Fertilizer
The March CME/Purdue Ag Economy Barometer posted the weakest farmer sentiment reading since May 2020, as the survey found the biggest concern among producers continues to be “higher input costs.”
As farmers prepare for planting, supply chain concerns are rampant. Input availability issues could be a factor farmers battle all spring with a recent ag retail survey finding chemistry is in the shortest supply.
Livestock farmers, including those who previously paid to have animal waste removed, have found a fertile side business selling to grain farmers. Equipment firms that make manure spreading equipment are also benefiting.
A growing number of lawmakers, farm groups and farmers are pleading for assistance from still surging fertilizer prices. One possibility for USDA would be to tap the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act.
A labor dispute that shut down operations at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd on Sunday is set to aggravate a shortage of commodities, and a prolonged lockdown could hurt farmers ahead of the spring planting season.
Even with Russia removed from the global fertilizer market, it still doesn’t create worst-case scenario. StoneX Group says China could make the situation worse, as China and Russia account for 40% of global phosphate.
The U.S. is the second or third top importer for each of the three major components of fertilizer. Top producers of the major components of fertilizer include China, Russia, Canada, Morocco and Belarus.
The U.S. is “no where near” having 100% of the fertilizer products farmers need at planting, according to The Fertilizer Institute. Soil sampling and good nutrient stewardship principles are more important than ever.
When farmers use less fertilizer crops grow less food. That’s an iron law of agronomics. Now it combines with an iron law of economics: When farmers grow less food, the cost of feeding families spirals out of control.
Roughly 3,000 Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP Rail) workers voted 96.7% in favor of going on strike starting March 16 if a collective bargaining agreement is not penned. CP Rail halts would mean trouble for fertilizer.
Russia’s trade and industry ministry has recommended the country’s fertilizer producers temporarily halt exports, the ministry said Friday, in a sign that sanctions imposed could have a global impact.
Secretary Vilsack supports attorney generals search for answers. He says once the market studies are completed, “we may learn additional steps we can take.”
No matter where you travel across the country right now, farmers share similar concerns. The latest Ag Economy Barometer fell to its lowest reading since July 2020 as the input situation weighs outlooks.
Dept. of Commerce issued a preliminary determination this week showing urea nitrate from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago is being sold into the U.S. at less than fair value. The ruling could open the door for tariffs.
A fire at the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fertilizer in Winston-Salem, N.C. forced 6,500 local residents to evacuate. The fertilizer plant is home to 300 tons of ammonium nitrate, sparking fears of possible explosion.
From issues sourcing inputs to input prices holding at record and near-record levels, acreage decisions in 2022 are being shaped by more than just weather and commodity prices. And analysts warn more risk is ahead.
Recent COVID-19 vaccine mandates in both the U.S. and Canada could take even more truckers off the road. Trucking industry experts warn while empty store shelves could turn into more fertilizer shortages next.
The report found nitrogen accounts for more than 50% of fertilizer costs for a corn producer at $117 per acre.
A new report from Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) a 50% rise in fertilizer prices equates to an average of $128,000 per farm. The largest per-acre impact would falls on rice farms at $62.04 an acre.
Have record high fertilizer prices finally peaked? While prices continue to remain high right now, there were some signs last week and already this week that indicate some relief and stability may be in sight.
Fertilizer prices have soared with top fertilizer companies in North America on pace for their best performance since 2009. One former Congressman says the fix for climbing prices probably won’t come from Washington.
Most years you won’t see fall anhydrous applications kick-in and help your corn crop until around V6 or V8 when the corn is about knee-high, says Ken Ferrie. This week’s podcast offers some recommendations.
It’s been a good year for fertilizer stocks. The top fertilizer companies in North America posted big stock gains this year, with some on pace to see their best year since 2009. Joe Vaclavik explains what it means.
From increased input prices, to a dimmer outlook on corn export demand, analysts say there are a multitude of factors driving the outlook into the new year. Analysts weigh in on their price picture projections for 2022.
Look ahead to potential situations including debt limit, inflation, inputs costs, and foreign threats.
Farmers have asked the DOJ to investigate whether recent spikes in fertilizer prices are attributable to market manipulation by fertilizer companies, according to a letter sent by the Family Farm Action Alliance.
President Biden planned to meet with chief executives of major retailers and companies to discuss how to move goods to shelves as the U.S. holiday shopping season begins in the shadow of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
In an op-ed written by NCGA CEO Jon Doggett, he says fertilizer executives are bringing in climbing profits at the expense of farmers, referring to those fertilizer companies as the “Fertilizer Oligopoly.”
“We’re going to do it differently. We’re going to choose active ingredients we haven’t used before. We’re going to do different kinds of production activities,” says Allan Gray at Purdue University.
Balance prices and soil health for success.