Why is The Mosaic Company championing this initiative?
As a leader in the fertilizer industry, The Mosaic Company is committed to the relentless pursuit of cutting-edge research, the latest crop nutrition information and innovative fertilizer solutions to increase yields. Fertility has a major impact on yield levels in the field. As such, it’s our responsibility to ensure growers have access to information that can help increase yields and feed the world’s growing population. By delivering this important message to industry-leading experts and organizations that serve as conduits to growers, The Mosaic Company benefits crop producers and reinforces its agronomy expertise with customers and others within the fertilizer industry.

Why is Back-to-Basics a vital initiative?
The need for this educational initiative arose when 1997 and 2001 nationwide analyses of soil tests by the Potash & Phosphate Institute (PPI) revealed evidence that nearly half of the nation’s soils were testing average to below average for both P and K. At the same time, commodity prices were at historic lows, causing many farmers to cut back on their fertilizer inputs.

The program continues to be important as crop production must be optimized in order to produce the feed, food, fiber and fuel needed to support a growing global population. It is important for growers to recognize the impact of cutting back on their fertilizer rates in an environment where increasing crop yields are pulling nutrients from the soil's nutrient bank and mining the soil.

Maintaining and increasing crop yields will be difficult as soil nutrient levels continue to trend lower and many areas fall to or below the critical levels for key nutrients, as shown in this article written by Paul Fixen, Ph.D. agronomist with IPNI, for the 2011 Balanced Crop Nutrition Guide. 
See: The Direction of Soil Fertility in the Corn Belt

How is the Back-to-Basics story being told?
Educational outreach through Back-to-Basics has included the following components:

	Web site at www.Back-to-Basics.net
	Press releases and feature articles
	Educational publications
	Grower and dealer tradeshows
	Educational presentations to producers and influencer audiences
	Media tours to publications reaching growers and influencers
	Direct marketing efforts (ad slicks, radio scripts, statement stuffers, information packages and postcards) that targeted fertilizer dealers, crop consultants, university extension personnel, ag lenders and farm managers