Reading Time: 5 minutes Producers who applied their nitrogen in one pass this year at least minimized their application expenses. Those who opted for a split application and managed to co-ordinate it with well-timed rain perhaps gained more for their efforts. Undoubtedly, however, both are questioning if their strategy was the right way to go this time. And because […] Read more
Profit-making N strategies for growing corn
After a dry season, maybe it’s time for some hard thinking about how you apply nitrogen
Agrium, PotashCorp in merger talks
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian fertilizer giants Agrium and PotashCorp confirmed Tuesday they’re in “preliminary discussions” toward a possible merger-of-equals. Calgary-based Agrium and Saskatoon-based PotashCorp emphasized in separate statements Tuesday that no decision has yet been made on whether to go ahead with such a merger and no agreement has yet been reached. “There can be no assurance that […] Read more
Fertilizer prices look to rise by late summer
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — A rise in prices for soybeans and other crops could make fertilizer more expensive in the coming months, according to a major player in the industry. In the May market report from the Mosaic Co., the company credited the rally in agricultural commodity prices, the strengthening of key currencies and various Indian […] Read more
Nitrates to linger for decades in N-heavy waterways, study finds
Reading Time: 2 minutes Lakes, rivers, streams and well water high in nitrates will stay that way for another 35 years or more, even if farmers in those watersheds were to stop applying nitrogen (N) fertilizer on their fields today, a new study shows. The study of the Mississippi River basin, published Tuesday by Canadian and U.S. researchers, shows […] Read more
Fertilizer maker Yara to cut costs, raise investments
Reading Time: < 1 minute Oslo | Reuters –– Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara plans to cut operating costs and raise investments to become more competitive and grow its business, it said in an update ahead of an investor meeting on Tuesday. The company raised its estimate for 2016 capital expenditure to 17.9 billion Norwegian crowns (C$2.8 billion) from previous guidance […] Read more
Fertilizer expected to be pricier by springtime
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Relatively cheap natural gas has helped push down fertilizer prices for Canadian farmers over the past winter, but that should change by springtime. One Manitoba farm leader noted urea fertilizer that went for $545 per tonne last August could now be acquired for $445 per tonne. “Phosphate fertilizer was going for $721 […] Read more
Yara to buy Agrium fertilizer upgrading plant
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canadian fertilizer firm Agrium has a buyer lined up for a U.S. nitrogen upgrading site it’s been looking to sell since April. Oslo-based fertilizer giant Yara said Thursday it’s made a deal to buy Agrium’s West Sacramento Nitrogen Operations plant for US$27 million (C$36 million) and use the facility instead as an import terminal for […] Read more
Agrium bucks fertilizer sector trend with Q3 profit
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Canadian fertilizer and farm retail dealer Agrium on Thursday reported quarterly profit jumped nearly nine per cent, as higher sales volumes and lower costs helped it buck the sector’s trend of weaker earnings. Weaker currencies in fertilizer-buying markets such as Brazil and India are weighing down prices, leading rivals PotashCorp and Mosaic Co. […] Read more
Slowdown in sales softens fertilizer market
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — A lack of buying throughout North and South America has put fertilizer prices under pressure, but so far, no one is lining up to capitalize on the weakness, according to an industry watcher. “Farmers aren’t in the mood to buy fall fertilizer. I think they’re more uncertain this year than they normally […] Read more
Grow your own nitrogen
As the cost-price squeeze reasserts itself, those old ideas about producing your own nutrients might become new again —- which means the organic industry might have a thing or two to teach us
Reading Time: 5 minutes Near Oxbow, Sask., organic producer Ian Cushon spends a lot of time and energy trying to produce the key building block for plant life — his own nitrogen — because unlike most growers, Cushon can’t just spread some fertilizer and be done with it. If he wants to play the organic game and capture those […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
