All posts by mickeybarb@charter.net

EarthRenew Reports Organic Certifications, Field Trials

Canada, News, News Briefs, Specialty

EarthRenew Inc., Toronto, announced on June 21 that a number of formulations (branded under Replenish Nutrients) have been approved as an input for the production of organic products by Pro-Cert Organic Systems (Pro-Cert) and the Organic Material Research Institute (OMRI). The company said these third-party verified certifications ensure EarthRenew is in compliance with both the requirements of the Canadian Organic Standards (COS) and the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (NOP).

In addition, the company reported that it is evaluating the general effects of its products on the soil microbiome of potato fields. This project is a collaboration between EarthRenew, Lethbridge College, Lethbridge, Alta., and soil functionality analytics firm BiomeMakers out of West Sacramento, Calif.

In a separate trial, EarthRenew is also working with an independent research group in Manitoba to provide further evidence of the efficacy of its potato formulation in other regions and soil conditions. This trial, which follows the same design format, will focus on the same outcome parameters as those which it intends to complete in Lethbridge, Alta.

OCP, IFC, Ink $100 M Financing Aimed at Boosting Ag Value Chain in Africa

Africa, Morocco, News, News Briefs

OCP Group, Casablanca, and the International Finance Corp. (IFC) have inked a $100 million financing agreement aimed at helping OCP subsidiary OCP Africa expand its logistics networks and increase the availability of soil and crop-adapted fertilizers in a number of Sub-Saharan countries, according to statements by the two parties.

The funds also will be used to put in place additional farmer development programs, said OCP. The countries being targeted are Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania.

Along with this financing, the Moroccan group said it also has launched projects with the IFC to enhance corporate governance, and promote gender equality.

This agreement expands on two earlier partnerships with IFC, one aimed at strengthening the rice sector in Côte d’Ivoire, and the millet sector in Senegal, the other aimed at helping OCP secure the global business certification for gender equality “Economic Dividends for Gender Equality” (EDGE).

TKI Presents Plans for New Thio-SulR Unit at Geleen

Amthio, News, News Briefs, Scandinavia, Specialty

Tessenderlo Kerley International (TKI) in a recent information session presented its plans for its new liquid fertilizer plant in Geleen in The Netherlands. TKI revealed its plans for the new plant at a Tessenderlo Group FY2020 earnings call in March (GM March 25, p. 33).

The company said the new plant for the production of Thio-SulR (ammonium thiosulfate) will be built on the Chemelot Industrial Estate, and construction work is planned to start in April 2022. Operations are scheduled to start from the second quarter of 2023, as earlier targeted by the company. The plant will employ 20 people.

“With the new plant in Geleen, the group’s second Thio-SulR plant in Europe, we are further expanding our local presence in the liquid fertilizer market for precision farming,” said TKI Executive Vice President Geert Gyselinck. The new facility is a response to the growing demand for liquid fertilizers in the European market, he added.

The liquid fertilizer is used for fertilizing broad-acre crops.

Raw materials – including ammonia and sulfur – are available in the vicinity, one of the reasons behind TKI’s decision to locate the new plant at the Chemelot Industrial Estate.

TKI opened its first European plant for the production of Thio-SulR in Rouen, France, in September 2017 (GM Sept. 17, 2017). Prior to the opening of its Rouen plant, for the previous few years, the company had been importing Thio-SulR from the U.S. to serve its European customers.

As previously reported, TKI is also studying a major Thio-SulR investment in the Eastern European/CIS region “to support qualitative and productivity increases of agriculture” in that region (GM March 26, p. 1; Feb. 26, p. 38; Feb. 19, p. 37).

Uralchem Targets Rise in Core Product Output, Invests RUB14.8 B in Projects

News, News Briefs, NPK, Potassium Nitrate, Russia, Specialty, Sulfur

Uralchem plans to increase output of its core fertilizer products to 6.498 million mt, or by 2.8 percent year-over-year, in 2021, up from 6.318 million mt last year, according to an Itar Tass report, citing Uralchem Deputy CEO Sergei Momtsemlidze on June 29.

