distribution and efficient use of fertilizer materials.


Unique among fertilizer industry associations, FIRT receives no funding from vested companies or governments. The organization is run by volunteers who represent all aspects of the industry. They include executives, scientists, manufacturers, financial experts and industry analysts.


(Note: A list of the FIRT board members who attended the meeting as well as additional photos can be found below.)


###


IFDC Contacts: 


Courtney Greene


+1 (256)-381-6600, ext. 357   


cgreene@ifdc.org


Scott Mall 


+1 (256)-381-6600, ext. 234 


small@ifdc.org


FIRT Board Members Attending February Meeting


 Frank Achorn, SE-ME


John Boyd, Sr., Morral Companies


Vernon Carlton, Winston Weaver Co.


Mike Daigle, Mosaic Company


Donald Day, Day’s Consulting


David Downey, Purdue University


Charles Formisani, A.J. Sackett & Sons, Co.


Harvey Goertz, Innovative Hort Solutions, LLC


Kenneth Kunz, Honeywell


Shane Le Capitaine, FEECO International Inc.


Luc Maene, International Fertilizer Industry Association


Tim Mahoney, International Raw Materials (IRM)


Robert McNaughton, Sylvite Agri Services


Donald Messick, The Sulphur Institute


William O’Neill, Jr., International Raw Materials (IRM)


Dan Partin, ArrMaz Custom Chemicals, Inc.


Jim Samuelson, J.R. Simplot


John Shields, IFDC


Joseph Slater, Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO)


Larry Taylor, A.J. Sackett & Sons, Co.


Jeffrey Walker, ArrMaz Custom Chemicals, Inc.


Richard Whitesell, The Andersons


 Additional Photos:



More than 20 industry professionals representing fertilizer manufacturing, distribution and research attended the annual FIRT Board Meeting.



Board Chairman William O'Neill Jr. of International Raw Materials Ltd. (IRM) (center, red tie) conducts FIRT business. To his left is Luc Maene, director-general of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA).



February 13th, 2012

From Forbes:


"Bill Gates says in his annual letter that he is increasingly troubled by the lack of investment into new research in agriculture.


America’s richest man says that it is a terrible irony that most of the billion people, 15% of the world population, who live in extreme poverty and must worry about where they will get their next meal are suffering on farms. He says that the world needs to repeat the “Green Revolution” of the 1960s and 1970s, when new farming technologies, including new seed varieties of rice, wheat, and corn, increased the amount of food available and decreased its price.


“The world faces a clear choice,” he writes. “If we invest relatively modest amounts, many more poor farmers will be able to feed their families. If we don’t, one in seven people will continue living needlessly on the edge of starvation.”


That’s staggering considering that only $3 billion is spent on agricultural research on the seven most important crops, Gates says, including $1.5 billion from countries, $1.2 billion from private companies such as Monsanto and Syngenta, and $300 million by an agency called the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research."


Read more here.

January 24th, 2012

From AMITSA:


"The L3F Uganda project, pioneered by graduates from Makerere University under the wings of Prof Moses Tenywa, has for the last two years provided timely and relevant information on markets, fertiliser application, right plant spacing, timely planting, diseases like potato blight and other important farm related information, to farmers in Uganda.


For the farmers in the sub-counties of Bufundi and Bubare, the communication device has solved their livelihood problems from the day it replaced the extension worker in providing timely and relevant farm information.


In the two sub counties, sorghum and potatoes are the main source of income. But, the challenges of growing and bringing the crops to the market do not stop at the volatile market prices, and bad road network. They extend to the lack of information on the right seeds, weather patterns, right fertilisers, pests and diseases - not forgetting the endemic lack of credit affecting farmers all over the country."


Read more here.





January 24th, 2012

From Precision Ag:


"The Mosaic Company recently launched the Nutrient Removal App as part of its on-going commitment to provide growers and retailers with innovative tools utilizing new computing and communication technology. The free app, available on smartphones and mobile tablets, makes nutrient removal data readily available in the office, field or tractor. The app serves as a new tool for growers as they partner with their local agronomist to plan for next year’s planting season and crop nutrient programs."



Read more here


Once it’s downloaded, the Nutrient Removal App can be used without Internet service, and contains customizable data for 36 different crops. After the crop and desired yield are selected, results can be stored as part of an individual profile, and/or emailed to other contacts.


Download the app here





 

December 22nd, 2011

From AgProfessional:


"Many farmers are producing over 300 bushels per acre every year in yield contest fields. Seed companies are consistently growing 300-plus yields inside the greenhouse and in test plots, so genetics is not the limiting factor. In order for average corn yields to continue to increase, farmers need to consider ways to reduce yield-limiting factors in their production systems. 


There are six specific components that are biologically-based and can enhance your soils health and productivity."


Read more here.


 


 

December 22nd, 2011

AgpProfessional magazine is holding a web poll on best new product introduced in 2011. The list of products is taken from the magazine's Top 10 Editors’ Choice list:


A) Ag Leader, Air Cart Support for Seeding and Fertilizer Application. Product Information.
B) Bayer CropScience, On Demand Seed Treatment System. Product Information.
C) Dawn Equipment, Anhydra Universal Fertilizer Applicator. Product Information.
D) GVM, AgJunction / AgJunction Link. Product Information.
E) Marrone Bio Innovations, Grandevo Natural Insecticide. Product Information.
F) MyWay RTK, MyWay Xchange Online Tool. Product Information.
G) Precision Laboratories, Mix Tank App. Product Information.
H) Syngenta, Avicta Complete Beans. Product Information.
I) TeeJet Technologies, Matrix Pro with RealView Guidance Over Video. Product Information.
J) Valent, Inovate Seed Protectant. Product Information


Voting is open to anyone. Vote now!


 

December 5th, 2011

From Delta Farm Press:


"Honeywell has announced it has signed an agreement with the J.R. Simplot Company, one of the world's largest privately held food and agribusiness companies, to build a facility that will produce Honeywell's Sulf-N 26, a highly-effective fertilizer with all the agronomic benefits of traditional nitrate-based fertilizers, but with significantly lower explosive potential.


Sulf-N 26 is a new, dry granular ammonium sulfate nitrate (ASN) fertilizer made from a patented Honeywell process that chemically fuses ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate to produce an entirely new and highly stable molecule, a 26-0-0 14S fertilizer.


Independent agronomic tests on crops and plants — ranging from grass to cabbage and tomatoes to strawberry and oranges — found the new fertilizer to be safe and effective for agricultural use compared with traditional nitrate-based fertilizers."


Read more here.

November 30th, 2011

From Grand Forks Herald:


"The UND Energy and Environmental Research Center is studying whether it’s economical to convert flare gas, a waste product from oil drilling, to fertilizer.


The one-year project, led by North Dakota State University, could benefit North Dakota agriculture by creating a low-cost and stable local supply of nitrogen fertilizer, said project leader Cole Gustafson, chairman of NDSU’s agribusiness and applied economics department."


Read more here.

November 28th, 2011

From BBC:


"As this year's UN climate summit opens, some of the developing world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters are bidding to delay talks on a new global agreement.


To the anger of small islands states, India and Brazil have joined rich nations in wanting to start talks on a legal deal no earlier than 2015.


The EU and climate-vulnerable blocs want to start as soon as possible, and have the deal finalised by 2015."


Read more here.

November 25th, 2011

From BBC:


"Global temperatures could be less sensitive to changing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels than previously thought, a study suggests."


Read more here.

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