Category: Stewardship

TFI Applauds Biostimulant Legislation

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch today praised Congress for introducing the Plant Biostimulant Act. Introduced by Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) and Jim Baird (R-IN-4) and Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mike Braun (R-IN), the Plant Biostimulant Act will support the adoption of biostimulants by farmers and provide clarity to the emerging marketplace.   

“Biostimulants are a relatively new innovation in agriculture,” Rosenbusch explained. “There is great potential in these products, but as with any new technology there are hurdles.”

Among the biggest of the hurdles mentioned by TFI’s Rosenbusch are the lack of a clear and consistent definition for “biostimulant” and the fact that there is no uniform framework to regulate them as plant nutrition products.

“The lack of a regulatory framework inhibits research and puts the US behind Europe in product development,” Rosenbusch said. “Other countries are regulating biostimulants through a fertilizer lens and finding success. We are hitting a roadblock right out of the gate and need those guardrails to foster innovation, research, testing, and ultimately a path to market for these products.”

Biostimulants have the potential to enhance the existing environmental stewardship of growers and compliment 4R fertilizer practices.

“When we talk nutrient management, we are talking about minimizing losses to the environment, water quality, air quality, soil health, and all the other things important to the conservation and environmental communities. Biostimulants support environmental stewardship by improving the efficiencies of fertilizer application and soil health while also increasing crop yields,” Rosenbusch concluded. “With a growing population, demand for agricultural production continues to increase. The fertilizer industry is innovating to meet those demands and legislation like the Plant Biostimulant Act will allow that innovation to reach growers.”

 

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org and follow us on Twitter at @Fertilizer_Inst. Learn more about TFI’s nutrient stewardship initiatives at nutrientstewardship.org and on Twitter at @4rnutrients.

TFI CEO Rosenbusch Testifies at House Ag Committee Hearing on Agricultural Challenges

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch today provided official testimony during the House Committee on Agriculture hearing Uncertainty, Inflation, Regulations: Challenges for American Agriculture.

“Fertilizer is an essential tool for farmers to achieve the yields necessary to feed our growing world,” Rosenbusch said. “We appreciate the opportunity to shed light on current market dynamics and offer solutions to the pressures currently facing the U.S. agricultural sector. As always, the fertilizer industry is committed to ensuring adequate supply to meet farmer demand for the nutrients that are so essential to growing healthy and abundant crops.”

Rosenbusch focused much of his testimony on the fact that fertilizer is a globally traded commodity subject to international pressures and geopolitical events.

“Domestic production of fertilizer accounts for only 7% of global production and 90% of all fertilizer usage happens outside of the United States,” Rosenbusch continued. “Geopolitical events have been the biggest disrupter to fertilizer markets in recent years.”

The geopolitical events Rosenbusch referred to included sanctions on Belarus, which supplies 20% of the world’s potash supply; China, which is a major exporter of fertilizers, but last year imposed restrictions on fertilizer exports; and Russia, which has historically provided 20% of global fertilizer supplies as the world’s largest fertilizer exporter.

Rosenbusch then offered solutions and items Congress could act on to improve domestic production and supply.

“While Congress cannot control Russia and China, there are a number of areas where policy could have a positive impact on the agricultural sector,” Rosenbusch concluded. “Regulatory certainty is perhaps the most significant area Congress could help. Additionally, listing potash and phosphate as critical minerals, energy policy that supports an abundant and affordable supply of natural gas, permitting reform to streamline long delayed fertilizer projects, focusing on USDA conservation programs that empower agronomists and certified crop advisors to help farmers with nutrient management, and a focus on supply chain bottlenecks through improving rail service and promoting driver recruitment and retention.”

Rosenbusch’s oral statement can be found here

Rosenbusch’s full written testimony can be found here.

TFI’s full policy solutions document can be found here.   

 

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org and follow us on Twitter at @Fertilizer_Inst. Learn more about TFI’s nutrient stewardship initiatives at nutrientstewardship.org and on Twitter at @4rnutrients.

TFI Releases 2022 Sustainability Report

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today released new data highlighting industry improvement in sustainability performance in key priority areas of workforce safety, energy and the environment, fertilizer use, and industry innovation.

“The 104,000 employees of the fertilizer industry work each day to produce and supply fertilizer to farmers in an effort to feed the world,” said Corey Rosenbusch, TFI president and CEO. “To feed a global population of 1 billion people by 2050, fertilizer is playing a critical role in increasing food production and land use efficiency sustainability in agriculture. 2022 also showed us how fertilizer’s role in feeding the world contributes to global stability and national security.

