Mineral Development Fertilizer

Agricultural endeavors flourish with a bountiful harvest of nutritious crops with natural flavor and long shelf life. Mineral-dense, fertile soil nurtures the growth of lush, healthy plants capable of warding off pests and diseases.

Does it sound like a holy grail for growers?

Soaring fertilizer prices exacerbated by acute supply shortages hinder growers from boosting production and profitability.
Mineral Development Fertilizer (MDF) is turning the tide for farmers, enabling them to realize their dreams of agricultural prosperity with its premium product, MDF Mineral Grow.

MDF is based in Central Florida in the heart of the Bone Valley region known worldwide for its high-grade phosphate reserve. It is the largest producer and wholesale supplier of naturally occurring soft rock phosphate fertilizers. MDF Mineral Grow is an OMRI- and CDFA-certified organic, all-natural, colloidal, clay-based, calcium phosphate formula soil amendment. The product is comprised of 15 percent phosphorus, approximately 20 percent calcium, a high analysis of silicon and a full spectrum of trace elements.

MDF is a trusted seller, supporting farmers and agricultural landowners worldwide by providing natural fertilizers year-round that nourish the soil and enhance crop quality and yield. As organic farming emerges as the megatrend, it ensures continual product availability for large-scale applications.

The company is the largest producer of organic Soft Rock phosphate in the world with a massive reserve of over 100mm tons of product on the 18,000 acres that it holds the exclusive mineral rights to. The reserve is a byproduct of over 100 years of phosphate mining on the site. It has established a 95,000-square-foot production facility on 18,000 acres, to scale up production and supply to deliver commercially.

With over a century of combined experience handling clays, aggregates and fertilizers, it helps growers produce nutrient-dense food through proper soil management.

“We have the largest supply of the soft rock phosphate in the world and have secured millions of tons of this natural product to deliver the fertilizer to clients as and when they need it,” says Lance McNeill, president of Mineral Development Fertilizer.

Enhancing Crop Quality and Yield

MDF Mineral Grow offers an array of advantages, making it a superior alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers. It promotes the natural balance of soil’s physical, chemical and biological components. As opposed to processed phosphate fertilizers, MDF Mineral Grow contains low levels of heavy metals, including cadmium, ensuring healthy crops and good soil quality. It is a time-release product that discharges 16 percent phosphate into the soil gradually over a 3-year period, as opposed to a one-time release mechanism followed by other products.

The time release feature and its colloidal nature prevents run-off or leaching and remains deep inside the soil even after the crop is harvested or wilted. New plants can absorb the readily available essential nutrients from the soil and grow healthily. Thanks to the molecular diameter of the colloidal base that ranges from 0.01 to 10 μm, unused calcium and phosphate are preserved and the soil remains nutrient-rich.

The absence of leaching further prevents calcium and phosphorous from reaching water bodies, preventing algae blooms and water pollution.

Another benefit is a reduction in irrigation needs since it’s clay like substance that will help retain moisture in sandy soils. The clay seamlessly blends with the sandy soils, giving it a better base and retaining the optimum moisture levels in the soil. This provides an advantage to farmers, helping save up to 50 percent of water used for irrigation, especially in Florida, where water is a highly expensive resource.

MDF Mineral Grow is an unprocessed phosphate, making it an ideal alternative for minimizing the environmental and health problems associated with cadmium and other heavy metals.
Studies reveal that MDF Mineral Grow is revolutionizing the agricultural landscape, ensuring a staggering 50 percent increase in production by boosting soil health. MDF Mineral Grow users frequently report improvements in crop yield, often exceeding 100 percent, along with enhanced quality, encompassing higher sugar and nutrient levels, extended shelf life, and increased resistance to pests and drought.

“Our product brings a more natural taste to the produce as it restores the natural balance of soil nutrients and tackles produce issues,” says Amy McNeill, VP of Mineral Development Fertilizer.

