JEFF CRISSINGER, VP OF AGRONOMY SALES / MARKETING
NuWay-K&H Cooperative in collaboration with Winfield United is actively participating in a pilot project launched by CF Industries, a leading global manufacturer of nitrogen products, and POET, the world’s largest ethanol producer, to demonstrate how low carbon nitrogen fertilizer can reduce the carbon intensity of corn and enable the production of low carbon ethanol. Successful production, distribution, and application of low carbon ammonia has already been completed during the Fall of 2025, making NuWay-K&H Cooperative the first retailer in Minnesota to apply low carbon ammonia for corn production.
In the industry there are actually three different versions of ammonia now with the differences being based on how the product is manufactured as well as how any carbon emissions produced during the manufacturing process are handled.
- GREY Ammonia: Standard ammonia production using natural gas with no carbon capture or storage (CCS).
- BLUE Ammonia: Standard ammonia production using natural gas with carbon emissions being captured and stored. The ammonia used in the low carbon ammonia pilot is BLUE ammonia, with CF Industries capturing the carbon emissions during the manufacturing process in Donaldsonville, La. and then permanently storing them underground.
- GREEN Ammonia: Revised ammonia production using air, water, and renewable energy that produces no carbon emissions, so no carbon capture or storage is necessary.
NuWay-K&H Cooperative currently applies about 4000 tons of grey ammonia to customers’ fields, and we have provided this service for a long time. The product is picked up from various terminals and stored at our Welcome, Dunnell, and Ormsby agronomy locations, so we already have infrastructure built for long-term storage and equipment capable of applying the product. As we move from grey to more climate smart versions of Blue and Green ammonia over time, this infrastructure will still be able to be utilized. Grey, Blue, and Green ammonia can all be blended together in the same distribution and storage equipment without the need for separated systems. What is actually tracked through the system are not the specific ammonia tons themselves, but instead low carbon production certificates that document how the ammonia was initially produced, allowing the low carbon ammonia to be distributed and applied to any field at any time, so long as there is access to a production certificate for the amount of tons that you want to apply. No special handling is needed.
NuWay-K&H Cooperative is once again proud to be a leader in the industry as we continue to help build new and innovative markets that will contribute to the success of our growers.