I attended a program on Tuesday hosted by F J Krob & Company (http://www.fjkrob.com/) in recognition of their 100th year in business.  It was a great program, & the room was packed with farmers wanting to stay informed about the fertilizer industry.

David Delaney, President of PCS (Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan) Sales, was the 1st speaker.  Some of his comments:

• Proper soil nutrition will be required to increase food production to match population growth.
• Low yields in developing countries reflect unbalanced fertility.
• Fertilizer will play a critical role in sustaining productivity of soils.

The second speaker was Dr. Kim Polizotto, Chief Agronomist for PCS.  He noted the short term effects of underfertilization.  They include:

• Yield Loss
• High crop moisture content at harvest
• Stalk/stem strength
• Disease reactions
• Crop quality, particularly in hay & pasture, cotton

He also discussed that Phosphorus (P) & Potassium (K) fertilization rates have not increased at the same rate as crop yields since 1980.

Questions from the crowd included concern about China's growing presence in the world demand picture, particularly with regard to their impact on fertilizer demand.  One question involved the possibility of China buying PCS.  Mr. Delaney's opinion was that the Canadian government would likely be very concerned about foreign ownership of their company.

I thought both speakers were very good & informative.  However, both speakers referred to balanced fertility only in regards to N-P-K.  I think that this is a common theory in the fertilizer industry, but one that I highly disagree with.  There are many more nutrients than just 3 involved in crop production ( http://blog.calciumproducts.com/posts/proper-nutrients-are-key-for-proper-maturity-and-disease-management.cfm).

Congratulations to F J Krob & best wishes for another 100 years in business!