For over 70 years soft rock has been used to increase crop yield, improve mineral density and brix, increase shelve life for produce and vegetables are just a few benefits. Equipping plants with the ability to fight off bugs and other pests minimizes the need for fungicides and herbicides. With the phosphate source remaining in its natural state, the fertilizer complies with the National Organic Program’s requirements for organic production.

Although the product is certified organic, many conventional farmers have recognized the value and benefits of soft rock and using it as part of their overall production.

Reviving Nature’s Symphony

A testament to MDF’s dedication to environmentally friendly agricultural solutions is the story of citrus fruit growers in Florida. Once a leading producer, Florida was struck by a debilitating disease called greening, causing a 10 percent reduction in acreage and production. Since it was a mono-crop, with growers planting citrus for years without rotation, the soil had degraded and its biodiversity declined. Growers were accustomed to spraying chemical fertilizers to enhance the yield, with nothing done to improve the soil for years. The overall neglect led to the soil’s depletion and weakened its defense mechanism against disease.

Mineral Development Fertilizer used compost, natural soft rock and other natural ingredients to address this and rebuilt the organics in two, 30-acre citrus groves. Within a short time, leafless trees that were destined to be bulldozed resurged into full bloom. Intriguing to observe, the groves seamlessly transitioned back and once again served as a home to earthworms, butterflies and birds, eventually resulting in higher yields.

The list of benefits goes on. MDF Mineral Grow also significantly boosts the value of livestock manure. With it, clients have been able to unlock improvements in manure conditioning.

Spearheading Agricultural Prosperity

Distinguishing MDF is its ability to be a force in the industry, advocating for soil regeneration. With an illustrious history in the phosphate industry, Lance McNeill’s success in a business thriving on products made from naturally occurring minerals is greatly influenced by the entrepreneurial spirit of his grandfather, who embarked on a visionary journey. He amassed vast expanses of land, spanning 500,000 acres that the phosphate industry worked on in central Florida. This acquisition pushed the business to newer heights. A bustling port in Tampa allowed for exporting the soft rock, complementing the business. The family enterprise also expanded into diverse territories, with multiple chemical plants established to further diversify its portfolio.

Like his family before him, Lance McNeill has gathered deep experience running various phosphate-related businesses, spearheading the success of MDF. His other company is focused on the secondary recovery of phosphate rock in Florida. The sister company just completed a $80mm secondary recovery plant next door that will produce 1.2mm tons per year of highgrade phosphate rock making it the largest secondary recovery plant of phosphate in the world. This division has a long term off-take agreement with one of the largest fertilizer producers in the world to supply them high grade phosphate rock for the next 10 to 15 years.

Both the companies share core values and business principles centered on environmental sustainability. Affiliation with the phosphate recovery business has helped MDF thrive while other soft rock phosphate fertilizer producers have depleted their reserves.

“We are very proud of what we are doing at MDF. Taking an industry bi-product that was once considered a waste product and providing a safe, eco-friendly and very beneficial product to the farmer. We distribute nationwide including Canada and Central America and looking forward to building the business for many decades to come,” says McNeill.
Instead of using natural sun- or wind-drying methods to partially dry the fertilizer and screening it to complete the process, MDF has added a 200-ton-per-hour fluid bed dryer to its infrastructure to accelerate production, regardless of weather conditions.

Equipped to produce and supply huge quantities of fertilizer, the team accepts bulk orders and supplies tons of the product via truck or rail. The company deals directly with farmers on a truckload (21 tons) order basis and is expanding its network of blenders and distributors to market the product. Amy McNeill handles logistics and distribution across the country, working closely with the distributors and overseeing shipping and delivery.

MDF also sells the organic fertilizer to Amish businesses in Pennsylvania, Oregon and California. The team is a steward of environmental sustainability, spreading the message of soil care and plant nutrition. This makes MDF Mineral Grow a product of choice for farmers who prioritize adopting an eco-friendly agriculture approach. Steering ahead, MDF aims to implement innovative ideas to grow exponentially and scale up operations while expanding distribution countrywide.

Standing as a vanguard in organic farming, MDF is breaking new ground in the agricultural industry by improving crop quality and yield.