I recently had the opportunity to fly around the state of Illinois delivering Fertile Minds ProAction kits, which include a film clip that was shown at the ARA convention in Nashville, TN. I have been a fertilizer dealer and pilot in Mt. Auburn, IL, for 40 years.

Delivering these ProAction kits was a rewarding and enlightening experience, and it was also fun.

The main purpose of this venture was to show how easy it is to get these kits into the hands of people who will use them. The Fertile Minds ProAction kits are designed to get the message out to the general public about all of the benefits of using commercial fertilizers and dispel some of the myths people have about fertilizer. Most of the public today is about two generations removed from the farming community, and we need to stay in touch with these people.

The ProAction kits help dealers and farmers educate the public about what we are doing. We are replacing nutrients we have taken off harvesting crops, not adding nutrients to the soil as some people believe.

The kits contain handouts and prompts to deliver messages to local government, business leaders, local media, local school systems and your family and friends. They also contain tapes you can show or CD-ROMs to use. So, whether you want write a letter to the editor or your local congressman, make a speech to your Lions' Club or simply speak to school children about soil science, it's all in the Fertile Minds ProAction kit.

Potash Corporation designed, produced and funded this program to demystify where crop nutrients come from and why and how they are used and to call attention to the benefits they offer the world. You can answer the toughest questions with the touch of a button.

I am proud to be a part of this ongoing project and will try to do more in the future.

Gene Hardy is owner of Hardy Fertilizer Co. Inc. in Mt. Auburn, IL.

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