WHAT ARE FERTILIZERS?

Fertilizer 101

Fertilizers are the food for plants

• Nitrogen (N) for amino acids and proteins
• Phosphorus (P) for energy, enzymes, seedling emergence, root growth
• Potassium (K) for water update, catalysis, N & carbohydrate metabolism
• Sulphur (S) for amino acids and proteins and oils

Plants Need all 4 Major Macronutrients in the Right Balance

• Spur’s NPK’s supply N, P ,K and S

Fertilizers “feed” the world

• Without fertilizers, we can’t feed the world
• 40-60% of crop yield comes from fertilizers, the rest from the soil
• Nutrient taken from the soil must be replaced or we would be mining the soil
• Thus fertilizers are responsible for 100% of the food we eat
• There is no alternative to fertilizers

Fertilizers are an investment, not a cost, for the farmer

• $1.00 invested in fertilizer yields $3.00 in increased crop yields

Fertilizer Demand Drivers

Global

• More people but no more arable land
  • Must double production on each hectare
• Affluence leads to higher protein diets
  • = fertilizer requiring crops (corn, wheat, barley)
• Crop inventories are low
  • China will have a 25M mt grain deficit in 2005
• 50% of global grain production directly due to fertilizers

Some important Fertilizers