The Deputy CEO said the company’s production is growing by 1.5-3 percent annually. Major turnarounds are scheduled at its production facilities this year, and equipment downtime will be slightly longer than in prior years, but output of core products will reach the 6.498 million mt, he said.

Uralchem will invest RUB14.8 billion (approximately $202.7 million at current exchange rates) in its fertilizer production in 2021, according to the report, citing Momtsemlidze.

The company is implementing investment projects at several sites. It is currently designing construction of an NPK plant with capacity of 480,000 mt/y at the Kirovo-Chepetsk site, according to the report, citing the Uralchem Deputy CEO.

Other current projects include the production of potassium nitrate and sulfur products at the company’s Azot site in Berezniki, and the development of a line of water-soluble fertilizers at the Voskresensk operation.

CHS Invests in Grand Farm Research Initiative

News, News Briefs

CHS Inc., St. Paul, on June 29 announced its commitment to agricultural innovation through financial support for and participation in the Grand Farm Research and Education Initiative, Horace, N.D. The 130-acre Grand Farm Innovation Site, located 10 miles south of Fargo, N.D., features demonstration fields and research plots that will eventually surround an innovation center and collaboration spaces for agricultural startups and entrepreneurs.

CHS involvement with Grand Farm began in early 2020, in conjunction with becoming a founding partner in Plug and Play Fargo, which accelerates ag tech startups and helps attract them to the region. Other Plug and Play founding partners include Bremer Bank, Microsoft Corp., and The OCP Group.

Partnering with Emerging Prairie, an organization that works to energize communities in North Dakota, Grand Farm will provide spaces and opportunities for agricultural technology companies and researchers to test ideas and find solutions for existing or emerging farm and ag industry challenges.

“Collaboration is at the center of what Grand Farm is about, bringing together startup entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies including CHS, university researchers, and farmers,” said David Black, CHS Enterprise Strategy and Chief Information Officer. “Working together will help accelerate technological innovation on the farm, the cooperative system, and throughout agriculture. CHS brings an on-farm perspective to the innovation process, which we hope will result in technologies that improve farming, from agronomy and farm management solutions to supply-chain and marketing advances.”

Grand Farm partners with industry experts from CHS, North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service to identify research projects. CHS is also operating crop production test plots at the innovation site.

Events scheduled at Grand Farm Innovation Site this summer include grower roundtables, field days, innovation days, farm tours and day-long conferences on topics including the carbon market, and autonomous equipment operations.

Bion Files International Patent Applications

News, News Briefs, Specialty

Bion Environmental Technologies Inc., New York City, announced on June 28 that it has filed patent applications in Canada and Mexico on its third generation (3G) technology platform, and is preparing an application for the European Union. The applications cover Bion’s 3G technology and are directed to processes to recover stable concentrated ammonium bicarbonate from the volatile ammonia in the livestock waste stream.

The company said its nitrogen fertilizer product is both quick release and organic. Bion’s initial fertilizer product, a liquid ammonium bicarbonate solution, was approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) in May 2020 for an OMRI Listing, allowing for its use in organic production. In May 2021, Bion submitted a new application with OMRI seeking listing for its crystallized (solid) ammonium bicarbonate/ammonium carbonate.

“We will remain focused on pursuing prospects in the U.S. markets initially,” said Craig Scott, Bion’s Director of Communications. “However, ultimately, we anticipate similar opportunities in the global markets, especially in those countries that utilize large-scale production practices, like the U.S.”

Origin Exits Belgian Market, Sells Unit to Brokking Group

Europe, News, News Briefs

Origin Enterprises plc, Dublin, announced on July 1 the sale of its Belgian fertilizer business, Pillaert-Mekoson Inc., Ghent, to The Netherlands-based Brokking Group for total consideration of €15.5 million on a cash and debt free basis. Proceeds from sale are to be used for general corporate purposes

Origin CEO Sean Coyle said the company had looked to acquire complementary businesses to add further scale to fertilizer operations in the region. “Without suitable consolidation opportunities, we have therefore decided to exit this market to focus on markets which offer greater growth potential.”

