The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), along with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The Nature Conservancy and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), have announced the organizations and products selected for phase two trials in the Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges.
Collectively, the challenges aim to accelerate the development of innovative fertilizer product technologies and to increase the use of existing enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFS) that maintain or increase crop yields and reduce environmental impacts to air, land and water. The organizations partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the challenges.
The first of two Next Gen Fertilizer Challenges, EEFs: Agronomic and Environmental Challenge, aims to identify existing EEFs currently on or near-market that meet or exceed certain environmental and agro-economic criteria. Phase one included review and selection of product nominations by an expert judging panel. Phase two, to be initiated this spring, will include greenhouse trial evaluations of the winning products by researchers at IFDC. The products will be evaluated based on environmental, agronomic and economic performance factors.
EEFs and other new product technologies and formulations control fertilizer release or alter reactions to increase nutrient uptake by the plant and reduce nutrient losses to the environment. These technologies can be an important addition to a conservation practice system that helps reduce row crop agriculture impacts on the environment, while maintaining or increasing agricultural productivity and profitability.
The winning companies/products:
AgroLiquid: Pro-Germinator
CHS Agronomy: Trivar
Corteva Agriscience: Optinyte
EuroChem Agro: ENTEC
Harrell’s: POLYON
Koch Company Services: CENTURO
Koch Company Services: SUPERU
MicroSource: Hi-Test
Nutrien: ESN
Pursell Agri-Tech: PurYield
Renuvix: Renuvix CRFs
SABIC: BCRU
The Andersons: Struvite DG
Timac Agro USA: Duo Maxx
Timac Agro USA: Top-Phos
Verdesian Life Sciences: AVAIL
The second component of the Next Gen Fertilizer Innovation Challenge will identify novel pre-market technologies for fertilizers that can reduce the environmental effects from modern agriculture while maintaining or increasing crop yields. Winners are expected to be announced in spring 2021.
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