An ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer plant in Russia. (Saoirse_2010/iStock/Getty Images)

Fertilizer prices to rise on global production shifts

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Canadian fertilizer prices are expected to increase as spring draws nearer, according to industry professionals. “The further you buy out from spring, the prices tend to be a little bit lower. In making your commitments early, prices tend to edge up as you get closer to spring,” said Don Kitson of International […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Nutrien)

Global fertilizer prices set to fall

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Global fertilizer demand has been higher, leading to increased prices, but with more capacity coming online prices should start to fall, according to an analyst. “Urea prices globally have moved a little higher over the past few months. They’ve been relatively volatile, that’s just kind of a function of some better than […] Read more


(Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)

Industry still looking for new NH3 tank rule break

Reading Time: 2 minutes Fertilizer Canada and the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) say there will be enough anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks available to supply the fertilizer to farmers during this growing season. New Transport Canada regulations came into force Jan. 12, which affect the frequency of hydrostatic testing and visual inspection of ammonia nurse and applicator tanks and […] Read more

The Y-Drop system that Mike Strang uses on his farm has required years of adjustments, along with an OptRx sensing unit.

Is split N really best?

The debate continues, with a focus on technology, soil and weather — and then being prepared to break with tradition

Reading Time: 8 minutes Advances in technology are driving many on-farm practices, creating operating efficiencies and production advantages. From robotics and variable-rate technology all the way back to the first GPS yield monitors, new systems and designs have changed and will continue to change the way farmers farm. Splitting or delaying nitrogen (N) applications in corn is different, and […] Read more


(Staff photo)

Nutrien sees demand growth cooling, margins shrinking

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Nutrien, the Canadian fertilizer and farm supply dealer created from the merger of Agrium and PotashCorp this year, said it expected demand growth for potash in China and India to cool down in 2018. Nutrien, the world’s biggest fertilizer company by capacity, also said higher input costs would shrink nitrogen and phosphate margins. […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Nitrogen looking cheap across Prairies

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Farmers in Manitoba may be looking to fill up on nitrogen fertilizer this fall as prices reach lows not seen in over a decade. “One retailer I talked to said it was the cheapest nitrogen prices in 15 years,” according to Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. Prices also seem to […] Read more


(Staff photo)

Canada’s antitrust watchdog clears Nutrien merger

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s Competition Bureau will put up no reasons why PotashCorp and Agrium shouldn’t be joined in Nutrien. The federal antitrust regulator on Monday issued a “no action” letter on the all-stock merger-of-equals that Saskatoon’s PotashCorp and Calgary’s Agrium proposed in September last year. The two companies, when merged, are to be headquartered in Saskatoon under […] Read more

(Screengrab from Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation video via YouTube)

Ontario watershed study shows overapplication of phosphorus

Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers in one Huron County, Ont. watershed are applying almost exactly the nitrogen needed by their crops, but more than 30 per cent more phosphorus than is needed. University of Guelph researchers reached the conclusions by analyzing multiple years of data collected by the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority during in-person interviews with farmers in the […] Read more


(Fertilizer Safety and Security Council)

Farmers wait for fertilizer prices to fall amid oversupply

Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — As more fertilizer plants are built around the world and U.S. corn acreage shrinks, the typical thinking holds that prices for urea and nitrogen should fall, but that hasn’t been the case so far for Canadian farmers. “They’re more on the steady side,” said Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Nutrien)

Fertilizer prices ‘float along’ with eyes on China, corn

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — It’s shaping up to be a typical winter season for fertilizer prices, according to an industry expert, but he cautions plant expansions in the U.S., corn acreage and the murky world of Chinese exports will all play a part in determining any price spikes in coming months. “We’re probably expecting a typical […] Read more