Humatech turns organic matter into food for plants and animals. Humatech claims that its line of organic, humate-based fertilizers, feed additives, and plant nutrients are safer for the environment and channel nutrients to the plants more efficiently. The company markets its products to commercial growers, independent garden consumers, and animal feeders throughout the US; it also has a 45% stake in its UK distributor, Humatech, Ltd.

Though Incitec Pivot is Australia's largest producer of fertilizers, it plans to get even bigger by blowing things up. The company's main products are phosphate fertilizers (ammonium phosphates and superphosphates, primarily); it also produces urea and anhydrous ammonia. Incitec Pivot also manufactures industrial chemicals -- for water treatment and process manufacturing -- using by-products from the manufacturing process. The company was formed in 2003 through the merger of fertilizer makers Incitec and Pivot; Orica had owned 70% of Incitec Pivot until it sold that majority stake in 2006. Two years later Incitec Pivot bought explosives maker (and direct rival to Orica) Dyno Nobel for $3 billion.

The Dead Sea has given life to Israel Chemicals Limited (ICL). That body of water is rich in bromine, potash, salt, and magnesium -- minerals that ICL turns into specialty and agrochemicals, among other products. Bromine commonly is used in flame retardants, and potash is a common fertilizer. The company accounts for a third of the world's bromine production and 10% of the world's potash. It is also a major producer of magnesium. Although most of the company's chemicals are produced in Israel (from the Dead Sea), it also mines for fertilizers in Spain and the UK. Investment firm Israel Corporation, controlled by The Ofer Group, owns 53% of ICL.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Silver (recycled) from X-rays and photowaste turns plants green all in a row. Itronics operates its two business segments through subsidiaries. Itronics Metallurgical recycles photochemicals and turns the results into its GOLD'n GRO animal repellent and liquid fertilizer. GOLD'n GRO products are sold primarily in the western US. Another subsidiary, Whitney & Whitney, provides mineral planning and technical services (mineral economics, geologic studies, and project management services) to the mining industry.

A shot of Vitamin K helps farmers grow bigger and better crops. Uralkali is one of the world's top producers of potash, a form of potassium carbonate commonly used as a fertilizer. The company produces 5 million tons of potash per year, or 10% of the world's supply. (Canada's PotashCorp leads the way with 10 million tons, or 20%.) Uralkali operates two mines in Russia and five production plants. The company makes about two-thirds of its total sales to just Brazil and China. Uralkali was founded in 1930 by the Russian government and privatized in 1992. In 2007 it became the country's first public chemical company.

Salt has preserved K+S (for Kali und Salz) for more than a century. Founded in 1889 to mine salt, K+S gets more than 40% of its sales from potash, which is extracted from salt and used in fertilizers. The company also produces salt used for industrial purposes (such as making glass), as well as for deicing roads and cooking. K+S is Germany's top salt producer and supplies about 12% of the world's potash. In addition, the company recycles waste materials and provides underground waste disposal services. In 2009 the company helped Dow pay for its acquisition of Rohm and Haas by agreeing to buy Morton Salt for about $1.7 billion. The deal makes K+S the world's #1 salt producer.

Once a socialist vision, now a model of capitalism, Koor Industries is Israel's leading holding company. Koor's core businesses include its holdings in agrochemicals (Makhteshim-Agan), defense electronics (Elisra Electronics Group), and telecommunications equipment (ECTel and Telrad Networks). The company's venture capital arm has invested in telecom, semiconductor, and software companies. Koor Industries also has operations in tourism, real estate, and trade. IDB Holding Corp. subsidiary Discount Investment Corporation (DIC) owns 30% of Koor. The company was founded to provide employment for Jewish refugees during WWII.

Landec Ag's products provide something of a wake-up call for crop seeds. The subsidiary of Landec Corporation produces temperature-activated seed coatings that allow for earlier planting. The coatings, marketed under the brand name Intellicoat, protect seeds planted in cold weather and control germination time, thereby increasing crop yields and extending the time period during which farmers can plant seeds. They are applied to corn and soybean seeds. Landec Ag sells directly to more than 10,000 farmers in more than 40 states. It also licenses its coatings technology to Monsanto.

Makhteshim-Agan Industries (MAI) manufactures generic forms of crop protection chemicals. Its products include herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Its first proprietray crop protection product was Rimon, which is not toxic for humans. Formed by Koor Industries' 1998 acquisition of two separate public companies, the agrochemicals company has operations worldwide. Through subsidiaries MAI is also involved in food and nutraceuticals, though the agrochemicals account for nearly all of its sales. The company has increased its focus on the North American market; the region now accounts for about a fifth of its total sales. Koor has been selling its shares in the company and has reduced its stake to about 40%.

Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers (MCF) is a big part of India's growing agricultural industry. Part of the Indian conglomerate UB Group, the company manufactures chemical fertilizers in the Indian state of Karnataka. Manufacturing both nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizers, MCF has an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 2 million metric tons of ammonia an 3 million metric tons of urea. The company sells its products (including specialty fertilizers) under the Mangala brand. UB Group owns about 30% of the company with smaller stakes held by the Karnataka government and various financial institutions.

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