Origin has only owned Pillaert-Mekoson for a few years, having bought it in 2018 (GM Jan. 26, 2018). At the time it did not report the acquisition price.

The Belgian unit provides standard and prescription fertilizers in Belgium and surrounding regions. It has a brand heritage of over 50 years, markets a large range of technically-based nutrition applications and operates a business-to-business and retail customer franchise. The turnover for Pillaert-Mekoson for the 2017 financial year was €35 million, and maintainable earnings before interest, tax, and depreciation/amortization (EBITDA) is circa €1.8 million.

Origin’s Agri-Services unit supplies crop technologies and inputs in Ireland, the U.K., Brazil, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. Origin is listed on the ESM and AIM markets of the Irish and London Stock Exchanges. In 2017, it purchased assets of Bunn Fertiliser Ltd., Norwich, England, from Koch Fertilizer LLC, Wichita, Kan. (GM Aug. 18, 2017).

Danish Fund Invests in Green NH3 Project

Green Ammonia, News, News Briefs, Scandinavia

The Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) has awarded DKK81 million (US$13 million) to a green ammonia project that includes three Danish firms – catalysis company Haldor Topsøe A/S, investment company Skovgaard Invest Aps, and Vestas Wind Systems A/S.

The three announced late last year that they will partner to build a green ammonia plant at the commercial scale of 10 MW of power (GM Dec. 11, 2020). The plant, to be located in Western Jutland, Denmark, will produce more than 5,000 mt/y green ammonia from renewable power. The facility is being targeted for completion as soon as 2022, which – if achieved – the three firms believe will be the world’s first commercial-scale green ammonia plant.

Chatham Closes Avenir Acquisition

News, News Briefs, Oceania, Phosphate

Junior company Chatham Rock Phosphate Ltd. (CRP), Wellington, N.Z., reported on June 30 that it has completed the acquisition of Australian-based Avenir Makatea Pty Ltd.

Avenir, through its wholly-owned French Polynesian subsidiary SAS Avenir Makatea, holds an exploration research permit to explore for phosphate on the French Polynesian island of Makatea. The Makatea project covers an area of 1,035 hectares. The island was mined for phosphate from 1908-1966.

CRP revealed that Avenir is currently conducting due diligence on three phosphate projects in Queensland and Northern Territory (NT). CRP said two are in Queensland (both with mining licenses) and one in NT, all with defined JORC resources.

Due diligence on one of the Queensland projects is reported at an advanced stage and a site visit has been completed. Due diligence on the NT project and the other Queensland project are progressing on the basis of utilizing innovative technology to produce a high value product that can stand the high transport costs to market.

CRP acquired all the outstanding shares of Avenir. The deal was first announced in December (GM Jan. 1, p. 30). A Share Purchase Agreement was signed in April.

CRP has issued a total of 17,857,738 common shares to the former Avenir shareholders. A total of 10,722,858 were issued to Colin Randall, the Executive Chairman of Avenir, and a trust in which members of his family hold an interest. Randall and his family trust now hold approximately 17.4 percent of CRP’s issued and outstanding common shares. In addition, Randall has been appointed to CRP’s Board of Directors.

CSX Completes Acquisition of Quality Carriers

News, News Briefs, Transportation

CSX Corp., Jacksonville, said on July 1 it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Quality Carriers Inc., a leading North American provider of bulk liquid chemicals truck transportation, from Quality Distribution Inc., Tampa (GM May 14, p. 32). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Quality Carriers operates over 2,500 trucks and 6,400 trailers that serve many of the largest chemical producers and processors. CSX said the addition enables it to extend the reach of its network and gain access to new products, markets, and regions through a unique and competitive multimodal solution that leverages the reach of truck transportation with the cost-advantage of rail-based services. As such, CSX can now provide more comprehensive transportation services to customers throughout supply chains.