COMPANY BACKGROUND	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Company Background Disclosure [Abstract]
COMPANY BACKGROUND	COMPANY BACKGROUND We are the only producer of muriate of potash (“potassium chloride” or “potash”) in the United States and one of two producers of langbeinite ("sulfate of potash magnesia"), which we market and sell as Trio^®. We sell potash and Trio^® primarily into the agricultural market as a fertilizer. We also sell these products into the animal feed market as a nutritional supplement and sell potash into the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells and other industrial inputs. Our revenues are generated exclusively from the sale of potash and Trio^®. We also produce salt and magnesium chloride from our potash mining processes, the sales of which are accounted for as by-product credits to our cost of sales. These by-product credits represented approximately 2% to 3% of total cost of goods sold in each of the last three years. We own three solution mining facilities and two conventional underground mining facilities that we utilize for producing potash. Our solution mining production comes from our HB solar solution mine near Carlsbad, New Mexico, a solar solution mine near Moab, Utah and a solar brine recovery mine in Wendover, Utah. Our conventional production comes from our underground West and East mines near Carlsbad, New Mexico. We also operate the North compaction facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico, which services the West and HB mines. Trio^® production comes from underground conventional mining of a mixed ore body that contains both potash and langbeinite, which is mined and processed at the East facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico. We manage sales and marketing operations centrally. This allows us to evaluate the product needs of our customers and then centrally determine which of our production facilities to use to fill customers’ orders in a manner designed to realize the highest average net realized sales price per ton. We calculate average net realized sales price per ton by deducting freight costs from gross revenues and then by dividing this result by tons of product sold during the period. We also monitor product inventory levels and overall production costs centrally. We have one reporting segment being the extraction, production, and sale of potassium-related products. Our extraction and production operations are conducted entirely in the continental United States.

COMPANY BACKGROUND

We are the only producer of muriate of potash (“potassium chloride” or “potash”) in the United States and one of two producers of langbeinite ("sulfate of potash magnesia"), which we market and sell as Trio^®. We sell potash and Trio^® primarily into the agricultural market as a fertilizer. We also sell these products into the animal feed market as a nutritional supplement and sell potash into the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells and other industrial inputs. Our revenues are generated exclusively from the sale of potash and Trio^®. We also produce salt and magnesium chloride from our potash mining processes, the sales of which are accounted for as by-product credits to our cost of sales. These by-product credits represented approximately 2% to 3% of total cost of goods sold in each of the last three years.

We own three solution mining facilities and two conventional underground mining facilities that we utilize for producing potash. Our solution mining production comes from our HB solar solution mine near Carlsbad, New Mexico, a solar solution mine near Moab, Utah and a solar brine recovery mine in Wendover, Utah. Our conventional production comes from our underground West and East mines near Carlsbad, New Mexico. We also operate the North compaction facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico, which services the West and HB mines. Trio^® production comes from underground conventional mining of a mixed ore body that contains both potash and langbeinite, which is mined and processed at the East facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

We manage sales and marketing operations centrally. This allows us to evaluate the product needs of our customers and then centrally determine which of our production facilities to use to fill customers’ orders in a manner designed to realize the highest average net realized sales price per ton. We calculate average net realized sales price per ton by deducting freight costs from gross revenues and then by dividing this result by tons of product sold during the period. We also monitor product inventory levels and overall production costs centrally. We have one reporting segment being the extraction, production, and sale of potassium-related products. Our extraction and production operations are conducted entirely in the continental United States.