The Fertiliser Society – History

The International Fertiliser Society was founded in 1947 (as the Fertiliser Society) as a learned society for individuals who have a professional interest in any aspect of fertiliser production, marketing and use.

The Society was founded in 1947 as a learned society and in over 70 years of activity has regularly held meetings. These provide an excellent forum for debate and for contacting others involved in fertilisers, crop production and the environment. Many of the notable technological developments in fertilisers have been documented by the Society over the last 70+ years, and much progress which has been made over this time in the practical use of fertilisers. Members meet to discuss recent advances in fertiliser research and application, and to explore how these developments can help us meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The scientific and technical papers presented at these Conferences and Meetings are published for the benefit of members as the Proceedings of the International Fertiliser Society (ISSN 1466-1314) and now number more than 850 in total. Copies of these Proceedings are available to both members and non-members from the website. The subjects covered range from raw material mining and shipping, through fertiliser plant design, production techniques, safety, distribution and marketing, to fertiliser usage, crop production and environmental management.

The Society has held residential Conferences since 1992, which have brought together Members and non-members from all disciplines and from many countries. The subjects of these Conferences have included sustainability and best practice, responsibility for food production and the environment and precision agriculture. Also featured has been the production and use of micronutrients, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and nitrogen fertilisers. The focus has shifted in recent times and now research often first considers agronomic and environmental objectives compared with the historic over-riding need for food production in the period following World War II.