Fertilizer Industry Round Table

What Fertilizer Industry Round Table does

The Fertilizer Industry Round Table (FIRT) is a private nonprofit industry association founded informally in 1951 at the American Chemical Conference and formally organized in 1955. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, FIRT operates as a volunteer-run forum for industry leaders across the fertilizer supply chain — spanning soil science, economics, production, and distribution. Its mission is to provide strategic and operational insight on technologies and issues that impact plant nutrition through knowledge sharing of best practices, innovative technologies, and global market trends.

FIRT's core offerings center on knowledge dissemination rather than product development. The flagship is the annual Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference, presented in partnership with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) since 2004. Complementary offerings include a searchable Papers & Presentations repository covering topics such as sulphur, potash, nitrogen, and global nutrient supply; a blog on fertilizer industry news, sustainability, and climate impacts; and archived Historical Conference Proceedings dating back to 1955, compiled in leather-bound volumes. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from CF Industries, KOCH Fertilizer, J.R. Simplot, AdvanSix, The Sulphur Institute, AAPFCO, and other industry players.

FIRT's business model is distinctive within the fertilizer industry: it explicitly receives no financial support from companies, governments, or other vested interests and is entirely volunteer-run, with membership and meeting participation open to anyone. Revenue is not disclosed in the available data and no funding rounds, acquisitions, or M&A activity are recorded. Distribution occurs primarily through its website, the annual conference, and published papers and presentations, targeting a global audience of fertilizer industry professionals.

Name

Fertilizer Industry Round Table

Legal name

Fertilizer Industry Round Table

Website

https://firt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Fertilizer Industry Round Table (FIRT) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit industry association founded in 1951 that convenes fertilizer supply-chain leaders through an annual conference, a papers repository, and historical proceedings to share best practices on plant nutrition technologies and trends.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FIRT is a volunteer-run nonprofit industry association that provides a forum for fertilizer industry leaders across the supply chain to share best practices, innovative technologies, and global market trends. Its core offerings center on the annual Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference (presented in partnership with The Fertilizer Institute), a searchable papers and presentations repository, an industry blog, and archived conference proceedings dating back to 1955.

Product overview

Fertilizer Industry Round Table (FIRT) is a knowledge-sharing forum and industry association rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of educational and informational services including its annual Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference (presented jointly with The Fertilizer Institute), a searchable Papers & Presentations repository containing industry research on topics like sulphur, potash, nitrogen, and agriculture outlooks, a blog with industry news and best practices, and archived Historical Conference Proceedings dating back to 1955. These offerings work together to advance knowledge sharing across the fertilizer supply chain from soil science to economics to production and distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference The organization's flagship annual meeting presented in partnership with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), designed to review best practices and processes across a wide range of fertilizer, agricultural, and environmental topics, featuring presentations on global fertilizer markets, agricultural outlooks, and new technologies impacting plant nutrition. Intended for industry leaders across the fertilizer supply chain.
• Papers & Presentations Repository A searchable library of papers and presentations prepared and shared by FIRT members and guest speakers over the years, covering all areas of the fertilizer industry including sulphur outlook, potash outlook, nitrogen outlook, agriculture outlook, and global nutrient supply. Available to anyone wishing to access industry research.
• Historical Conference Proceedings Archived proceedings from past annual conferences dating back to 1955, compiled into leather-bound volumes containing comprehensive accounts of conference days including guest speakers and topics of discussion. Provides a permanent record of knowledge and developments in the fertilizer industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 600 professionals attended FIRT's annual meeting by 1963

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004FIRT joined with TFI in 2004 to share resources. The organizations present the annual meeting together as the 'TFI-FIRT Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference.' This partnership combines TFI's public policy, communication and statistical resources with FIRT's technical expertise and industry network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA): ARA represents agricultural retailers and distributors, including fertilizer retailers, in the US. It overlaps FIRT's downstream distribution audience and is a relevant peer for the fertilizer supply chain.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA): SSSA is a scientific society focused on soil science and stewardship, a topic expressly within FIRT's content scope ('from soil science to economics'). It is a peer organization in the soil/plant-nutrition knowledge domain.

Broad incumbents

• CropLife International: CropLife International is the global trade association for the plant science industry (crop protection and ag biotechnology). It is a comparable industry-association peer serving adjacent agricultural input sectors to FIRT's fertilizer membership.
• American Society of Agronomy (ASA): ASA is a scientific society for agronomists covering soil science, crop production, and plant nutrition. It overlaps FIRT's soil-science and plant-nutrition knowledge base but serves a scientific/academic audience rather than industry operators.
• International Fertilizer Association (IFA): IFA is the global fertilizer industry association representing producers, traders, and distributors worldwide. It is a broader, internationally focused counterpart to FIRT's technical, knowledge-sharing role and a natural global peer.

Regional players

• Fertilizers Europe: Fertilizers Europe is the European fertilizer industry trade association representing European producers. It is a regional counterpart to FIRT for members and partners operating in the European fertilizer market.
• The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI): FAI is the Indian fertilizer industry association covering production, technology, and policy. It is a regional peer to FIRT in one of the largest fertilizer markets globally and a natural comparable for cross-border knowledge exchange.

Direct peers

• Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO): AAPFCO is the US association of state fertilizer control officials that sets model regulations and standards. It overlaps FIRT's fertilizer industry focus from a regulatory/standards angle and is represented on FIRT's board.
• The Fertilizer Institute (TFI): TFI is FIRT's primary strategic partner and the leading US fertilizer industry trade association. It serves the same fertilizer industry professionals and, since 2004, co-presents FIRT's flagship annual conference, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• The Sulphur Institute: TSI is a fertilizer-nutrient-specific industry association focused on sulphur, with a current representative on FIRT's board. It shares FIRT's non-profit, technical-knowledge-sharing model within a narrower nutrient vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/firtorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles33 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fertilizer Industry Round Table