Latest News From Fertilizer

As Ontario, Canada farmer Julie Maw scouts her wheat fields, it’s the moment of truth for the record number of acres planted across the province this year.

With nitrogen prices increasing, growers have their minds squarely on fertilizer costs. But perhaps a better consideration for growers is how to maximize the efficiency of the nitrogen they do put down.

Fertilizer and herbicide prices continue to fall, and there are signs the decline will continue. Now the issue is the number of ag retailers sitting on high-priced inputs, which are often passed on to farmers.

Farmers are starting to ask what artificial intelligence bots like ChatGPT can do for them. John Phipps went straight to the source, asking ChatGPT what it can do for farmers.

Missy Bauer, Farm Journal field agronomist, has found adding a dry ammonium sulfate at V3 or V4 growth stages can make the most significant impact on yields in soils with less organic matter.

Russia is now saying it will only extend its Black Sea grain deal if sanctions are lifted on its own agricultural products. The deal, which was brokered last year, allowed for safe passage of Ukrainian ag products. 

Despite weather trends, planting projections for 2023 find corn, wheat and soybeans similar to 2022, for a combined 228 million acres—a 3% increase from 2022.

Between the 2022 CHIPS Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, there's a policy push to bring the production of both semiconductor chips and nitrogen to the U.S.

To combat volatile weather, mitigate rising input costs and meet agronomic goals, producers are making choices geared toward soil health. Here are insights and tips from three of those producers.

With organic matter above 3.5%, do you need to worry about applying sulfur? Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, is seeing financially positive responses. He shares several sulfur options to consider.

One of the top concerns for farmers heading into the 2023 growing season is high input costs. However, one input — fertilizer — looks surprisingly less expensive than a year ago.

Farm Bureau hosted Secretary Vilsack at its annual convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he announced the details of ERP Phase 2 and PARP, U.S.-made fertilizer and new meat and poultry processing facility plans.

Costs for hiring ships to transport commodities from the Black Sea have risen by more than one-fifth since the start of the year, Reuters reported, reflecting higher war risk insurance rates, industry sources said.

John Deere's ExactShot, unveiled during CES, uses sensors and robotics to place starter fertilizer precisely onto seeds as they are planted. The company claims the technology comes with a fertilizer savings of up to 60%.

There are ways to pull back on fertilizer effectively -- up to a point. Join Ferrie for the Winter Corn & Soybean College this Thursday, Jan. 5. Get practical answers to your questions during this live event.

AgWeb is counting down the top 10 stories of the year. At No. 6, and originally posted on May 27, fertilizer prices fell, and nitrogen prices reportedly plunged 30%, partly due to demand destruction.

Accolade contains Azospirillum brasilense – which the company says is a well-studied, free-living, nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

The products are being introduced for the first time in the Midwest row crop market for 2023.

AmpliFYR is being launched for spring 2023 use in corn, soybeans, wheat, and other row crops. 

For years farmers have focused on banding starter fertilizer 2x2 at planting — 2" over and 2" below the seed. While the process works, delivering nutrition to a plant’s roots sooner might be worth the effort. 

Urea can be used to replace part of your spring N needs, but there are risks to be aware of and evaluate before you decide to go with it. The same is true for a mono-crop, especially if you choose continuous corn.

Farmers are asking, ‘Do I chisel first and then apply anhydrous? Or will I get better results doing the opposite?’ Get Ferrie’s answer and his insights on addressing hybrid weaknesses to harvest more corn in 2023.

As CEO and co-founder Nicolas Pinkowski highlights, Nitricity has the key benefits of producing a less carbon-intensive fertilizer with local production closer to the farm, reducing the logistical demands. 

To date, the percent of farmers who buy any portion of their farm inputs online has grown until last year when it dipped by one percentage point.

The company expects the necessary repairs to its facilities will be complete in one to two weeks.

Low Mississippi River water levels are a concern for moving inputs like fertilizer. The worry comes as Florida, a key fertilizer-producing state, cleans up after Hurricane Ian. What will the fertilizer price impact be?

Fertilizer is always a big line item for your production costs. For 2023, plan on it being an even bigger chunk. 

USDA unveiled additional plans to help boost domestic fertilizer production including $500 million in grants and reduce the risk of a series of black swans that have flown into the fertilizer market the past two years.

High input prices continue to be a pain point for farmers planning their 2023 crop needs. Experts say the price of natural gas isn’t the only driver fueling the market as farmers look to book their fall needs.

An executive order on biotech and biomanufacturing was signed into law by President Biden on Tuesday. The order tasks Secy. Vilsack with reporting how the initiative can best benefit ag, but some funds are spoken for.

Rail shipments are already starting to shut down ahead of a possible strike which could begin as early as this Friday and it couldn't come at a worse time for agriculture. 

On the heels of acquiring R&D-driven AGVNT, LLC., Summit Nutrients announces its portfolio of six categories of technology aiming to elevate fertilizer to new levels of nutrient use efficiency.

Protivate is formulated with a proprietary blends of nutrients that can be applied directly to the seed for corn, soybean, cotton, wheat, canola, and alfalfa crops.

Farmers who don’t comply with the recommendations won’t face any consequences, said the spokeswoman for the ag department. They would, however, forgo financial aid and grants the government made available to farmers.

“I feel like every day is one day closer to having the President declare a climate emergency,” says Newlin. “Once that happens, I don’t know what it will mean for ag, or what it’s going to open up the door to."

Norwegian fertilizer-maker Yara posted slightly higher than expected second-quarter profits on Tuesday and warned there could be shortages of nitrogen-based fertilizers amid high gas prices.

After a year-long investigation, The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) announced its decision to not issue countervailing and anti-dumping duties on imports of UAN solutions from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago.

U.S. natural gas futures rose 2% to a four-week high on forecasts for hotter weather and more demand than previously expected. Extreme heat already boosted power demand to record highs in several parts of the country.

Gold Eagle Cooperative in Hardy, Iowa suffered a scare on Tuesday afternoon when the bin under its fertilizer building exploded.

Even though animal manure has been used as fertilizer as long as there have been animals, Phinite’s robotic drying system makes the product easier to store, transport, and eliminates any odor.

After hitting record highs, fertilizer prices are finally cooling down.

Yes, the problem could also be a nitrogen deficiency or even a phosphate deficiency. Check out the photos provided to identify which deficiency your crop is encountering now and determine next steps.

Brett Bruggeman says their business starts with the customer, and he’s a believer in segmentation as such identifying customers by appetite to growth, transparency with data, and willingness to advocate.

You may need more nitrogen to fuel this year's crop adequately. Also, cutworms are on the move. Ferrie advises dropping your threshold tolerance to 1.5%.

Fertilizer prices, led by CF Industries, fell in Thursday's trading. Nitrogen prices reportedly plunged 30%, partly due to demand destruction.

Forecasting the demand and facilitating the flow of crop inputs has changed the way these businesses are operating. 

Nutrien announced this week it will build the world’s largest clean ammonia production facility in Geismar, Louisiana, to “decarbonize agriculture.”

Biden says Ukraine has 20 million tons of stored grain awaiting export to various countries. He says lack of port movement coupled with halted planting in Ukraine will ignite a global food crisis unless action is taken.

The White House is expected to announce plans to insure double cropping in 681 more counties and doubling the amount of funding for domestic fertilizer production to $500M during a visit to an Illinois farm Wednesday.

Don't overlook planter applied nitrogen when thinking about nitrogen stabilizers.