Changing consumer eating habits in a post-COVID world, coupled with rising fertilizer costs and shortages, make fertilizer demand more prevalent than ever, and farmers continue to seek ways to enhance the efficiency of their yields. The global fertilizer market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of more than 2.3%, or $219 billion, through 2028.

Fertilizer use on farms adds nutrients and energy to cropping systems and increases crop yield annually. Dry-form fertilizer is expected to be worth over $24 billion by 2028. Its slow-release rate allows crops to be fed for a more extended period with the critical benefit of more storage time than some liquid counterparts. Moreover, dry-form fertilizer is cheaper in bulk and a better option for fertilizing fields when preparing for planting, as the nutrients stay present for longer.

The U.S. organic fertilizer market is expected to grow with a CAGR of over 4% through 2028. Higher demand for food items infused with immunity-boosting characteristics after COVID-19 has led top fertilizer companies to increase the production of organic products. As consumers are more aware of their lifestyle choices and associated health risks, fresh farm goods are consumed more. To satisfy a growing demand for healthy foods, farmers have thus increased the use of organic fertilizers. Moreover, farmers are capitalizing on organic fertilizers as an effective alternative to combat climate change with support from U.S. governments in implementing various initiatives since organic fertilizers do not pollute the environment.

Being able to offer an economical solution for fertilizer storage has many benefits, particularly considering its unique caustic environment. Since fertilizer corrodes exposed steel in storage, finding a solution that will cut down on maintenance and replacement costs while remaining cost-efficient in its upfront investment is critical. In this project, Ag Partners sought a new facility that would hold 21,000 tons of fertilizer using five different bins to better service the local farming community, alongside a covered load out to fill trucks while protecting the commodity from the weather. They opted for Calhoun Super Structure's VPR Series 150 x 396 @ 18' on-center with 14' steel legs, enclosed, for the main facility, and a CC Series 16 x 80 x 12' and 14' centers with 8' steel legs, open-ended for the truck port. Traditionally, a wood-framed asphalt-shingled roof with concrete walls would be the optimal configuration to store significant fertilizer tonnage to mitigate the corrosive effects. However, using steel frames in this environment has historically been uncommon.

After Calhoun Super Structure began utilizing hot-dip galvanized material in all its structures in the early 2000s, it became clear that hot-dip galvanized materials had superior protection over pre-galvanized materials. Where steel tubing is concerned, hot-dip galvanizing completely covers materials inside and out, creating a three times thicker layer than the Inline method. Moreover, hot-dip galvanizing adds strength to the materials while increasing the life use of the steel components and offers the ability to withstand environmental stress and pressure on the fabric cover. Thus, while moisture and rust prevention on the storage side is one thing, extending a facility's life span by protecting other components from corrosion is also critical. Calhoun Super Structure absorbed this concept, so they began to hot-dip galvanize every single part in their structure, from nuts and bolts to purlins to miscellaneous hardware, as a standard. Unlike other fabric structure manufacturers who continue to incorporate pre-galvanized or zinc materials.

Furthermore, to ensure hot-dip galvanized sectional steel, such as trusses, meet the highest standard, vent holes must be put in the proper place in parts, pieces, end plates, and similar features. Calhoun Super Structure's open web trusses meet these standards. As the components are immersed in molten zinc on an angle, vent holes are arranged so the zinc can run in and out freely of corners and curves. Otherwise, zinc may get trapped in these 'pockets,' resulting in defects, as is common in bent web trusses in competing fabric structures. This causes buckling and corrosion inside the steel trusses, resulting in a weaker overall fabric building.

By selecting Calhoun's fully hot-dip galvanized structure to store their fertilizer, Ag Partners was able to reduce the project's overall cost by -45% versus traditional wood, not including the long-term savings on maintenance and replacement costs. In return, lowering the cost per ton of fertilizer and thus reducing the overall cost to the end consumer.