The fertilizer market of yore could be relatively dependable for ebbs and flows in pricing. There were general seasonal highs and lows that storage-savvy farmers and retailers could use to their advantage. But in the last five years, on-farm storage has been as much about secured access as it has been about cost. The year… Read More
Category: Fertilizer Markets
The nitrogen fertilizer market is expected to remain firm heading into the ’24 planting season thanks to several global supply/demand factors, according to ADM Fertilizer’s Saskatchewan-based urea product line manager. With natural gas prices in Europe having dropped precipitously from their highs in 2022, the nitrogen market has turned its attention elsewhere, explains Noah Bishop,… Read More
Unlike some other North American ports, the St. Lawrence Seaway shipping corridor is seasonal, and the labour dispute holding up product movement is putting serious stress on Ontario’s agriculture sector during the harvest period. An estimated $20 million per day of grain isn’t moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway after members of UNIFOR went on… Read More
Parliament is back in session, and that means it’s time to fire up the political pundit machine! For RealAgriculture, that means the return of RealAg Politics. In this episode, hear from: Debra Conlon, Grain Farmers of Ontario, on Bill C-234, currently under consideration by the Senate ag and forestry committee, and an update on fertilizer… Read More
Current dynamics of the fertilizer market are quite different from where they were just one year ago. That said, there are still big demand questions, geopolitical pressures, and logistics issues yet to be hammered out — they’re just in different places this year. To unravel the complex trade flows of phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen fertilizer,… Read More
Russia has terminated an agreement that allowed for Ukraine grain movement through the Black Sea, claiming its own agriculture products are not being allowed through the trade corridor. The deal, originally brokered by Turkey, was extended earlier this year to allow for agriculture product movement out of Ukraine. Grain shipments through the region were largely… Read More
By Karen Proud In the fall of 2022 the world’s population cracked 8 billion and we are projected to hit 8.5 billion by 2030, a year that coincides with many ambitious climate objectives. One of those objectives is a voluntary target of reducing GHG emissions from the application of nitrogen fertilizer by 30 per cent… Read More
The Black Sea grain deal that allows Ukrainian grain exports to continue has been extended by two months, a day before the agreement with Russia was set to expire. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan announced Russia had agreed to the extension early Wednesday, sending grain futures markets lower as the second consecutive 60-day extension allayed concerns… Read More
Within hours of Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, introducing the 2023-24 federal budget, comments in support of or criticism against the government’s proposed budget began to roll in. Livestock groups, including the Canadian Cattle Association and Dairy Farmers of Canada, are welcoming the government’s commitment to establishing a Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) disease… Read More
With changes in production around the world, fertilizer and commodity prices have fluctuated significantly in the last eight to 12 months. Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer at Stone X, says it depends on the market, but just about everything today has a very bearish slant to it. When you look at the nitrogen market… Read More
According to the January 2023 Canadian Farmers Sentiment Index farmers are becoming more optimistic about their current and future financial performance relative to past months. While the current financial performance is above the neutral position at 119, the future financial performance score of 85 remains in negative territory. In isolation this is a positive trend… Read More
Nitrogen prices for North American farmers are no longer at their 2022 highs, but they still have a long way to drop before returning to where they were a few years ago. Where that floor is for the market will largely be determined by European energy policy, John Daniels, fertilizer product manager for Paterson GlobalFoods,… Read More
The full brunt of the 35 per cent tariff on Russian-sourced nitrogen in 2022 didn’t just equal millions of dollars paid by Canadian farmers, it also put a spotlight on the challenges of some global trade flows. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) commissioned StoneX to explore the issue, and author of “Farmers Need Fertilizer,” Josh… Read More
Some fertilizer pricing decisions and applications for the 2023 crop have already been made, but there’s plenty to be priced between now and April. For a look at current and future fertilizer markets, we go to Josh Linville of StoneX, and start with the apparent lull in prices — is this a temporary reprieve from… Read More
On the heels of the federal government announcing fertilizer tariff funds would be sent to Ukraine to rebuild the power grid there, Grain Farmers of Ontario has released a report outlining the need for unfettered fertilizer access. Entitled “Farmers Need Fertilizer,” the report was authored by Josh Linville, vice president fertilizer with StoneX. It outlines… Read More