TFI has collected data since 2013 on metrics that provide insight into the industry’s efforts to improve safety, security, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and efficiency. The data announced today was gathered in 2022 and reflects industry operations in 2021.

“The industry is continuously working towards more sustainable operations, including efforts to decarbonize and mitigate environmental impacts,” Rosenbusch continued. “Each step of the supply chain is focused on doing more with fewer resources and the impact on communities and the environment. The data in this report highlights the achievements we’ve made in worker safety and energy and environmental metrics.”

Report highlights include:

  • Survey participants invested an average of over $1 billion annually in capital investments to help the industry meet sustainability goals, including increasing production efficiencies, reducing energy and water use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening the U.S. economy to meet current and future agricultural needs.
  • In 2021, the industry captured 31 percent of all CO2 generated per ton of nutrient produced, an increase of 368 percent over emissions captured in 2013.
  • To reduce the industry’s energy footprint, 39 percent of all energy consumed is generated using waste heat rather than pulling from the electrical grid.
  • Nitrogen producers recycled enough water to fill 1.6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • In 2021, both the recordable rate and the lost time incident rate were the second lowest since the survey was launched in 2013.

The data includes metrics on segments of the fertilizer industry from fertilizer use on the farm, worker safety, energy and environment, and industry innovation. To learn more about this year’s report, visit tfi.org/sustainability.

 

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org and follow us on Twitter at @Fertilizer_Inst. Learn more about TFI’s nutrient stewardship initiatives at nutrientstewardship.org and on Twitter at @4rnutrients.

The Fertilizer Institute Names 2023 4R Advocates

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today selected three farmers and their fertilizer retailers as 4R Advocates, who are being recognized for their commitment to implementing fertilizer management practices that incorporate the principles of 4R Nutrient Stewardship and have demonstrated economic and environmental benefits.

“While 4R Nutrient Stewardship is a priority for the fertilizer industry, it’s also a tangible solution for thousands of farmers across America who are seeking fertilizer application practices that have real-world impact on their bottom line and their land,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “We are proud of the industry’s retailers who work with growers to implement these practices at the field level.”

Now in its 12th year, the 4R Advocate program demonstrates the in-field successes of implementing 4R practices based on the right source, rate, time, and placement of fertilizer. 4R Nutrient Stewardship provides a framework to achieve in-field goals, such as increased production and profitability, enhanced environmental protection, and improved sustainability.

In 2021, the fertilizer industry committed to putting 70 million acres of cropland under 4R management by 2030. In January of 2023, the industry can confidently count 46 million acres as being under 4R nutrient management. A 4R acre is defined as an acre of U.S. cropland under management using 4R practices, such as crediting organic sources and removal rates, variable rate technology, split applications, the use of cover crops, accounting for weather during application, etc.

4R Advocates recognized since 2012 collectively farm nearly 300,000 acres on a variety of cropping systems in 25 states. The 2023 class of 4R Advocates represents 13,770 acres across 3 states and grow corn, soybeans, sugar beets, alfalfa, cereal rye, and sunflowers.

This year’s Advocates include:

Andrew Johnstad, Johnstad Farms, Beltrami, MN
Dwight Christian, TDS Fertilizer, Inc., Fertile, MN

Greg Keller, Keller Farms, Monroe, NE
Randy Zmek, Central Valley Ag Coop, Monroe, NE

Randy Bales, Fairholme Ag LLC, Lewisville, IN
Eric Steigerwalt, Co-Alliance Coop, New Castle, IN

Throughout the year the 4R Advocates will be included in TFI’s outreach efforts to promote fertilizer management practices by hosting farm field days, participating in conference panels, and speaking on behalf of 4Rs to their farming peers.

The 4R Advocate program is one of many facets of a high-priority campaign to raise awareness and adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices. Fertilizer is a key component of sustainable crop production systems, and the fertilizer industry recognizes the need to efficiently utilize these nutrients. 4R Advocates and other farmers have partnered with TFI to demonstrate how 4R practices have led to cost-efficiencies and improved environmental outcomes on their fields.

More information and data on their efforts is available at 4RFarming.org.

