Our Communities

Economic Impact

With nearly 9,000 employees globally, Mosaic is a driver of economic activity where we have operations. In 2014, our direct economic impact was $1.75 billion. This includes wages and benefits paid to employees, taxes and royalties paid to governments, and our community investments. This figure is important because it helps our employees, our neighbors and other stakeholders understand the many ways in which we contribute to the vibrancy of our communities.

• Mosaic’s Florida and Louisiana phosphates operations directly employ nearly 4,400 people. We also help support more than 40,000 direct, indirect and related Port Tampa Bay jobs.
• Mosaic’s Saskatchewan potash operations directly employ about 2,700 people. We also support nearly 1,500 full-time equivalent contract jobs.

Mosaic is committed to protecting global water resources—resources that are vital to helping the world grow the food it needs, and that ensure our communities thrive. We do this by supporting organizations that focus on habitat conservation, watershed restoration and nutrient stewardship.

In 2014, we completed the first three-year phase of a comprehensive, community-based initiative with Tampa Bay Watch, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary. The Mosaic Company Foundation’s contribution, along with the help of employees and other community volunteers, allowed Tampa Bay Watch to complete oyster restoration projects at six locations throughout Tampa Bay. The projects established more than 40,000 square feet of oyster habitat in Tampa Bay while engaging more than 1,700 community volunteers in habitat restoration and environmental stewardship.

The Mosaic Company Foundation renewed its support of Tampa Bay Watch for another three-year project. “Supporting oyster habitat restoration and water quality improvement projects improves the health of the bay, and provides opportunities for our employees to actively engage in meaningful community projects,” said Gary “Bo” Davis, Board Member of The Mosaic Company Foundation and Senior Vice President of Phosphate Operations at The Mosaic Company.

Tampa Bay Estuary Program

The Mosaic Company and its Foundation have supported the Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund since it was created in 2012. This multi-entity public-private partnership provides competitive grant funds for the highest priority conservation goals in the Tampa Bay watershed.

Feeding America Tampa Bay

Mosaic employees in Florida and Louisiana have a long history with several major hunger relief organizations in the region, including Feeding America Tampa Bay (FATB).

In April 2014, Mosaic and the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team presented FATB and 12 other local food banks with an $86,000 check from Mosaic’s “Goals for Food” program, enough to distribute roughly 602,000 meals.

Mosaic also sponsored the Tampa Bay Rays’ “Home Runs for Food” initiative in 2014, pledging $500 for every home run hit by a Rays player during the 2013-2014 baseball season. Since partnering with the Rays in 2010, Mosaic has given $420,000 to local food banks through the Home Runs for Food program—enough to provide almost 3 million meals for Central Floridians who struggle to feed their families.

Florida Hunger Relief Forum

While distributing food to neighbors in need is a vital part of Mosaic’s approach to hunger relief, employees in Florida wanted to get to the heart of the matter—and examine the reasons behind the growing need in the community.

Mosaic’s second annual Florida Hunger Relief Forum brought together state and local policymakers, food and nutrition experts, and business and community leaders on Hunger Action Day, Sept. 4, 2014. More than 200 attendees gathered in Bradenton, Fla., to learn about Florida’s critical food access and nutrition challenges and work together to drive advocacy and action on hunger issues.

“With 700,000 people in Central Florida struggling with hunger and 250,000 of those children, it’s important to elevate the issue,” said Mark Kaplan, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at The Mosaic Company. “We are pleased to have key leaders at the table, sharing their expertise and working together to find solutions to local and global hunger.”

The forum focused in part on “food deserts,” which are rural and urban areas without ready access to fresh, healthy foods. Mari Gallagher, independent food researcher and author of the breakthrough 2006 study “Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago,” joined medical anthropologist Joel Gittlesohn, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss how environmental interventions can help improve access to healthier food options that help prevent obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases.

Mosaic plays a continuous role in educating the public and offering support to local organizations by participating in every county fair in our Phosphates operating areas, as well as the Florida State Fair, Louisiana livestock shows and Strawberry Festival.

At many of the fairs, Mosaic purchases hogs and steers raised by members of 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). We then donate the pork and beef to local food banks and shelters. In 2014, we donated more than 18,000 pounds of meat to support local hunger relief efforts.

Fair visitors can learn more about Mosaic and our mission, ask questions and meet employees at booths and at The Mosaic Express (widely known as “Big MoE”), our mobile education unit. More than 5,000 visited Big MoE at the Hillsborough and Manatee county fairs in 2014.

In 2014, Mosaic awarded an $88,000 grant to the Florida State Fair Authority to provide funding for the Mosaic Competitive Agriculture Livestock Program, the Champion of Champions Youth Education Program, and scholarships for promising young exhibitors.

Hunger Relief in Saskatchewan

Mosaic partnered with the Saskatoon Food Council in 2014 and invested $155,000 to implement a food security strategy focused on ensuring that all Saskatoon residents have access to nutritious, affordable and safe food.

The Saskatoon Food Council is a joint nonprofit organization with members representing several areas of the community and the food sector. With funding from Mosaic, the council will begin acting on recommendations outlined in the Saskatoon Regional Food System Assessment and Action Plan for improving access to locally produced food and food self-reliance. The plan also includes proposals for reducing hunger in Saskatoon, especially among children.

Hunger in Moose Jaw

Hunger in Moose Jaw provides more than 300 nutritious, culturally appropriate meals to hungry, school-age children every day.

Regina Education and Action on Child Hunger (REACH)

REACH’s goal is to strengthen the food system and eradicate hunger in Regina through Family Basket subsidies, cooking education and transportation of food to areas without access to fresh, quality foods.

Lack of affordable housing is a critical community issue in Saskatchewan. Since 2007, Mosaic has supported Habitat for Humanity Regina and the work it does to create positive change for deserving families. In 2014, 110 Mosaic employees volunteered more than 800 hours to help improve the quality of life for our neighbors through Habitat for Humanity Regina. Since 2011, we have helped build 87 homes in Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon and Yorkton.

Walt Precourt, Senior Vice President of Potash, notes that employees come together from all over the province to participate in Habitat projects. “Mosaic volunteers are prized for their skill, commitment to safety and hard-working attitudes,” said Precourt. “They do a great job of demonstrating our core values while they’re working to strengthen our community.”