The Feed

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored the various nutrients that boost plant production and keep people all over the world fed and healthy, including the Big 3 and enhanced efficiency fertilizers. This week, let’s take a look at the third category of essential crop nutrients: micronutrients. Micronutrients play a supporting role in overall plant health and development.

It’s the earth’s cultivated cropland that keeps humanity alive and thriving. Plants provide food, fiber, housing and a host of other benefits, and fertilizer plays a key role in this process. As the world population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, fertilizer will be needed more than ever to boost crop production to keep people fed and healthy.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic explosion in West, Texas that claimed 15 lives, injured hundreds more and left a town devastated.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the strong, resilient residents of West. As we continue to grow and learn from the incident, now is the perfect time to reflect on how the fertilizer industry’s commitment to safety and security is stronger than ever.

Each year, we recognize exceptional examples of on-farm environmental stewardship practices through our 4R Advocate Award Program. Now in its third year, we recently showcased the exceptional examples of nutrient stewardship efforts at the 2014 Commodity Classic.