 

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org and follow us on Twitter at @Fertilizer_Inst. Learn more about TFI’s nutrient stewardship initiatives at nutrientstewardship.org and on Twitter at @4rnutrients.

TFI Welcomes USDA Investment in Fertilizer Production

ARLINGTON, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today praised the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement of $500 million in grant funding available through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program for domestic fertilizer production.

“The U.S. has one of the strongest and most competitive fertilizer industries in the world, being one of only three nations that has at least 20 unique companies producing fertilizer products,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “The U.S. fertilizer industry consists of large international corporations, small regional producers, and everything in between. They all play a critical role in suppling farmers with the nutrients required to grow the food that feeds the world. While a nitrogen plant can cost between $2-$4 billion to construct, anything that helps strengthen domestic fertilizer production is a win for the industry, growers, and consumers.”

According to information released by the USDA, grants will be used to support innovative and sustainable fertilizer production in the U.S. and its territories.

“Innovative and sustainable are key requirements for the grant funding and they describe the industry well,” Rosenbusch continued. “Innovation has been a hallmark of fertilizer producers as enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) and other new technologies play a big role in our ability to feed a growing population.”

Sustainability is also a key focus of the industry and is supported by the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program, which focuses on the right fertilizer source, at the right place, at the right rate, and at the right time.

“A year ago on Global Fertilizer Day, TFI announced our commitment to having 70 million acres of farmland under 4R nutrient stewardship by 2030,” Rosenbusch continued. “4R practices are proven ways of achieving higher yields, lower input costs, and less nutrient losses to the environment. All that in addition to industry efforts to maximize production efficiency by utilizing waste heat and carbon capture technologies.”

TFI also recently began accepting nominations for 2023 4R Advocates, a program that recognizes farmers and fertilizer retailers for their commitment to sound nutrient stewardship through 4R practices.

“The world’s growing population depends on responsible agricultural practices to provide a steady supply of food,” Rosenbusch concluded. “Modern fertilizer techniques, such as 4R Nutrient Stewardship, precision agriculture, and enhanced efficiency fertilizers, are an essential part of this sustainable future, and TFI applauds the USDA investment in strengthening domestic fertilizer production capabilities, innovation, technology, and the responsible use of fertilizer by growers.” 

 

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2023 4R Advocate Awards : Call for Entries

Online submissions are due by November 30th.

 The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is now accepting nominations for the 2023 4R Advocate awards. This program recognizes farmers and fertilizer retailers for their commitment to sound nutrient stewardship using the 4Rs, or the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, the right time and in the right place. Through these 4R farming practices, farmers improve their return on their nutrient inputs and decrease environmental impact.  

“The 4R Advocate program highlights farmers’ partnerships with their retailers or certified agronomists throughout the year and demonstrates to the fertilizer industry, the agricultural community, and policymakers the real-world benefits the 4Rs deliver on the farm and in communities,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch.

“Farmers often get unfairly blamed for overapplying fertilizers,” continued Rosenbusch. “Our work with 4R Advocates tells a different story as these growers are outperforming farmers around the world. This program is a key component of our research strategy and allows us to continue to challenge the narrative with an expanded portfolio of grower case studies.”

Advocate nominations are due no later than Friday, November 30, 2022. Program rules and entry forms for retailers and industry partners to nominate farmers are available online, as are easy directions for farmers and retailers to document their efforts to apply the 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles and to chart results. Applicants can also read previous winners’ stories at nutrientstewardship.org.   

The 2023 4R Advocate winners will be announced in mid-December. Advocates will be recognized throughout 2023 at TFI meetings and other ag forums. The 2023 Advocates will serve as 4R ambassadors within their businesses and in the wider grower community.

To date, 120 4R Advocates from 24 states, representing nearly one-quarter million acres have been recognized. They grow crops that include apples, alfalfa, cabbage, collard greens, corn, cotton, hops, peanuts, rice, soybeans, strawberries, tomatoes, and more.

The 4R Advocate program aims to raise awareness and adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices. Fertilizer is a key component of sustainable crop production systems, and the fertilizer industry recognizes the need to efficiently utilize these nutrients. 4R Advocates and other farmers have partnered with The Fertilizer Institute to demonstrate how 4R practices have led to cost-efficiencies and improved environmental outcomes on their fields. More information and data on their efforts is available at 4RFarming.org.

