Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers face tough choices about purchasing fertilizer for next year. Buy now? Or roll the dice and hope prices fall? There are reports of price dips in some countries because farmers are balking at the high cost. But the fundamentals aren’t good, said one American fertilizer analyst. “I think prices are going to see continued […] Read more
Crystal balls are even more wonky this year
The uncertainty factor is as high as fertilizer prices right now
U.S. barge backlog swells on parched Mississippi River
Chicago | Reuters –– Commercial barge traffic on southern stretches of the Mississippi River was at a standstill on Tuesday as low water levels halted shipments of grain, fertilizer and other commodities on the critical waterway, shipping sources said. The supply chain snarl comes just as harvesting of corn and soybeans, the largest U.S. cash […] Read more
Opinion: The emissions controversy offers an opportunity for both sides
Like many farmers, I’m concerned but also see there’s a way to move forward if we work together
Reading Time: 3 minutes You may have heard the buzz lately. There has been a lot of talk about emissions, environmental impact, and what the future looks like with a changing climate. The past few weeks have been dominated by conversations about the government of Canada’s plan to reduce emissions from on-farm fertilizer use. With little substance revealed regarding […] Read more
U.S. railways to halt grain shipments ahead of potential shutdown
Fall fertilizer traffic also at risk
Chicago | Reuters — Some U.S. railroads will start halting crop shipments on Thursday, a day ahead of a potential work stoppage, an agricultural association and sources at two grain co-operatives said on Tuesday, threatening exports and feed deliveries for livestock. With farmers starting to harvest autumn crops that are shipped to meat and biofuels […] Read more
N may be making your soils more acidic
N fertilizer changes the soil microbiology and that affects how tightly phosphorus is bound
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Prairies have millions of acres of acidic soils, which can cause a host of problems, so no producer wants to make it worse. But many say nitrogen fertilizer does just that, so an expert with Agriculture Canada is trying to find out if that’s true and if so, to put some numbers on the […] Read more
U.S. working with U.N. on Russia food, fertilizer export complaints
Black Sea pact up for renewal in November
New York | Reuters — The United States is working with the United Nations to address Russian complaints that sanctions are hindering its food and fertilizer shipments, even though there has been no disruption to Moscow’s exports of the commodities, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. The United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia agreed […] Read more
Canada can cut fertilizer emissions 14 per cent by 2030, industry groups say
Report touts use of 4R practices
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from applying nitrogen fertilizer by 14 per cent by 2030 through adoption of more sustainable farm practices and new technology, without any overall reduction in fertilizer use, agriculture industry groups said on Wednesday. Such reductions of nitrous oxide from 2020 levels would fall well […] Read more
U.N., Moscow discuss Russian grain, fertilizer exports
Grain not getting to poorer countries, Putin alleges
United Nations | Reuters — Senior U.N. and Russian officials met in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss Russian complaints that Western sanctions were impeding its grain and fertilizer exports despite a U.N.-brokered deal to boost Russian and Ukrainian shipments of the commodities. The United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia agreed on July 22 on what […] Read more
Feds exclude ESN from program offering emission reduction incentives
Polymer-coated fertilizer has been shown to reduce nitrous oxide emissions on the Prairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canola Council of Canada says ESN has been scratched from the list of incentives being offered to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer in the federal government’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund. First put forward in the 2021 budget and expanded in the 2022 budget, the fund’s aim is to help farmers implement immediate on-farm […] Read more
Comment: Cutting fertilizer emissions and cutting fertilizer use aren’t the same thing
Critics sow needless concern about federal plans, which are based on policies the industry has been promoting
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers came away from the recent federal, provincial and territorial ministers meeting in Saskatoon with a few items stroked off their wish list. Farm organizations welcomed a $500-million or 25 per cent increase in cost-shared funding over five years, half of which will help farmers fight climate change and reduce emissions. The […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
