Energy & Environment

While at the Far West meeting this week in Pasco, Washington I was inspired to write my first blog – at least first for the new TFI website.  Things workwise thankfully slow down a bit this time of year, but in addition, despite having numerous topics upon which I could potentially blog, I have been suffering from a bit of writers’ block. To some degree I need to be inspired by the topic; such as the crazy carnival atmosphere at the previous climate meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.

This month the world will have its 7 billionth person born.    People’s diets are moving in a direction that requires more resources to produce food.  By 2050, the world is projected to have 9 billion people.  Meeting the needs to feed all of these people will no doubt be a challenge, but one the public often forgets. 

There is an increasing focus on fertilizers as a problem for the environment, not a solution to meeting the food needs of a growing population. While there is not a one size fits all answer, we know that mandatory rate reductions and input limits are not an environmental, economic or socially beneficial answer either.

The twenty plus years I have spent in the fertilizer industry and thus in the agriculture community have flown by – in large part because I believe the role we play in improving peoples’ lives is undeniable.