News Type: Press Releases

T-3 Conference to Provide a Hub for Information on the Fertilizer Industry

Fertilizer is critical to the world’s food production system and the global stability of nations. Unprecedented global volatility means timely and accurate information on the market is a necessity, not a luxury. Getting a handle on the factors impacting today’s fertilizer market is about to get easier. The Fertilizer Institute’s (TFI) T-3 Conference, on November 7-9 in Houston, Texas is the must-attend meeting for economists, market analysts and reporters who track the fertilizer industry and the agricultural economy.

Attendees at this conference will return to their office with a greater understanding of the ways that supply and distribution challenges are impacting the industry and food production. Speakers include fertilizer market experts, regulators, including two members of the Surface Transportation Board, a former senior White House Advisor, and representatives of companies that are making innovation a centerpiece of their business plans.

Conference sessions include:

  • Market outlooks for Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash
  • Market outlooks for Agriculture and Natural Gas
  • Global Disruption: Russia
  • Green Ammonia in the fertilizer industry – why and how?
  • Fertilizer and Food Security
  • Inland waterway transportation challenges
  • Rail service

TFI members are entitled to a discounted registration fee. For further information, and to register, please visit the T-3 Conference page on TFI’s website. This is a live event and a limited number of media passes are still available. Please reach out to Kathy Mathers at [email protected] for additional information.

TFI Announces New Head Lobbyist, Other Staff Changes

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today announced that Mr. Tom Lynch will serve as the organization’s new head of government affairs, effective October 3rd.

“Tom brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience that is especially well-suited for representing the fertilizer industry,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Fertilizer plays a critical role in feeding our growing world, and more and more our issues are becoming front and center. Tom’s expertise spans many issues that are of strategic importance to the industry and span everything from environment to rail.”

Prior to coming to TFI, Tom was the Vice President of Congressional Affairs for the American Short Line and Regional Railroads Association and General Counsel for the National Tank Truck Carriers. Before working in the private sector, Tom served in Senator Max Baucus’s office before serving as staff director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee.

In addition to announcing the addition of Tom Lynch to the TFI team, TFI also announced the retirement of long-time economist Dr. Harry Vroomen.

“TFI was lucky to have Harry over the past 29 years,” continued Rosenbusch. “There aren’t many, if any, people out there that understand the economic dynamics of the fertilizer industry as well as Harry. The good news is that will stay with TFI as an economic consultant.”

TFI Director of Market Intelligence Jason Troendle will be promoted to the role of economist effective immediately.

“Jason was a big part of our outreach effort to commodity groups and policymakers when fertilizer markets began to show volatility in 2020,” Rosenbusch said. “He has a knack for taking numbers and trends and translating that data to easily understood and digestible information.”

The final staff announcement from TFI is that of Dr. Leanna Nigon as Director of Agronomy.

“Leanna comes to us from Wisconsin and has agriculture in her blood from growing up on a no-till farm,” Rosenbusch concluded. “She earned her undergraduate degree in Agronomy and Life Sciences from the University of Wisconsin, and both her M.S. in Applied Plant Sciences and Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Minnesota. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge in nutrient management and we are excited to have her on the TFI team.”

 

###

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.

 

 

 

# # #

 

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.” 

 

###

TFI Commends Deal Between Rail Carriers and Unions

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today commended the tentative deal reached between rail carriers and labor unions that has averted a strike that had the potential to devastate an economy already struggling with inflation.

“Averting a strike Friday morning was priority number one,” TFI President & CEO Corey Rosenbusch said. “We appreciate the hard work both sides put into reaching a tentative agreement that will in turn allow our industry to produce and move the fertilizers our farmers rely on to feed the world. The fertilizer industry also appreciates the focused attention of President Biden, Secretary Walsh, and the Administration to reach a resolution in a challenging situation.”

The tentative agreement still needs to be ratified by respective unions through a vote by rank-and-file rail workers. Ammonia shipments must also quickly resume as they have been embargoed since Monday. According to information from producers, most or all the ammonia embargoes have been lifted as of this morning.

“We are hopeful that union membership will vote to approve the tentative agreement to ensure freight rail in the U.S. continues to operate,” Rosenbusch concluded. “As we move forward, it is also essential that rail carriers hire and retain the appropriate employee staffing levels to support a strong economy. Staff reductions in recent years have dramatically hurt rail service and made the rail-labor contract negotiations more challenging.”

 

###

TFI: America Can’t Afford a Rail Strike, Congress Must Act

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today continued urging agreement between rail carriers and labor groups to avoid an economically catastrophic rail strike and again asks Congress to intervene.

