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Fertilizer Prices Expected to Continue to Rise Warren, RI, June 25, 2008 --- As food demand rises, so has the need for nitrogen fertilizer. The growing global agricultural demands have stretched commercial fertilizer supplies thin, resulting in increased prices. In addition, most nitrogen fertilizer is derived from petroleum, prices of which have also been on the rise, boosting fertilizer costs even higher. And the market isn’t expected to improve anytime soon. This has farmers looking at manure in a new light. Farmers worldwide are being affected by the lack of supply and higher prices of nitrogen fertilizer with no foreseeable relief in the near future. Prices have been at $350-$550/ton in 2008, up significantly from the $250/ton in 2007. Farmers have been up in arms over these prices and lack of supply, and some analysts are expecting 2009 prices to be at $750/ton. This increasing price and ongoing shortage makes manure the hot commodity for farmers. For many farmers, especially those managing CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), figuring out what to do with all of that manure has been an ongoing issue in daily farm life. Now the fertilizer value of that manure makes it a lot more appealing, and farms are turning to that traditional form of fertilizer. Farmers often sidedress their crops with commercial fertilizer. To take advantage of the nitrogen fertilizer in their manure water, farmers can instead irrigate their crops with top water from their manure lagoon. However, manure lagoons not treated in any way have a higher amount of phosphorus in their top water, as well as solids, limiting the amount they can irrigate and the ease of manure application. Untreated manure contains six to ten pounds of phosphorus per thousand gallons. By comparison, manure top water treated by Pro-Act’ Biotech’s system contains less than two pounds per 1,000 gallons. Since treated manure top water has significantly less phosphorus than untreated, farms using Pro-Act can irrigate at least three times as much, supplying their crops nitrogen needs with manure water without the risk of burning their crops. In addition, there is less chance of irrigation lines plugged up by suspended solids in the manure water. “We’re continuing to watch fertilizer prices along with our customers,” explains Bill Campion, president of Pro-Act Biotech. “Although most of them started with us in order to manage the solids and odor of their manure, they are now very pleased with the fact that their treated manure can help get them through these rough times.”
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