Potash, aka Pink Gold, is one of the key ingredients in the inorganic fertilizers that enables America to grow massive amounts of various crops and be the largest exporter of food in the world. It is a potassium compound.
There are three essential ingredients, all extracted from the Earth, in the fertilizer used to grow crops commercially. Nitrogen, extracted mostly from natural gas, phosphorus, and potash. Because of the high cost of domestic natural gas, the U.S. imports nitrogen, but this could, and should, change because of the recent discoveries of massive natural gas deposits in the Northeast. We have plenty of of phosphate deposits and export 50% of what we produce. So that’s no problem. But all three ingredients are critical for commercial farming, AND THERE ARE NO SUBSTITUTES. None, including the so-called organic alternatives, which have less nutrients and are more expensive, bulky, and subject to carrying and spreading pathogens. Of the three, potash makes up to 60% of the content of commercial farming fertilizer.
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Joe, look up UAN(aka CVR Partners). CVR is an independent oil refiner, who have figured out a way to bypass the use of natgas in Potash production. They use Petrol coke in the process instead. Natgas isn't expensive now, and hasn't been in quite a while. But, if you're able to avoid that input cost, you're better off and less tied to commodity swings. All other domestic producers of Potash use natgas except UAN
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