Canadian fertilizer and agricultural product company Agrium will invest US$36 million to build a factory in New Madrid, Missouri. The company says it will produce a polymer-coated nitrogen fertilizer called Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN) at the facility, which is expected to employ 18 full-time workers upon completion next year and to have a production capacity of 120,000 tons with the ability to double that number over time. "We selected New Madrid due to its great access to markets, its skilled work force, and its location on the Mississippi river, making it ideally suited for our business," says Andrew Mittag, president of Agrium Advanced Technologies, which is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The product, which allows water to dissolve the nitrogen inside and release as the plant requires it, is used by growers of corn, wheat, canola, and potatoes. Agrium has a number of facilities in the United States, including nitrogen operations facilities in Alaska, California, Texas, and Washington.
