Every year, October 13 is marked as Global Fertilizer Day to highlight the significance and acknowledge the contribution of the fertilizer industry in feeding the world’s growing populations.
This annual international awareness campaign is supported by fertilizer associations and companies across the world with the shared purpose of highlighting the social, economic, and environmental impact of fertilizers. Creating awareness will promote better farming practices and promote the proper use of fertilizers in the farming community.
Let’s celebrate this day by learning the following fertilizer facts:
- Fertilizers applied in the right amount at the right time can double the amount of corn produced using the same amount of water.
- Fertilizer, whether commercial or organic, helps generate organic matter in soils.
- Fertilizers help restore soil health by putting essential nutrients back into the ground after harvest.
- Fertilizer use has conserved over 2 billion acres of land from cultivation over the past 50 years.
- Good farming practices, including smart use of fertilizers, help to produce more protein-rich food.
- Well-fertilized crops produce more yield per acre. This saves fragile lands for wildlife habitat and recreational areas.
- Fertilizers improve plant health and make crops more resilient to climate change.
- Fertilizer produces plants that are strong and able to protect soils against erosion and runoff.
- More than 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient malnutrition. Micronutrient fertilizers help combat this threat to world health.
- Fertilizer is responsible for 50 percent of the world’s food production—without fertilizer we’d have only half the amount of food we do now!
Bonus Fact: U.S. fertilizer companies employ close to 90,000 people, and the fertilizer industry contributes $155 billion to the U.S. economy.
Facts provided by The Fertilizer Institute.
Related Posts
Reniform Nematodes: A Hidden Menace in Modern Agriculture
By Mojtaba Zaifnejad, Ph.D.Sr. Director of Field Research and Technical Services,Huma, Inc. In my previous article on nematodes, I described the general topic of nonparasitic and parasitic nematodes. In this segment the focus will be on a specific plant parasitic nematode – Reniform nematodes (Rotylenchulus reniformis). We will delve into the intriguing world of reniform...
The Water Break Podcast, Episode 26: Master Plans—A Vision for the Future
“Where We Bridge the Gap Between Water Plant Operators and Engineers” In The Water Break Podcast Episode 26, Heather Jennings, PE, discusses Water and Wastewater Facility Master Plans with guest Devan Shields, Project Engineer at Sunrise Engineering in Fillmore, Utah (phone 435.562.4086). Mr. Shields develops water and wastewater infrastructure solutions that include master plans, designs,...
Nitrification and Denitrification in Wastewater Activated Sludge
By Heather Jennings, PE The great teeter–totter of wastewater is the nitrification and denitrification cycle in activated sludge wastewater systems. It takes both to convert ammonia to nitrogen gas! Both processes feed off of and support each other but, in some ways, they have competing needs. Nitrification consists of ripping off the hydrogen in ammonia and adding oxygen...