 

 

 

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Ag Retail Leader and Sustainability Advocates Headline InfoAg Conference in St. Louis

Arlington, VA – InfoAg, the leading conference and expo in precision agriculture since 1995 for the agriculture retail community, will this year be headlined with a keynote from GreenPoint Ag President and CEO Jeff Blair and a robust panel discussion on sustainability and stewardship with growers Tom Connors and David Myerholtz moderated by AGI Farmobile Vice President of Data Services Steve Cubbage.

“We are extremely excited to have Jeff Blair as our keynote speaker at this year’s InfoAg Conference in St. Louis,” said The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) President & CEO Corey Rosenbusch, whose organization holds the event. “Jeff is well-known and well-respected among his industry peers. Jeff is passionate in elevating the agriculture industry while driving the development of GreenPoint through steadfast customer engagement, performance improvement and operational excellence.”

During his keynote, Jeff will share his vision for the future of agriculture and ag retail, including the value of advancing sustainability, crop science innovations in soil sampling, variable-rate fertilizer application, effectively applied crop protection products, and empowering farmers and growers.

The following day’s general session luncheon, titled Profitable Practices, Sustainable Solutions and sponsored by AGI Farmobile, will key in on real-life examples of how sustainability and profitability can go hand-in-hand and provide attendees insight into the tools and innovations utilized by a set of growers and how they achieved maximum efficiency and profitability while being environmentally sustainable, including 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices.

“The credibility of the industry’s collective work around 4R, sustainability, regenerative ag, and carbon programs hinge on the integrity of the data used to document practices and measure progress so participants can be rewarded for their efforts,” says Bradford Warner, AGI vice president of sustainability for Farmobile. “That is AGI’s focus. We seek to help ag retailers and their growers capture, maintain and control high-quality, standardized data sets to foster these new markets and benefit their own operations.” During the event, AGI will roll-out a new100k-acre pilot collaboration with TFI and ag retailers to advance the use of the 4R calculator.

“The world’s population is set to reach 8 billion people by this November and 10 billion people by 2050,” Rosenbusch elaborated. “So how is the agriculture industry positioning itself to feed this future? How can we increase land use efficiency while protecting the farmer’s bottom line? These are the questions we are helping to answer through InfoAg and dynamic speakers like Jeff, Tom, David and Steve.”

The InfoAg Conference and Expo addresses the challenges of the ag retail agronomist through the lens of precision ag, environmental stewardship, sustainability, and product innovation. The conference features opportunities for crop consultants, agronomists, and other agricultural retail employees to learn more about innovative practices and new products and technologies that can be put into action with their grower customers. The conference also offers unique opportunities to share information and stories among industry peers.

“The information obtained through education sessions and on-site networking is extremely valuable to advancing shared goals of sustainability,” concluded Rosenbusch. “The final piece to this is the tradeshow aspect of the conference, where you can hear firsthand about the products, practices, and services being talked about among farmers across the country.”

InfoAg is being held in St. Louis, MO on July 26 and 27. Information about the conference and registration can be found by clicking here.

 

About GreenPoint Ag:

Headquartered in Decatur, Alabama, GreenPoint is one of the leading retail agronomy providers in the southern United States with a team of more than 1,000 employees across 10 states. To learn more, click here.

 

About AGI (Ag Growth International Inc.):

AGI is a provider of the physical equipment and digital technology solutions required to support global food infrastructure including grain, fertilizer, seed, feed, and food processing systems. AGI’s digital division includes leading data-driven brands that build value from field to bin, including Farmobile, BinManager, SureTrack, and CMC. AGI’s Farmobile data technology is a leader in auto-collecting and standardizing complex agronomic and machine data sets from a mixed fleet of equipment so it can be easily viewed, shared and streamed into other software systems. A To learn more, click here.

 

 

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org and follow us on Twitter at @Fertilizer_Inst. Learn more about TFI’s nutrient stewardship initiatives at nutrientstewardship.org and on Twitter at @4rnutrients.

Communicating the 2021 Sustainability in the Fertilizer Industry Report

Each year, The Fertilizer Institute collects data from member companies to track and highlight industry improvement in sustainability performance in key priority areas of workforce safety, energy and the environment, fertilizer use, and industry innovation. The 2021 report was released in February of this year.

However, this data can be of no benefit if we don’t properly communicate. Earlier this month, TFI’s team hosted a webinar walking through the data and providing tools and resources for how members can help TFI tell the industry’s sustainability story. The webinar is available to view by clicking the link below, and we encourage you to contact TFI’s Manager, Communications, Morgaine Mertz-Myers with any questions about sharing the data.

