Reuters — Canada’s Nutrien, the world’s biggest fertilizer producer by capacity, surprised investors by replacing its chief executive on Tuesday for the second time in eight months, even as the company rakes in strong profits. Nutrien said in a statement it named Ken Seitz, the head of its potash business, as interim chief executive after […] Read more
Nutrien makes surprise CEO switch again despite strong profits
Abrupt change 'mighty perplexing' to analysts
After a year like this, boring never looked so good
We’ve been whipsawed by one event after another, so a return to normal would be a gift
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sometimes you can judge a year by how long it seems to have lasted. This one seems to have gone on forever. It feels like an eon ago when COVID-19 vaccines arrived (the first dose, outside of a clinical trial, was actually administered on Dec. 8, 2020 to a British grandmother named Margaret Keenan). Back […] Read more
Making N here doesn’t lower price
Reading Time: < 1 minute Don’t bet on fertilizer prices falling before seeding, says a market analyst with Alberta Agriculture. “The most likely scenario for fertilizers is that the current high prices will continue throughout the winter and spring months of 2022,” said Ryan Furtas. Nitrogen production and products, namely ammonia and urea, are mainly produced at Alberta locations but […] Read more
There’s a path to reduced fertilizer emissions but it has challenges
More uptake of 4R and better application technology are key but so is providing the right incentives
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer use are possible through 4R nutrient management, according to researchers from the University of Guelph. But while the 4R concept is good (right source, right time, right rate and right placement), truly significant reductions lean heavily on achieving each factor simultaneously, said Claudia Wagner-Riddle, […] Read more
Fertilizer prices to stay high
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers, at least those south of the border, won’t see any easing of fertilizer prices until after they’ve got a crop in the ground, according to a new report from CoBank, a major U.S. ag lender. “Fertilizer prices are expected to remain elevated for at least the next six months and throughout the 2022 spring […] Read more
Yara brings most European ammonia production back on stream
Rising fertilizer prices make resumption profitable
Oslo | Reuters — Yara has brought most of its European ammonia production back on line after prices of finished fertilizers rose to make up for a surge in the cost of gas, the Norwegian fertilizer manufacturer said on Wednesday. The company cut back ammonia production at a number of sites in Europe from September […] Read more
Wild pigs could be superspreaders of disease, expert warns
Wild pigs are attracted to hog farms and can indirectly spread diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea
Reading Time: 4 minutes Experts worry wild pigs on the Prairies and domestic hogs are on a collision course — and the fallout could be enormous if PED ever infects the wild population. “We know globally from a lot of research and monitoring that wild pigs can be very serious reservoirs of disease and hold the disease,” said Ryan […] Read more
Fall didn’t deliver — now we need a very snowy winter
Hope for wet, but plan for dry, say experts as drought conditions remain widespread in province
Reading Time: 5 minutes Much of Alberta will need as much as three times the usual amount of snow this winter to get out of drought conditions before spring, says an AgCanada agro-climate specialist. “We’re looking at 250 per cent to 300 per cent of normal snow accumulation or large snow accumulation added to early rainfall,” said Trevor Hadwen. […] Read more
AgriCommunication plan to seek farmer-consumer dialogue
Ag exhibitions among expected beneficiaries
The federal government has put up new funding toward improving consumers’ awareness of the “strengths” of Canada’s ag sector — and to improve farmer awareness of what those consumers want and expect. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Thursday announced an $8 million, three-year funding envelope for the first of two streams of what’s now called […] Read more
Buyer found for ag retailer Blair’s contested outlet
ProSoils to buy Blair's location at Lipton, Sask.
Crop input retail chain Blair’s Crop Solutions has a deal in place to sell one of its eastern Saskatchewan sites to meet its obligation to federal regulators. The chain, a joint venture between Federated Co-operatives and the Blair’s Family of Companies, announced Monday it will sell its site at Lipton, Sask., about 80 km west […] Read more