Shoals may be home to fertilizer research

Muscle Shoals - Amit Roy says he is confident the solution for curbing soaring food prices around the world can be found in the Shoals.

Roy, president and chief executive officer of Muscle Shoals-based IFDC, International Center For Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development, wants the Shoals to become the core of research into finding affordable, environmentally friendly fertilizers. As the price of conventional fertilizers has risen in recent years, so have food costs.

"In some places, fertilizer prices have gone up so much that it's viewed almost like gold," Roy said.

"In the United States, we used to spend about 10 percent of our income on food. We're now spending about 12 percent. In some developing countries, the people are now spending 70 percent of their income on food."

Charles Burmester, an agronomist for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said farmers frequently complain about the price of fertilizer and ask for tips on how they can spend less for the product.

He said the price of some fertilizers has tripled during the past two years. Burmester said the prices of fertilizers made from natural gas have risen the most dramatically.

IFDC works to help farmers in developing countries increase crop production and farm income. Roy wants to expand that mission to share its developments with farmers in the United States.

By developing new fertilizers that are better utilized by crops, the cost of growing food around the world would fall, he said. If the cost of production declined, so would food costs.

Roy said much of the nitrogen component in today's fertilizers evaporates or washes away before it can be utilized by the crop.

IFDC would like to develop fertilizers that would provide nutrients to the plants as they are needed and retain the remainder in the soil.

Reducing the amount of wasted nutrients would help farmers hold down their production costs and protect the environment, Roy said.

"That's great news," Burmester said. "If they can come up with anything, that's going to help hold down the cost of fertilizer."

Roy said a new generation of fertilizers could be developed in as little as five years.

The agency is considering leasing laboratory space from the Tennessee Valley Authority for the project. TVA's chemical engineering building, which is next door to IFDC headquarters, is vacant.

Roy estimates it would cost about $5 million to purchase equipment and refurbish the laboratories. It would then cost about $15 million to $20 million per year for five to six years to pay for the research.

"It's a miniscule amount compared to the benefits that could result from the research," Roy said.

John Shields, interim director of IFDC's research and marketing development division, said the return on an investment into fertilizer development is high.

Shields, former official at TVA's International Fertilizer Development Center, said the $41 million the federal utility spent on fertilizer research from the 1930s and early 1980s returned $57 billion to U.S. agriculture. He said TVA's research also helped farmers in nations around the world improve their productivity.

Burmester said much of the fertilizer technology being used worldwide today came from TVA research in Muscle Shoals.

Shields said there have been no major innovations in fertilizer for farm crops since TVA ended its research in the early 1990s.

"There has been very little interest in fertilizer research by the private sector other than improving the profitability of an existing product," he said.

Shields said TVA was the last agency to conduct fertilizer research that shared its findings with all manufacturers for the benefit of farmers around the world.

Roy said many of the former TVA scientists, engineers and chemists still live in the Shoals and could be recruited to help with a new research project.

With the fertilizer expertise in the Shoals and the now empty TVA labs being available, Roy said Muscle Shoals is the logical choice to be the headquarters of new fertilizer development for the world. He said the jobs the center would provide and money it would spend in the Shoals would boost the local economy.

IFDC operates a research facility in Muscle Shoals that includes the world's largest pilot plant for manufacturing new fertilizer formulas on a small scale.

Roy said once new formulas were perfected in the pilot plant, they could be shared with manufacturers around the world who would manufacture them on a commercial scale.

With fertilizer and food prices projected to continue rising, Roy said now is the time to begin searching for new fertilizers.

IFDC will seek money from governments around the world, including the United States, and from private organizations to pay for the research.

Laura Henderson, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said he is interested in learning more about IFDC's plans.

"Although we have not seen this specific proposal from the IFDC, the senator continues to support fertilizer-related research and development being conducted by the IFDC," she said.

Todd Isbell, a fifth-generation farmer from Muscle Shoals, said a new generation of fertilizer would be welcomed by farmers. His family has started using poultry litter on some of its fields in recent years in an effort to reduce spending on fertilizers.

"We're using high-tech seeds and equipment but are still growing crops with the same fertilizer that was used by farmers hundreds of years ago," he said.

"We need a new generation of fertilizers that matches the other modern technology we use on our farms."

Jeff Helms, spokesman for the Alabama Farmers Federation in Montgomery, said the organization also wants to learn more about IFDC's proposal.

"We are interested in anything that helps our farmers improve their efficiency and profitability," he said.

Roy said IFDC officials plan to meet with government officials and leaders of agricultural aid organizations to seek support for its plan to restore the Shoals as world leader in fertilizer development.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.