Verdesian acquires Specialty Fertilizer Products

Verdesian Life Sciences acquired Specialty Fertilizer Products (SFP), a Leawood, Kan.-based company focused on fertilizer efficiency products. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

By joining forces with SFP, Cary, N.C.-based Verdesian will gain more than 270 patent properties.

“SFP’s innovative fertilizer solutions are a natural fit with Verdesian’s expansive product offerings that increase grower yields and return on investment,” says J.J. Grow, CEO for Verdesian. “Bringing SFP into the Verdesian family represents another step in our long-term strategy to build a leading portfolio of plant health and nutrition products.”

Verdesian will further enhance its position in the crop markets with the addition of Avail Phosphorus Fertilizer Enhancer, NutriSphere-N Nitrogen Fertilizer Manager and More Than Manure Nutrient Manager. These products complement the current portfolio that includes Nutri-Phite and Nutri-Phite Plus, Sterics, Take Off, PolyAmines and the Intx line of inoculants and seed treatments.

“We are excited to join Verdesian, which will enable us to take our business to the next level,” says SFP founder J. Larry Sanders, who has served as president and CEO. “As part of Verdesian, we will be able to offer our revolutionary and environmentally beneficial fertilizer efficiency technology to more growers in more markets, and to bring the exciting products we have in our pipeline to market. Verdesian shares our commitment to helping growers optimize their resources, and we look forward to working with J.J. Grow and the team to continue providing our customers the latest solutions in fertilizer efficiency technology that they expect from us.”

There will be no immediate staffing changes except in the reporting structure at the senior management level, Grow says. For example, Sanders has been named executive vice president of Polymer Technology and will report to Grow. The sales forces of both organizations will continue to service their clients through 2014. In early 2015, SFP will become Verdesian and a combined sales force will be formed.

The current U.S. and international pricing, product distribution, programs and policies for all products offered by Verdesian, including the acquired SFP products, will remain in place through 2014.