The Nature Conservancy, CF Industries Partner to Advance Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa

Private Grant Will Help Address Nutrient Management and Water Quality
Issues

ARLINGTON, Va. & DEERFIELD, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Two organizations with a deep history in Iowa are coming together to
advance sustainable agriculture practices in the state. For more than 10
years, The Nature Conservancy has worked to protect water quality in key
Iowa watersheds, including the Boone
and Cedar
rivers. Now, with generous support from CF Industries Holdings, Inc.
(NYSE: CF), which has a world-scale nitrogen fertilizer plant, a
distribution network and numerous retail customers in Iowa, the
Conservancy will have the capacity and resources to expand upon a decade
of work by engaging partners statewide to achieve clean water for both
people and nature.

The “4R Plus” campaign will empower Iowa’s farmers with tools to
implement various conservation practices, including the 4R fertilizer
application principles — applying the right source of fertilizer at the
right rate, at the right time and in the right place — as well as cover
crops, bioreactors and oxbow wetlands. Nutrients, like nitrogen and
phosphorus contained in fertilizer, play a critical role in feeding a
growing world population, and proper application of conservation
practices will help farmers meet that demand while simultaneously
reducing environmental impacts.

“The Nature Conservancy is very pleased to partner with CF Industries on
this initiative,” said Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature
Conservancy. “As a leader in its field, CF’s commitment will help
improve Iowa’s water quality while sending an important signal to other
companies. We are excited about the opportunity to continue developing
win-win solutions that work for both nature and people in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin.”

“Improving water quality is an important part of our company’s
commitment to a sustainable future,” said Tony Will, President and Chief
Executive Officer, CF Industries. “The key to success in this effort is
partnerships like the one we have formed with The Nature Conservancy.
Together, we will work to deliver a meaningful improvement in water
quality not just in Iowa, where we will focus on empowering that state’s
farmers with tools to support their use of conservation practices, but
also to North America, as we lessen the impact of nutrient runoff.”

With the multi-year grant from CF, a global leader in the production of
nitrogen-based fertilizer, the Conservancy will hire an agricultural
program manager to partner and work closely with the Conservation
Districts of Iowa and other agricultural groups to advance the overall
goal of the Iowa
Nutrient Reduction Strategy
— a 45 percent reduction of nitrogen and
phosphorus runoff into the state’s waters.

“The funding from CF Industries is providing us a unique opportunity to
significantly scale up our work in support of the Nutrient Reduction
Strategy,” said Jan Glendening, State Director of The Nature Conservancy
in Iowa. “Working with partners throughout the state, we can more
broadly achieve watershed- and science-based solutions that will help
safeguard our waters and lands in Iowa, while empowering farmers to meet
the rising demand for food, fuel and fiber.”

Nutrient runoff from agricultural production is impacting North
America’s salt and fresh water systems, putting communities, ecosystems
and economies at risk. Iowa is among the top states contributing
nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the annual “dead zone” —
an area of low oxygen caused by excess nutrients, making it difficult
for marine life to survive. The nutrient reduction work in Iowa is part
of a comprehensive national plan to reduce the Gulf dead zone and
improve water quality in the Upper Mississippi Basin.

The Conservancy and other agricultural stakeholders have long provided
on-the-ground technical assistance to Iowa farmers and partners to
implement in-field, edge-of-field and in-stream conservation practices.
The CF grant will enable the Conservancy and its partners to achieve a
more significant and lasting impact by developing a campaign to reach
the 90,000 farmers influencing 23 million acres of row crops statewide,
while building a sustainable agriculture blueprint that can be applied
to other states through the Conservancy’s North
America Agriculture
and Upper Mississippi River Basin programs.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization
working around the world to protect the lands and waters on which all
life depends. Together with its more than 1 million members and 600
scientists, the Conservancy has protected 120 million acres of land and
5,000 miles of rivers worldwide, and operates more than 100 marine
conservation projects globally. The Conservancy works on the ground in
all 50 U.S. states and more than 35 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.nature.org.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Deerfield,
Illinois, through its subsidiaries is a global leader in the
manufacturing and distribution of nitrogen products, serving both
agricultural and industrial customers. CF Industries operates
world-class nitrogen manufacturing complexes in Canada, the United
Kingdom and the United States, and distributes plant nutrients through a
system of terminals, warehouses, and associated transportation equipment
located primarily in the Midwestern United States. The company also owns
a 50 percent interest in an ammonia facility in The Republic of Trinidad
and Tobago. Visit CF Industries on the Web at www.cfindustries.com.

Contacts

The Nature Conservancy
Christine Griffiths, 912/222-3297
cgriffiths@tnc.org
or
CF
Industries Holdings, Inc.
Chris Close, 847/405-2542
cclose@cfindustries.com

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