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In addition to the major agricultural and industrial products, we also produce and market controlled release products and micronutrients as part of our specialty products offerings. We significantly expanded the depth of our controlled release product line and total sales in this market segment through our recent acquisitions.
Most of our specialty products are sold into the specialty market. The specialty market is segmented into highvalue crops such as fruit and vegetables, as well as professional turf applications such as golf courses. These markets tend to have more specialized needs than our other broader nutrient and retail markets.
Our patented process controlled release nitrogen products include both ESNŽ and Duration CRŽ. We completed our ESNŽ production capacity expansion from 30,000 to 150,000 tonnes in early 2006 to meet increasing demand from growers. We are also evaluating how best to reach additional customers on a long term basis by pursuing in-market coating opportunities. Duration CRŽ is specifically manufactured for professional turf and high-value crops, such as strawberries. We are increasing production capacity of Duration CRŽ from 10,000 to 40,000 tonnes per year in early 2006. These products provide significant economic and environmental advantages over traditional fertilizers.
We also produce approximately 24,000 tonnes of micronutrients at our Reese, Michigan facility. These products are sold primarily into the U.S. Cornbelt and Eastern Canada. Micronutrients are secondary nutrients such as iron, zinc, manganese, copper and boron. These nutrients are also required by plants to help them to reach optimal yield levels. Application rates for micronutrients are much lower than for the three main nutrients, although margins are considerably higher on a per tonne basis. |