Latest News From Fertilizer

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.

Josh Linville says “It's it's a good step for 2022 to start with. But it's just it's a solid first step is all it is.” 

There’s a leadership shuffle at Nutrien corporate.

Jeff Tarsi credits the successful fall application across the Nutrien Ag Solutions retail footprint for lessening the potential pressure of the upcoming spring season.

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.

Timac Agro USA has acquired Rainbow Plant Food, which is based in Americus, Ga., from Nutrien Ltd.

Andy Jung says: “We just bypassed the average and we bookended the extremes on both sides in a short amount of time—it’s jarring.”

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.

TFI shares in recent months, higher global natural gas prices have had an impact on fertilizer prices. The greatest challenge to global fertilizer production now is in Europe, where natural gas prices have quadrupled.

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."

Who has what products where and when are key questions swirling for the 2022 growing season and its required crop inputs.

For the management scenarios explored, the researchers found that complex dynamic tools did not consistently increase profits over simpler static tools.

“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.

Via this partnership, farmers are eligible for two payments. Bayer will pay its $3, $6, $9/acre incentives. CHS will offer financial incentives for its enhanced efficiency fertilizers: N-Edge, Trivar and Levesol. 

With a focus on reducing environmental effects from nitrogen and phosphorous while maintaining or increasing crop yields, contestants were to formulate a concept and submit within a two-month window.

“This marks day one of the beginning for how we can measure how these practices are being used,” TFI CEO Corey Rosenbusch says.

As CEO Amy Yoder explains, after striking a partnership with Novozymes, Anuvia’s SymTrx product will now be coated with Novozymes’ phosphate solubilizing microbial solution.

Novozymes and Anuvia will continue to work together to innovate on future generations of bio-fertilizers

There doesn't appear to be much price relief on the horizon. Product availability could be limited as well, based on what China and Europe are experiencing.

The fertilizer industry is swarmed with Black Swan events. From the impacts of Hurricane Ida to political issues entangled in a cobweb of production slowdowns in Europe and China, prices could surpass 2008 highs.

“Through the end of 2020 and all of 2021, it just seems like it's a perfect series of events—black swan events," says Josh Linville with StoneX.

With its latest design of the 2430C nutrient applicator John Deere reduced the transport height of 25-row (62.5’ working width) 2430C model by 2.5’---now at 14’.

“It’s early days for microbes to deliver on these promises, but we have set a product specification that we want to replace 40 to 50% of the nitrogen inputs,” says CEO Michael Miille.

For almost 10 years, Nutrien has provided the eKonomics tools to help retailers and growers have conversations around optimizing their agronomic decisions, and it's now expanded to be available on a mobile app.

If the Michigan project continues on pace, the company would break ground this fall with the facility being completed in the next three years.

One problem is soil temperature related while the other occurs at a specific growth stage. Both can take a bite out of bushels available at harvest.

Steve Coulter, Senior Vice President at Koch Agronomic Services, gives his first interview since the completion of the company’s acquisition of the North American micronutrient portfolio from Compass Minerals.

ABM specializes in seed treatment with bionutrition products. Agrauxine by Lesaffre has been developing biosourced solutions for plant nutrition and health for more than 15 years.

Nutrien leadership shares five areas for growth in its retail business.

The Nutrien board of directors has appointed Mayo Schmidt as President and Chief Executive Officer.

“This acquisition is a tremendous sign not just for Verdesian Life Sciences, but for the category of nutrient use efficiency products,” said Verdesian CEO Kenny Avery.

Josh Linville with StoneX: U.S. phosphate exports “should” be lower going forward–is it guaranteed to drop? No. However, with the U.S. a premium market going forward, it will make more sense to keep tons “home”

The company says this product is built with its patent-pending combination of a co-polymer and solvent blend with time-tested active ingredients NBPT and DCD.

Sam Taylor and Stephen Nicholson, both RaboResearch analysts, say while many would call these emerging technologies ‘disruptive,’ they prefer to think of them as evolutionary elements to agriculture.

In 1946 Yara imported its first products into the U.S.—calcium nitrate into a port in California—and the company says its footprint has not only grown but evolved in the 75 years since.

“We will produce 400,000 tons over the course of this year,” says CEO Amy Yoder. “We can produce on three different lines with a total of 1.2 million tons... I hope we are getting ready to start our second.”

Its unique two-year shelf-life as well as the benefits delivered by the proprietary blend impressed The Scoop readers who voted it the 2020 New Product of the Year Runner Up.

Kenny Avery explains what its new investment partner in AEA Investors means for the business and what he wants ag retailers to know about working with Verdesian.

Significant investments Yara made in North America include the 2018 opening of a ammonia plant in Freeport, Texas, in partnership with BASF, and the 2008 acquisition of Yara Belle Plaine, a nitrogen production facility.

Don’t let a liquid herbicide or in-furrow fertilizer application go by without considering tank mixes.

Gregg Sauder, founder of 360 Yield Center, says the system uses 40% less water then a center pivot and costs half as much as a drip tape irrigation system.

When farmland draws a premium, you’d expect the soil to be in good shape, right? More landowners are considering fertility clauses in their farm leases to ensure tenants don’t suck the soil dry.

What you did this past fall, what you’re doing this spring and the plans you’re making for the summer will make a huge difference in the combine at the end of the year.

Farmers are still leaning into the services provided by their trusted advisors. A majority of farmers (69%) turn to a crop consultant or agronomist when making the final decision on crop inputs.

Verdesian’s management team, including President and CEO Kenny Avery, will continue to lead the Company following the close of the transaction.