X-Message-Number: 21949 From: "Mark Plus" <> Subject: Natural gas shortage versus food security Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 11:22:08 -0700 From: Greenspan's comments put focus on rising natural gas prices http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/6057767.htm .... Among the hardest hit so far is the U.S. fertilizer industry, which uses natural gas to produce ammonia, a component of nitrogen fertilizer. According to the Fertilizer Institute, a Washington trade group, about 20 percent of U.S. fertilizer production has been shut down permanently and an additional 25 percent is down temporarily because of gas prices. Kathy Mathers, a vice president for the group, called the situation the gravest the industry has faced since the energy crisis of the 1970s. Fertilizer prices have as much as doubled, and imports -- which rely on lower foreign gas prices -- are grabbing a larger share of the U.S. market. Some think U.S. farmers could eventually rely on imported fertilizer, which would have its own implications for national security. "It's a tremendous concern," said David Jobe, a senior vice president for MFA Inc., a farmer cooperative in Columbia and a fertilizer distributor. _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21949