A record 2,096 industry participants gathered in Nashville, Tenn., on July 21-25 for the 94th annual Southwestern Fertilizer Conference. The event easily surpassed last year’s record of 1,850 attendees, with the new Nashville venue and the active fertilizer market both contributing to this year’s surge in interest.
One source described the mood at the conference as “uneasy,” with the agriculture industry facing ongoing trade issues and trying to rebound from a tough spring. An informal poll of attendees at the July 24 breakfast session found that most believe this year’s planted corn acreage will total 84-86 million acres when USDA issues revised figures in August, well below the agency’s June 28 estimate of 91.7 million acres (GM June 28, p. 1).
A lower acreage estimate in August would likely prod the corn market, and attendees were optimistic that fertilizer demand will be strong for the 2020 crop year. “If we can figure out some of these trade issues, 2020 is going to be a great year,” said Garrett Lofto, President and CEO of J.R. Simplot Co., keynote speaker at the conference’s breakfast session.
The fall 2019 application season remains uncertain, however, due to an expected late harvest, the threat of an early frost, and unpredictable autumn weather conditions. Although the recent heat wave has given late-planted corn fields a needed boost, most attendees said the fall harvest will be at least two weeks later than usual, with some areas likely to see the start of harvest activities pushed out to late October or early November.
Lofto outlined a series of key events from 2007-2015 that made for “fantastic years for agriculture.” He said the global food marketplace “ramped up” during this period, forcing the food industry to move fast to capitalize on trends. The result was an industry shift toward transparency, freshness, sustainability, and social responsibility, all driven by consumer demand.
What this means for fertilizer use, according to Lofto, is that technology will play a larger role; transparency and traceability will increase; nutrient stewardship will continue to play a lead role as growers strive for “more crop for the drop;” more specialty products will be launched, with “more science behind them;” and the push for reducing the industry’s carbon footprint will only grow.
“You are going to get closer to the food consumer than ever before,” he said, referring to the push for transparency as both a “challenge and an opportunity.” Lofto cautioned that market volatility will continue, however, and remain heavily influenced by the “two t’s: trade and tweets.”
Conference organizers also used the event to honor three new inductees into the Fertilizer Hall of Fame: Neal Pratt of the Texas Agriculture Extension Service; Jerry Christian of CF Industries; and Bill Doyle, former CEO of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. They join the hall’s other members, which include 2018 inductees Ford West, Dee Willard, and Ken Winborn; 2017 inductees Nelson Abell and Harold Trammel; 2016 inductees Ed Krysl, Sam Killebrew, and Dr. Yates Smith; and 2015 inductees Donald Ford, Dr. John Douglas, and Tom Tiefel.