The Fertilizer Industry Celebrates National Ag Day
Share:
It’s official, Spring has sprung! Whether you look out your window and see daffodils in bloom, a couple inches of snow, or farm land welcoming what the coming season will bring, this is the time of year we celebrate National Agriculture Day. From the food on our tables, to the clothes on our backs, all of us very much depend on agriculture’s abundance. Key to our safe, reliable, and more affordable supply of food, fuel, and fiber is fertilizer. All year long, the fertilizer industry works to provide the critical nutrients that help farmers replenish soils and nourish the nation’s crops.
The agricultural products we depend on start with well-fertilized soil. TFI member companies – including fertilizer producers, importers, retailers, and wholesalers – are leading the way on fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) and helping today’s agricultural cropping systems to better meet social, environmental, and economic goals. We all benefit from new technologies and science-based programs, like 4R Nutrient Stewardship, that seeks to reduce nutrient loss to the environment by applying the right nutrient source, at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place.
On National Agriculture Day, TFI salutes the growers planning for the upcoming crop season and the industry leaders who exemplify a commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement:
The 2018 4R Advocates are forward-thinking individuals who serve as examples by championing sound nutrient stewardship. Now in its seventh year, the 4R Advocate Program has recognized 70 agricultural producers and retailers, farming 163,675 acres in 19 states.
The State of the Fertilizer Industry report is a major component of TFI’s stewardship and sustainability program. With 33 TFI member companies voluntarily contributing performance data on environmental, economic and social indicators, this year’s report accounts for 94 percent of U.S. nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium production capacity and 33 percent of the retail sector in the United States.
Each year, the U.S. fertilizer industry generates more than $155 billion in economic benefit and provides a total of more than 495,000 U.S. jobs, including more than 89,000 direct jobs. From the health and sustainability of crops and farmland to jobs and global food security, modern agriculture is rooted in fertilizer. That’s a great reason to celebrate: Happy National Agriculture Day!