Kassel-Germany’s K+S Group said June 9 that it is considering the sale of its Compo unit, which is a supplier of branded goods for the home and garden market. The product range includes fertilizers, plant protection products, and potting soil, as well as specialty products for green, horticulture, special crops, and special agriculture applications. K+S says Compo is one of the best-known and most innovative brand and product portfolios, and is therefore in a very good position in a market that is currently very fragmented and characterized by high competition. K+S says it will concentrate on its potash and magnesium and salt businesses. K+S has tabbed Goldman Sachs to assist in the sale of Compo. It expects results within one year. In preparation, over the next few months K+S will develop a concept for a possible carve-out of Compo from the K+S Group. Compo has revenues of approximately ?é¼400 million (US$484.4 million) and employs about 1,100 people all over the world.

Washington-The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), and CropLife America submitted comments in May to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding a new security program that DHS has introduced as part of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). According to TFI, DHS’s Personnel Surety Program would apply to chemical facilities that are regulated under CFATS, including fertilizer manufacturers and agricultural retailers, and would require additional security information on chemical facility staff. TFI said the program could have far-reaching consequences for the agricultural community, and could even affect growers. In addition to concerns about implementation costs and DHS oversight of the program, TFI said the comments submitted by the three organizations suggest that the program “is redundant in its call for additional information on chemical facility staff that in most cases already hold federally issued credentials.” The organizations also raised concerns about how DHS would handle requirements for full-time and part-time employees who work for agricultural retailers during busy periods during the spring planting and fall harvest, and for growers who pick up products at their local retailers instead of having them delivered.

Boston, Mass.-Converted Organics Inc., which uses a proprietary thermal process to produce organic fertilizer from food wastes, has reported that sales from Jan.1 to May 31, 2010, were $1.85 million, or 90 percent higher than the same period in 2009. Company officials said the year-over-year sales growth is largely attributable to a continued increase in customer demand for organic fertilizer programs. “The growth in our fertilizer business is a direct result of increased recognition of our products as a safe, natural, effective way to improve crop yields while lowering costs,” said Marketing Vice President David Flannery. “During the past several months, we have seen a significant increase in interest across each of our primary target markets – major growers, specialty agricultural retailers, professional lawn care providers. and consumers.”

Washington-In its latest Crop Production report released on June 10, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service said winter wheat production in the U.S. is forecast at 1.48 billion bushels, up 2 percent from the May 1 forecast, but 3 percent below 2009. The harvest total is the smallest amount since 2006, USDA said. Based on June 1 conditions, the U.S. average yield is forecast at 46.6 bushels/acre, up 0.7 bushel from last month and 2.4 bushels more than last year. Expected area for harvest as grain or seed totals 31.8 million acres, unchanged from May 1. Hard red wheat production is up 2 percent from a month ago, to 979 million bushels, according to USDA. Soft red wheat production is up slightly from last month and now totals 284 million bushels. White production totals 219 million bushels, up 2 percent from last month. Of the white production total, USDA said 17.3 million bushels are hard white and 202 million bushels are soft white. USDA’s World Supply and Demand report, also issued June 10, lowered the surplus corn stocks on hand from roughly 1.7 billion bushels to 1.57 billion bushels. USDA said corn prices may rise as high as $3.90/bushel this year, which is up about 10 cents/bushel from previous forecasts. The report also said ethanol use is expected to be about 150 million bushels higher than previous reports. As for soybeans, the report said the U.S. soybean crush is expected to be down 5 percent, and U.S. exports are projected to be down due to export competition from India and South America. On a positive note, USDA said more soybeans will be used for biodiesel, provided Congress renews the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit.

Washington-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in early June agreed to gather information about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to determine whether more should be regulated as part of a settlement with environmental groups concerned about water pollution, according to the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA). The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Waterkeeper Alliance filed a case with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit claiming EPA gave too much discretion to farm operators in determining which farms needed permits to discharge waste into waterways. In the settlement, EPA agreed to release a guidance document that would clarify which CAFOs would need to apply for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits under its 2008 final rule. EPA will propose a new rule that would require all CAFO owners or operators to submit to the agency specific data about the number and types of animals that are being raised, the quantity of manure generated, the type and capacity of manure storage, and the method used to dispose of the manure. This information would be collected every five years and would be made publicly available. EPA said it would take final action on the proposed rule within two years, and will also seek public comments as part of that process. According to ARA, EPA defines CAFOs as farms with any of the following: 700 dairy cows; 1,000 veal calves; 1,000 cattle; 2,500 swine weighing more than 55 pounds or 10,000 swine weighing less than 55 pounds; 10,000 sheep or lambs; 55,000 turkeys; and between 30,000 and 125,000 chickens, depending on the manure handling system used. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report estimates that a single dairy farm that meets EPA’s minimum large CAFO threshold of 700 dairy cows produces around 17,800 tons of manure a year, compared to the 16,000 tons of sanitary waste that it takes a city of 24,000 residents to annually generate.

Reno-Itronics Inc. reported June 3 that its GOLD’n GRO fertilizer sales for April and May 2010 were up 20 percent over the same months in 2009, and that May sales were up 65 percent over May 2009. Sales for the first five months of 2010 were up 1 percent, which Dr. John Whitney, president, reported to be the company’s best performance for this time period despite very wet weather the first three months. “Fertilizer orders are expected to continue to be strong through June,” Whitney reported. “The spring season appears to be six to eight weeks behind schedule, so sales could continue well into July.” Itronics converts spent photoliquids into pure silver and GOLD’n GRO liquid fertilizers.