The Feed

 

After serving for two days as a delegate to the Global Food Security Forum in Rabat, Morocco, I am more convinced than ever of the complexity of the problems surrounding feeding the world's hungry and undernourished people.

Last week, representatives from The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) staffed a booth at the Commodity Classic trade show. The Classic brings together corn, soybean, wheat, and sorghum growers from around the country – which provides TFI a great opportunity to engage with growers regarding 4R nutrient stewardship (implementation of best management practices that address the right source at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place).

The reactive nitrogen issue began in earnest with a jointly authored paper in Science magazine trumpeting the exponential increase in reactive nitrogen release(s) to the environment since 1950.  The article drew a line out to 2050 predicting further and alarming increases in N release.  Just for background, reactive nitrogen is any form of N except N2; or the atmospheric form.