Minnesota Crop Production Retailers

Fertilizer Issues

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Expects to Develop A Minnesota Specific Aquatic Life Nitrate Toxicity Standard by 2015

What the Ag Press have Reported about the West, Texas Explosion - “Texas Fertilizer Company Didn't Heed Disclosure Rules”
The fertilizer plant that exploded on Wednesday, obliterating part of a small Texas town and killing at least 14 people, had last year been storing 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that would normally trigger safety oversight by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Yet a person familiar with DHS operations said the company that owns the plant, West Fertilizer, did not tell the agency about the potentially explosive fertilizer as it is required to do, leaving one of the principal regulators of ammonium nitrate - which can also be used in bomb making - unaware of any danger there. Fertilizer plants and depots must report to the DHS when they hold 400 lb (180 kg) or more of the substance. Filings this year with the Texas Department of State Health Services, which weren't shared with DHS, show the plant had 270 tons of it on hand last year. A U.S. congressman and several safety experts called into question on Friday whether incomplete disclosure or regulatory gridlock may have contributed to the disaster.
"It seems this manufacturer was willfully off the grid," Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-MS), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement. "This facility was known to have chemicals well above the threshold amount to be regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (CFATS), yet we understand that DHS did not even know the plant existed until it blew up." Company officials did not return repeated calls seeking comment on its handling of chemicals and reporting practices. Late on Friday, plant owner Donald Adair released a general statement expressing sorrow over the incident but saying West Fertilizer would have little further comment while it cooperated with investigators to try to determine what happened. "This tragedy will continue to hurt deeply for generations to come," Adair said in the statement. Failure to report significant volumes of hazardous chemicals at a site can lead the DHS to fine or shut down fertilizer operations, a person familiar with the agency's monitoring regime said. Though the DHS has the authority to carry out spot inspections at facilities, it has a small budget for that and only a "small number" of field auditors, the person said. Firms are responsible for self reporting the volumes of ammonium nitrate and other volatile chemicals they hold to the DHS, which then helps measure plant risks and devise security and safety plans based on them. Since the agency never received any so-called top-screen report from West Fertilizer, the facility was not regulated or monitored by the DHS under its CFAT standards, largely designed to prevent sabotage of sites and to keep chemicals from falling into criminal hands. (Ag Professional)

Transcript/notes by TFI staff on the May 1, 2013 Hearing on the West, Texas Accident by the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety.
Read the notes here.

Information in Response to the Texas Facility Incident from The Fertilizer Institute (TFI).
The Fertilizer Institute Fact Sheet

TFI Semiannual Production Survey (July – December 2012)

The Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC)
The Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) has funded nearly $500,000 worth of contemporary production ag research aimed at providing crop advisors with answers to vexing issues and crop improvement questions. Click here to review the research and recent updates.

Your Help is Needed Now to get Fertilizer to Minnesota – Mississippi/Missouri Rivers Low Water!
Read the Memorandum from The Fertilizer Institute

4R Nutrient Stewardship

4R Summary

The Fertilizer Institute President, Ford West's Key Note Address.
View The Fertilizer Institute President, Ford West's 25 minute key note address at the December 2010 CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show in which he introduces the Fertilizer 4 R’s…the Right Product at the Right Time at the Right Place at the Right Amount. Ford suggested that conforming to this system is the biggest challenge MCPR members face for the next ten years.

Fertilizer is Life’s Main Ingredient Campaign
Read the press release for "Fertilizer is Life's Main Ingredient Campaign" from the Nutrients for Life Foundation.

Having trouble explaining the fertilizer pricing system? Customers asking why the prices keep going up?
Click here for a TFI brochure for your information and downloading.

View an article from the New York Times showcasing the benefits of fertilizer.
MCPR is pleased because the article reveals the vital role that fertilizer plays in improving and sustaining the world’s food supply. In addition, the article points to commercial fertilizers as one of the most effective solutions in solving the current global food crisis. Congratulations to TFI who had a significant role informing the authors of the facts.

Liquid Bulk Fertilizer Storage Issue
MCPR members may have questions about recent legislative changes related to customers storing on their farm liquid bulk fertilizer. MCPR is providing this statement that will give guidance reflecting the recently passed legislation and may suffice until the MDA provides us with a guidance document with more details. “The 2007 legislature amended “Sec. 28. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 18C.305, by adding a subdivision to read: Subd. 3. Exemption. A permit and safeguard is not required for agricultural commodity producers who store, on their own property, for their own use, no more than 6,000 gallons of liquid commercial fertilizer.” Therefore, MCPR members should understand that a permit is not required and bulk fertilizer containment rules do not apply to agricultural commodity producers who store on their own property for their own use no more than 6,000 gallons of liquid commercial fertilizer. As always, use discretion related to the storage containers you fill.

Sample letter to members regarding on farm dry fertilizer storage.

Memo to distributors and wholesalers related to on farm dry fertilizer storage.

MDA fertilizer/pesticide bulk storage permitting requirements
Download the MDA fertilizer/pesticide bulk storage permitting requirements.
Wholesalers/distributors can be liable for illegal storage and possible environmental damage for on farm bulk fertilizer storage. For further information on your possible liability please contact the MDA by calling(651) 201-6472 .