What do a plane hijacking, the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, a hurricane in Louisiana and a deep freeze in Texas have in common? They all contributed to a crisis in the global supply of fertilizer!In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Corey Rosenbusch, President and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). Corey discusses:The critical importance of fertilizer, without which the human population would drop by 50% because of mass famine.How COVID was a gift because it gave him time to get to know his members at the start of his tenure at TFI.The events of 2021 that led to a huge crisis in the fertilizer market (the black swan event).The issues that keep members up at night, including volatile fertilizer markets, supply chain issues, the ability to make massive capital investments, and sustainability.How TFI communicated directly with farmers, who are TFI members’ customers, to explain why fertilizer prices were increasing so much during the pandemic.The nuanced advocacy and lawmaker education that TFI engages in.How TFI has been merging with other associations and the issues surrounding organization mergers.How trust is so important in an organization. Staff and members need to trust TFI and its leadership, and TFI leaders need to trust their staff to do a good job.TFI’s hybrid staff policy which does not have any specific mandates re: days in the office.Global Fertilizer Day on October 13.References:TFI website