Cargill Fertilizer - About Cargill

Oranges The History of Cargill

Cargill Fertilizer is one of the world's largest producers of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers, producing four million tons of finished products each year for shipment to American farmers and customers worldwide. We operate a broad range of agricultural and food businesses worldwide, with over 80,000 employees in over 60 countries.

Florida, Rich in Phosphate
When Florida's rich phosphate deposits were discovered in 1881, the Tampa Bay area became a major shipping port for phosphate. By the early 1920s, U.S. Export Chemical Corporation established a plant at Tikal, Florida, now known as Riverview. Construction on a phosphoric acid plant and one of the country's first triple superphosphate plants was completed in 1925. The Tennessee Corporation acquired the plant in 1927.

From Gardinier to Cargill
Over the next several decades, the Riverview fertilizer plant underwent a number of changes in ownership as well as expansion. Gardinier purchased the plant in 1973 and launched a $100-million expansion between 1981 and 1983. At the end of 1985, Cargill, Incorporated, a Minneapolis-based agribusiness corporation, purchased Gardinier.

Precedent-Setting Operations
As a result of the Cargill acquisition, the Tampa plant was able to close and cap its existing gypsum storage area. A new environmentally protective storage area was designed, constructed and began operating in 1990. This set two precedents within the phosphate industry, as we became the first company to successfully close and cap a gypsum stack. Second, we were the first to build and start a new stack designed to include the best-proven technology to protect the environment.

Expansion Increases Production Capacity
Cargill began mining operations in Hardee County in 1992. We purchased the production and mining facilities of Seminole Fertilizer in 1993, including the production plant near Bartow and the Hookers Prairie phosphate mine. This acquisition doubled our production capacity and we were able to share environmental technology and production processes between our Bartow and Riverview plants. Our Bartow plant focuses on the North American market, while our Riverview plant serves U.S. and international customers. Our total investment in phosphate fertilizer production now exceeds $600 million.