Pub. 4 2014 Issue 3

21 MINING FOCUS new, innovative practices that help them get the most possible use out of farmland, and they will also have to plant every possible acre. Because we have to grow more food on less land while using smaller amounts of fresh water, the question becomes: how do farmers grow enough for everyone? No one should ever go hungry or starve for lack of food. However, when people do get fed well it is in no small part due to a humble ingredient in fertilizer you may never have given a thought to: potash. Potash plays a central role in helping feed the world’s growing population. Potash 101 Potash is a fertilizer that is made from potassium (K). Potash got its name in Europe where there was a long tradition of burning wood or seaweed and leaching the ashes in water. People used large iron pots to evaporate water from the solution, and the remaining hard, white residue was named “pot ash.” The mineral’s name refers to several forms of potassium salt. Potassium Chloride (KCl) is the most important one because farmers use it in combination with two other fertilizers, nitrogen and phosphate, to increase the yield of their crops. For example, these fertilizers are an important tool for farmers who grow coffee, corn, rice, and soybeans. In compound form, the Earth’s crust has an abundant supply of potassium — in fact, the crust only has six other elements that are more abundant than potassium. Unfortunately, however, the potassium compounds — potash — that we can extract economically are more uncommon. Twelve countries have viable potash deposits. The top five producers, in order, are Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany, and the U.S. In Utah, Intrepid Potash has two potash mines (Moab and Wendover) and other potash deposits in the state can potentially be developed. Potash and Plants – A Happy Combination Nearly 95% of global potash production is currently used as fertilizer, and for very good reasons. Potassium is a key nutrient for plant development and it: • Prevents premature ripening, • Helps plants recover fromfrost damageor beingwaterlogged, • Builds thicker and stronger cell walls in plants that are better able to resist predators, • Increases the size and weight of grain, • Increases resistance to drought, and • Decreases the likelihood of plant disease. Potash is part of a long farming cycle that has been going on since as early as the third century B.C., in the form of manure and ashes. Of course, the Romans did not realize that it was potassium; they just knew these materials made their plants flourish. Potash is the workhorse of plant nutrition: • The potassium it contains balances nutrients such as nitrates by helping plants absorb them more efficiently. • That same potassium helps water and nutrients move within the plant. When soil does not have enough nutrients for the crops being grown, fertilizers make up the difference and allow farmers to get the high yields they need. In fact, fertilizers can sometimes double or triple their yield. This was determined through demonstrations and trials conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Fertilizer Programme over a 25-year period in 40 countries. They found that when they used their best fertilizer treatment for wheat, they were able to increase the weighted average by about 60%. Fertilizers are an effective way to maximize the use of land and water. In drier climates or anywhere rainfall is supplemented with irrigation, farmers can more than double the yield for every unit of water, and they can also increase the crop’s rooting depth. When one considers the enormous number of people who need to be fed, and the fact that potash, especially, is both abundant and easily mined in certain areas, using potash to fertilize soil continues to be one of the smartest things a farmer can do. The agricultural use of potash as a fertilizer is a big part of the solution for feeding the world’s hungry. The Future The world demand for potassium has increased over the last few years and current demand — worldwide — is a staggering 55 million tons per year. Assuming even a modest 2% growth in demand, it is easy to see potash mining is an important part of our future. Essentially, potash is food. Without potash, there is no grain and without grain, there is no beef, pork or chicken to support the world’s growing demand for food. Potash may not be the most glamorous product of the global mining industry; it is, however, one of the most important commodities mining provides to the world. X