Nearly 140 listeners, representing more than 55 companies from the U.S. and overseas, tuned in to Green Markets’ second annual Agricultural and Fertilizer Outlook audio conference on Feb. 7. The interactive event allowed registrants to listen via telephone to three industry experts who talked about a range of issues, including 2007 planting intentions, the volatile urea and phosphate markets, and the distribution pressures currently facing the retail market.
Rich Pottorf, chief economist and Washington editor of Doane’s Agricultural Services, headed off the conference by detailing the expected increase in corn acreage to 87.1 million acres in 2007, calling this “the most exciting time in 30 years” for agriculture. Pottorf noted other significant cropping changes and the economic factors driving them, and said corn acreage will need to rebound “a lot” in subsequent years to keep pace with the surging ethanol industry.
Don Lauriente, senior fertilizer industry consultant and president of DH Lauriente Consultants Ltd., offered a detailed analysis of global consumption and capacity figures for urea and ammonium phosphate, referring to urea as the nitrogen growth product that is dominating the global nitrogen trade. Lauriente said the world ammonium phosphate balance has strengthened, while production and capacity remains heavily concentrated.
Dave Coppess, vice president of sales and marketing for Heartland Co-op in West Des Moines, Iowa, wrapped up the event with an in-depth look at the issues facing the retail sector in 2007 and beyond, focusing on product availability, distribution challenges, and ongoing environmental pressures at the local level.
Listeners were allowed to pose questions to the panel, either by email or by telephone, at the conclusion of the presentations. An audio recording of the conference is available on CD-ROM for $199, and can be ordered by visiting http://www.pf.com/eventDetail.asp?id=43&type=2. Audio recordings of past Green Markets audio conferences can also be ordered at http://www.pf.com/events.asp.