“Nine out of the twelve labor unions have come to tentative agreements with the rail carriers, which is great news, but we are getting down to the wire,” TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch said. “Tomorrow is the last day Congress has to step in and avoid what would be an absolutely devastating strike that farmers and consumers cannot afford.”

The production and movement of fertilizer is heavily dependent on rail, both for finished product and production inputs. Many of those products have already been removed from the rails in preparation for a potential rail stoppage.

“For every day this uncertainty continues, we essentially lose five shipping days because of the ramp down and ramp up,” continued Rosenbusch. “If this situation is not resolved by tomorrow, it could quickly impact supplies for fall application and lead to a reduction in U.S. production at a time when 70% of European production has been curtailed or ceased due to Russia’s shutoff of natural gas supplies.”

Congress has the power to step in and avert a rail strike if agreements between the rail carriers and labor unions are not reached.

“Congress can act to implement the President’s Emergency Board compromise agreement,” Rosenbusch concluded. “Action must be taken to ensure rail networks continue operating or American consumers and global food security will pay for it.”

 

 

###

TFI Urges Agreement or Congressional Action to Avoid Rail Shutdown

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today again urged Congress to take action to avoid a freight rail shutdown on September 16th. TFI sent a letter to Congressional leaders on Sept. 7th pushing for intervention to prevent a stoppage from occurring.

“A stoppage hasn’t yet happened, but we are already feeling the negative effects of non-resolution,” TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch said. “Rail networks are complicated, and carriers must make preparations ahead of a potential stoppage to keep certain types of cargo safe and secure. Fertilizer falls into that category and is being taken off the rails. That is bad news for farmers and food security.”

Rail carriers announced Friday evening that shipments of fertilizer products, such as ammonia – a key fertilizer and building block for approximately three-fourths of all fertilizer – will start coming off rail networks as early as this Monday.

“Supply chains are already strained and there is currently zero elasticity in rail transportation,” Rosenbusch continued. “This situation will get exponentially worse every day there is no resolution. Over half of all fertilizer moves by rail year-round, and there are some fertilizer products that move almost exclusively by rail. If they can’t be shipped farmers won’t have them and if they can’t move production slows down. In the end the consumer will be footing the bill for this inaction at a time when household budgets are already strained.”

“TFI would like to see an agreement between the rail carriers and labor unions,” concluded Rosenbusch. “But if they cannot reach an agreement, Congress must act to avoid an economic catastrophe that will only add to inflation and increase consumer pain.”

 

###

TFI Urges Congressional Action to Avert Nationwide Rail Stoppage

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) yesterday sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging congressional action to prevent a Sept. 16th shutdown of freight rail operations in the United States. The potential shutdown comes as rail carriers and labor unions continue negotiations on a contract agreement.

“A disruption to freight rail operations would be catastrophic,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Over half of all fertilizer moves by rail year-round throughout the United States and the timeliness and reliability of fertilizer shipments is absolutely critical. If farmers do not receive fertilizer, it results in lower crop yields, higher food prices, and more inflation for consumers.”

The letter sent by TFI urges Congress to begin preparations to implement the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) recommendations that fall in the middle of the carriers’ and unions’ contract proposals to avert a total stoppage.

“A speedy resolution is paramount,” concluded Rosenbusch. “With less than two weeks to go, carriers and shippers have already begun contingency planning and if no agreement is reached soon rail shipments will have to wind down days before Sept. 16 to allow carriers to carefully clear their networks. Fertilizer shippers and their farmer customers want carriers and their unions to reach a compromise, and if necessary, Congress needs to act to prevent a devastating halt to our nation’s supply chain.”

 

###

 

TFI Urges Speedy Rail-Labor Union Contract Settlement

Arlington, VA – The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) today thanked members of the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) for hearing from both rail carriers and their labor unions and providing measured recommendations on a pending contract agreement between the two. TFI urges all parties to swiftly reach a compromise and contract agreement. Both sides have until Sept. 16 to evaluate the PEB’s recommendations during a mandated 30-day cooling-off period.

“Uncertainty of this nature is yet another disruption in an already complex environment for farmers, so speedy resolution is paramount,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Over half of all fertilizer moves by rail year-round throughout the United States and the timeliness and reliability of fertilizer shipments is absolutely critical. If farmers do not receive fertilizer, it results in lower crop yields, higher food prices, and more inflation for consumers.”

 

###

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.

 

 

###

 

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.