Opinion: A Lesson In Fertilizer 101

By Mary Hartney|August 20, 2010

Recently, when I was in Washington, DC, a coastal congressman asked me, “Why do we even need fertilizers?” He was dead serious. Not joking. He honestly wondered why.

Completely flabbergasted, I had about 30 seconds to try to explain why. I said, “If we’re going to feed the world, we need to feed the crops. And to feed the crops, you need fertilizers. Plants need nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—along with sun, air, water, and other elements — to grow and thrive. Nutrients leave the farm with the harvested crops and fertilizers replace these mined nutrients.”
With that, my time was up. I’m not sure he heard what he wanted to know.

Book Smarts

The next day, I went back to his office and left him a copy of “Fertilizer 101,” a brand new, extraordinary publication from The Fertilizer Institute.

“Fertilizer 101: Nourish, Replenish, Grow” starts with the big picture: “Earth may be blue from space, but down at ground level, you find it takes green to keep humanity alive and growing. And that life-sustaining green comes from plants. Plants for food, fiber, fuel, housing, beauty, and a host of other benefits.”

In 132 glossy, illustrated pages, the book — created by Meister Media Worldwide — lays out the agronomic and economic sciences behind fertilizers. It includes explanations of the 17 essential elements plants need to flourish — carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the air and the 14 other elements usually absorbed by the plant roots from the soil. The three primary nutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — are described, and their plant health roles are well covered.

Production agriculture and home lawns and gardens get their own chapters. There’s an excellent section on best management practices built around the 4R Nutrient Stewardship System: Right Source, Right Rate, Right Place, and Right Time.
The publication does a great job of answering the question: “Why do we need fertilizers?” I hope that congressman read it. I encourage you to read it too.

Feeding The Need

For those who don’t read, I also had a chance recently to tell fertilizer’s positive story to television viewers. Keith Davis, vice president of the Florida Fertilizer Co., Richard Ghent, CF Industries’ director of community affairs, and I discussed how to use fertilizers sustainably on a segment of Studio 10, a live co-hosted daytime show produced by WTSP Channel 10 in St. Petersburg.

Sustainability — meaning the ability for one generation to meet its needs without adversely impacting future generations’ ability to meet their needs — drove the discussion. Davis shared specifics about how citrus growers are using technology to apply precise amounts of nutrients to groves with a goal of saving both money and protecting the environment. Ghent covered how Florida fertilizer production and use is helping to feed the world and provide jobs in Central Florida. I shared tips and tactics on how home-owners can follow the 4 Rs and use fertilizers appropriately. Together, we made some great points in support of fertilizers for a sustainable future. I hope there were folks who saw and learned something they didn’t know.

To keep it simple, people need to eat. And living in a lovely, landscaped home is a bonus. Crops and plants need fertilizers. There should be no question about why we need fertilizers. Help spread the word and send your co-workers, family, and friends to www.fertilizer101.org for more information.