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
Agrium, PotashCorp in merger talks
Agrium’s Vanscoy potash operations suspended
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Agrium’s operations at its Vanscoy potash mine in Saskatchewan could be halted for days, a union official said on Tuesday, the day after a worker was injured. An Agrium spokesman said in a statement that the company was working on a plan to restart the facility and did not expect any “material disruption.” […] Read more
Mosaic CEO sees opportunities to buy miners’ fertilizer assets
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Miners that produce a diverse commodity mix may be willing to part with fertilizer assets, creating buying opportunities for producers of potash and phosphate, Mosaic Co. CEO Joc O’Rourke said Tuesday. Profits of fertilizer producers have tumbled because of falling prices, weak currencies in importing countries such as Brazil and excessive supplies. Mosaic, […] Read more
Mosaic idles Saskatchewan potash mine
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. has idled production at its Colonsay, Sask. potash mine for the rest of 2016, and temporarily laid off 330 workers, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Potash prices are hovering around the lowest levels seen in a decade, amid excessive output capacity and delays in setting annual supply […] Read more
Uralkali shareholder wants to restore potash alliance
Reading Time: < 1 minute Minsk | Reuters — The Belarussian businessman who last week acquired a 20 per cent stake in Russian potash producer Uralkali said on Monday it would be in everyone’s interest to restore an alliance between Uralkali and Belarus, the world’s two biggest potash miners. Uralkali and the Belarussian Potash Co. (BPC) used to co-operate with […] Read more
CP offers assurances for 2016-17 grain handle
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) says it’s ready and willing to move a bumper Prairie crop in 2016-17. “Operationally, CP is eager and prepared to move grain this coming crop year,” company CEO Hunter Harrison said in a letter to federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau. The letter, dated Tuesday, was also circulated to Prairie transportation and […] Read more
Canpotex shelves plans for Prince Rupert terminal
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Canpotex, the potash export sales arm for PotashCorp, Mosaic Co. and Agrium, said Friday it would not build a planned shipping terminal at Prince Rupert in British Columbia. Canpotex said the decision was based on economic and commercial considerations and that its export capacity in Vancouver, Saint John and Portland were sufficient. PotashCorp […] Read more
N.B. to assess unwanted potash deposit
Reading Time: 2 minutes A potash deposit from which one of the world’s biggest fertilizer companies recently walked away will be the subject of a provincial review for its future potential. The New Brunswick government announced May 11 it will soon finalize a contract to hire a third-party consultant to assess the remaining potash resource, if any, in the […] 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
Fertilizer prices and the stock market
In the past, the stock price of agricultural manufacturing and supply companies has given a clue to the future
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you ever waited for something to go on sale, then it never does and you’re stuck paying full price, or maybe even more? A question I often get from farmers is how they can manage their fertilizer price fluctuations. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, fertilizer is the fourth-largest operating expense for Canadian farms […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
