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Fertilizer supply issues could cause lack of food security
A global fertilizer retailer says input supply issues could cause food security concerns.
Nutrien Ag Solutions President of Global Retail Jeff Tarsi is stressing the need for growers to maximize production this growing season with the likely loss of Ukrainian crops in the global market and the lack of fertilizer shipments from the Black Sea region.
“Number one, we need that production to feed the world,” he said. “Number two, I don’t think you can go into farming in a defensive manner. If you go in defensive, you’re likely not going to like how you come out.”
He tells Brownfield, fertilizer application timing will be key this year because the entire industry is short on glyphosate and glufosinate heading into planting season.
“We want to conserve those products and use them at a time when we most need them,” Tarsi said.
Tarsi said, luckily, most fertilizer products used in the U.S. are produced in North America. He said most domestic shortages will likely be felt in coastal areas, like Texas, where more inputs are imported.
Tarsi said Nutrien has worked to expand the amount of product it’s able to have on-hand to be as ‘flexible’ as possible and meet growers’ needs.
“We didn’t build a plan… we built a plan ‘A’, a plan ‘B’, a plan ‘C’, and – in some cases today – we might be on plan ‘E’ and ‘F’,” he said. “But again, we’re built in a manner that we are flexible, we can move and do things differently. We don’t want to be reactionary; we want to already have those plans in place.”
Brownfield interviewed Tarsi at Commodity Classic in New Orleans last week.