Pub. 8 2018 Issue 3

22 AT THE CENTER OF UTAH INDUSTRY Jordan, Brazil, and China. The countries that produce the smallest amount of potash are Chile, Spain, and the UK. Nearly 95% of global potash production is currently used as fertilizer, and for very good reasons. Potash and Plants – A Happy Combination Plants have even more potassium in them than they have nitrogen, making potassium a key nutrient for plant development. This is because potassium is something every healthy plant needs in order to grow. Potassium: • Prevents premature ripening, • Helps plants recover from frost damage or being waterlogged, • 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 as early as the third century BC, 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: • Because it is natural, it doesn’t hurt the environment. • Because it recycles so well, it is sustainable in farming. • The potassium it contains balances nutrients such as nitrates by helping plants absorb themmore efficiently. • That same potassium helps water and nutrients move within the plant. When soil does not have enough nutrients for the crops being grown on it, fertilizers make up the difference and allow farmers to get the high yields they need. In fact, farmers can sometimes use fertilizers to 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 Recycling industrial-related scrap metal is one of the things we do best! www.umw.com | 801.364.5679 Utah Metal Works, Inc. 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 people. It may be an old tool, but its use is still indispensable when it comes to growing nutritious food. 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, the truth is, the world will need a new potash mine every two years. 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. Potash is far from the most glamorous product of the global mining industry; it is, however, one of the most important commodities mining provides to the world. X POTASH continued from page 21