United for Impact: The TFI and FFF Partnership Takes Root
April 22, 2026 In March 2025, two long-standing fertilizer associations — The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Fluid Fertilizer Foundation (FFF) formally came together. According to Kathy Mathers, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at TFI, the joining was a no-brainer in terms of today’s agricultural market dynamics.
“The two organizations are stronger than one by itself would be,” says Mathers. “Together, we are amplifying both our voices.”
TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch echoed this view when the formal agreement between the two organizations was first announced one year ago.
“Integrating FFF into the FERT Foundation aligns with our mission of supporting and advocating for proactive scientific research rooted in 4R nutrient stewardship focused on innovation and sustainability, and to communicate research outcomes with stakeholders in policy, public, and industry circles,” said Rosenbusch. “We are excited to welcome FFF’s legacy into our organization and take the work they’ve done to the next level with our comprehensive network and professional staff.”
Tessenderlo Kerley’s Dr. Zack Ogles, Chairman of the FFF Board of Directors, said at the time of the announcement that joining forces with TFI under the FERT Foundation provided FFF with the best opportunity to have ongoing research adequately supported and to educate the public about the role fluid fertilizers play in modern agriculture.
“This decision ensures that the research and educational efforts surrounding fluid fertilizers will not only continue but thrive,” said Ogles. “The FERT Foundation provides an ideal platform to elevate the impact of fluid fertilizers within the broader agricultural community.”
Three Pillars
Since the organizations came together, TFI’s Mathers says the integration of FFF into the FERT Foundation has been “pretty seamless.”
“The FERT Foundation has three pillars to it — research, education, and training,” she says. “FFF fits really solidly in the research side of things.” This includes incorporating FFF’s existing research and awards initiative honoring agronomic research into TFI’s own such programs and continuing to hold the Fluid Fertilizer Forum in-person workshop annually.
In addition, Mathers says TFI is doing what it can to preserve FFF’s long history, which dates back to the organization’s founding in 1982.
“We wanted to make sure none of this historical data got lost,” she says. “So, TFI has spent the past year archiving the whole of FFF’s information on its website as part of our resource library.”
Now entering year two, Mathers says that the associations will continue to look for new ways to provide important crop nutrient data to members and those with a vested interest in the fertilizer industry.
“What comes next is further work on research and identifying where these new areas are,” she says. “This will lead to important work that can benefit everyone in the crop nutrition market.”
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