View webinar

New Data from the Fertilizer Industry Highlights Sustainability Improvements

Arlington, Va., March 7, 2022 – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today released new data highlighting industry improvement in sustainability performance in key priority areas of workforce safety, energy and the environment, fertilizer use, and industry innovation.

“The 104,000 employees of the fertilizer industry work each day to produce and supply fertilizer to farmers in an effort to feed the world,” said Corey Rosenbusch, TFI president and CEO. “Each step of the supply chain is focused on doing more with fewer resources and the impact on communities and the environment. The data in this report highlights the achievements we’ve made in worker safety and energy and environmental metrics.”

TFI has collected data since 2013 on metrics that provide insight into the industry’s efforts to improve safety, security, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and efficiency. The data announced today was gathered in 2021 and reflects industry operations in 2020.

Report highlights include:

  • In 2020, the industry captured 31 percent of all CO2 generated per ton of nutrient produced. These greenhouse gases are not emitted into the atmosphere and are used for other industrial uses.
  • To reduce the industry’s energy footprint, 40 percent of all energy consumed is generated using waste heat rather than pulling from the electrical grid.
  • Nitrogen producers are using 54 percent less water to produce one ton of fertilizer than they did in 2013.
  • The fertilizer industry is more than twice as safe as industry peers when compared to the industry benchmark data from the Department of Labor.
  • The industry’s performance on the lost time incident rate is the lowest it’s been since data collection began in 2013.

The data includes metrics on segments of the fertilizer industry from fertilizer use on the farm, worker safety, energy and environment, and industry innovation. To learn more about this year’s report, visit tfi.org/sustainability.

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers, and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org.

TFI Submits Comments on WOTUS, Urges Delay Until Pivotal SCOTUS Ruling

ARLINGTON, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) this week submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding a proposed revised definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS).

“TFI members have a strong interest in ensuring that the definition of WOTUS, which governs the reach of federal regulatory authority under the CWA, is clearly defined and consistently implemented across the nation,” said TFI President & CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Many of our member companies must plan years in advance to obtain all necessary permits in accordance with the Act. Their operations therefore depend on regulatory certainty and predictability.”

TFI strongly supported the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) because of the certainty and predictability it provided to the fertilizer industry but was disappointed by the agencies’ decision to stop implementing the rule nationwide following a ruling by a judge in Arizona. Equally disappointing to the fertilizer industry was the agencies’ decision to propose a formal repeal of the NWPR and codify a case-by-case framework for determining jurisdiction of non-navigable waters that the agencies and nearly all other stakeholders previously agreed was unworkable.

Complicating matters further is a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling to determine whether Justice Kennedy’s “significant nexus” is the proper test for asserting jurisdiction over wetlands that are adjacent to tributaries of “waters of the U.S.”

“The agencies should postpone all rulemaking proceedings until after an opinion has been issued on this case to reduce duplicated efforts on behalf of the agencies and stakeholder communities, reduce regulatory whiplash, and increase the chances of a final definition being sustainable,” Rosenbusch continued.

TFI is not alone in requesting a delay in agency rulemaking on WOTUS until the Supreme Court has issued their ruling. A letter led by Senator John Thune (R-SD) urging the EPA and USACE to stop the rulemaking process until a Supreme Court ruling garnered the signature of all fifty republican Senators and was sent to agency heads on Thursday, February 3rd.

“TFI recommends the agencies withdraw the Proposed Rule because it impermissibly strips the term “navigation” of any meaning. The NWPR’s definition should be used as the foundation for a durable definition,” Rosenbusch concluded. “And if the Proposed Rule is not withdrawn, at a minimum they should pause the current rulemaking effort until the Supreme Court rules on which test is most appropriate for determining the definition.”

TFI’s full comments can be found here.

 

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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the leading voice of the nation’s fertilizer industry. Tracing its roots back to 1883, TFI’s membership includes fertilizer producers, wholesalers, retailers and trading firms. TFI’s full-time staff, based in Washington, D.C., serves its members through legislative, educational, technical, economic information and public communication programs. Find more information about TFI online at TFI.org and follow us on Twitter at @Fertilizer_Inst. Learn more about TFI’s nutrient stewardship initiatives at nutrientstewardship.org and on Twitter at @4rnutrients.