As a farmer, you face unavoidable outside pressures that threaten profitability. From weather to market fluctuations to input prices, those outside factors will always impact your operations.
Now, throw in the increasing pressure to farm more sustainably, and it’s no wonder this can be a frustrating ask for growers. Changing management practices or integrating more sustainable equipment can feel like a massive hill to climb within the current environment.
However, not every sustainability measure has to come with extra effort, time, and expense. In fact, some might come with their own ROI boosts.
The era of sustainability — and of big squeezes on profitability
Integrating sustainable practices have historically come with a price tag — one that farmers can’t always justify when margins are already razor-thin.
Staring at the current outlook for input prices, it makes sense why farmers aren’t always gung-ho about launching expensive sustainability projects. They may want to help reduce emissions and conserve resources. But at the expense of their profitability? That’s not a risk they can take these days.
Since 2020, fertilizer costs, specifically phosphorus, have hit a near-perfect storm. From post-pandemic supply shocks to political turmoil in regions that have traditionally exported a lot of phosphorus, prices have remained high.
In mid-2021, China set export restrictions for phosphate, dropping from about 10 million MT in 2021 to 6.6 million in 2024. Ensuing supply chain snags throughout 2024 meant prices never stabilized. Experts expect these issues to continue in 2025.
“As farmers watch input prices climb, they’re looking for any relief,” said Craig Dick, VP of Sales and Marketing for sustainable fertilizer company Phospholutions. “And as more sustainability programs and requirements come online, growers want to be part of the solution, but to do so as economically as possible.”
At least when it comes to phosphorus usage, growers do have a solution to wring more profit from their input bills — and farm more sustainably.
A sustainability solution with added economic benefit
Phospholutions developed RhizoSorb® with this issue in mind. How can farmers maximize phosphorus usage, improve ROI, and meet sustainability goals?
RhizoSorb 8-39-0 improves the availability of phosphorus in soil and maximizes plant uptake. It’s been proven on 500+ trials to enhance phosphorus efficiency by up to 50%, reduce runoff by up to 78%, and decrease carbon emissions by 45%. It’s applied using farmers’ existing equipment (broadcast no-till, strip-till via air seeder, etc.) — no management changes required.
Meanwhile, farmers improve their ROI by reducing applications. By using less product per acre, growers who use RhizoSorb see ROI increase by up to $20/acre.
When growers optimize their acres’ phosphorus uptake, they can save money and time — while also ensuring their soil’s long-term sustainability.
“You always have outside pressure,” said Andy DeVries, who’s been using RhizoSorb at DeVries Farms in Iowa. “It takes a lot of capital and equity to keep it going nowadays. RhizoSorb helps with phosphorus uptake and availability, so you’re not waiting years for the phosphorus to become available.”
Beyond saving money or enhancing efficiency, farmers can take advantage of another profitability pathway via sustainability. With fewer applications and less runoff, growers can reduce the carbon within their system. With more carbon sequestration comes more opportunities to cash in on premiums, earn sustainability certifications, or enhance carbon impact (CI) scores.
In the grand scheme, phosphorus isn’t your biggest carbon-saving opportunity. But for farmers looking for an easy plug-and-play product to improve sustainability without introducing new practices or changing equipment, RhizoSorb offers that chance.
“With RhizoSorb, growers just have to switch out their traditional phosphorus fertilizer product,” Dick said. “Farmers can get more of that applied phosphate into their plants. This translates to less loss, and eventually more dollars in their pocket per acre.”
The global economic situation — specifically fertilizer pricing — will likely remain turbulent. If more sustainability is to remain feasible, farmers will need to lean on solutions that are also economically beneficial. Every ounce of fertilizer saved matters — but so does every dollar.
If you’re interested in how RhizoSorb can help improve both the sustainability and economics on your farm, calculate your estimated savings here, or reach out to the Phospholutions team.
