Potash is a crucial resource for agricultural success around the world, and Saskatchewan is one of North America’s major producers.
Les Frehlich, general manager of Nutrien’s Allan mine, says Saskatchewan potash is the reason most nations have food to put on the table.
“Potash is used to prevent disease in crops. And, you know, potash consumption throughout the world is roughly 70 million tons. And that’s how we can feed eight billion people worldwide. (It) is due to the potash that’s used in fertilizer,”
Nutrien’s Allan mine has been around since 1964 and there have been plenty of changes to the industry since then.
“Officially when it started in, you know the ’60s, everything was manual, ” says Kasia McChesney, a process engineer-in-training at the Allan mine.
“Now we’ve seen so much change to automate all of our procedures and the way that we work in the mill. And so for me, just seeing how the equipment is now all automatically changing with the different conditions is quite interesting.”
Frehlich says besides the technological advancements, safety has also improved in order to meet demand.
“We’ve expanded from producing a million tons per year to three million tons per year capacity now just in Allan, and then also the safety culture is vastly improved.”
McChesney says 65 years of the mine’s operation means Nutrien has plenty of ties to the province and its people.
“I guess Nutrien and the mines in general in Saskatchewan are such a huge employer of our people. I mean, everywhere around rural Saskatchewan you see a nutrition retailer. And so, of course, those are my people working there, right? So to me, it hits home and employs all the people around us,”
Frehlich says the economic benefits of the mine are also something for the province to be proud of.
“We have around 680 employees, so, you know, our payroll here is close to $40 million. And that’s all here in Saskatchewan. All those people are paying taxes in Saskatchewan. And that’s just one mine site,”
Roughly 95 per cent of potash in Canada is used as fertilizer; more than half of that is sent worldwide for use in other markets.