London | Reuters — Some of Britain’s meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide (CO2) within five days, forcing them to halt production and impacting supplies to food retailers, the head of the industry’s lobby group warned on Monday. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and […] Read more
U.K. meat industry warns of threat to supplies from CO2 crisis
CO2 shortage is caused by closure of fertilizer plants
Fertilizer prices climb sky high
You may be shocked by prices but don’t expect them to fall any time soon
Reading Time: 4 minutes A perfect storm of high commodity prices, high feedstock costs, and lower supplies has sent fertilizer prices soaring. “If you look at where prices are now from roughly a year ago, we’re up in that 25 to 30 per cent more than where we were a year ago,” said Craig Klemmer, principal economist with Farm […] Read more
Norway’s Yara curtails European ammonia output
Surge in price of natural gas cited
Oslo | Reuters — Norway’s Yara is curtailing ammonia production at a number of plants due to a surge in the price of natural gas, the fertilizer maker said Friday. “Record high natural gas prices in Europe are impacting ammonia production margins,” Yara said in a statement. “Including optimization of ongoing maintenance, Yara will by […] Read more
B.C. startup company says it’s found a better way to deliver fertilizer
Product uses cellulose to bind micronutrients and keep them from leaching away
Reading Time: 4 minutes A Vancouver startup says it has created a “sustainable smart fertilizer” with a product made out of the hulls of lentils and peas. Lucent BioSciences says its product, called Soileos, drives an “on-demand” delivery of nutrients to plants while reducing farmers’ carbon footprint. And because it is made with cellulose, it is not water soluble […] Read more
The ball game has changed but the fundamentals haven’t
After a bruising year, farmers need a game plan to lower their risk in 2022, says veteran agronomist
Reading Time: 5 minutes Start planning to minimize next year’s risk as soon as you’ve parked the combine — and that starts with fall soil testing, says agronomist Matt Gosling. “There has probably never been a more critical year in my 18 years of doing agronomy to soil test,” said the owner of Strathmore-based Premium Ag. “Soil testing is […] Read more
Wheat producers join canola and corn growers in fertilizer survey
The Fertilizer Use Survey aims to show that farmers are practising good stewardship
Reading Time: 2 minutes A survey that tracks the fertilizer practices of farmers is being expanded to more crops — part of an effort to show that producers are employing management practices that are environmentally sound. “The survey shows us how agri-retailers and farmers across Canada are implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship, which is an approach that has been demonstrated […] Read more
Nutrien confident in potash demand even with BHP project
Calgary | Reuters — Canada’s largest potash producer Nutrien said Tuesday it is confident in growing global demand for the crop fertilizer, shrugging off BHP Group’s decision to press on with its massive Jansen project in Saskatchewan that will add millions of tonnes a year of potash supply. BHP announced Tuesday it is going ahead […] Read more
BHP approves Saskatchewan potash project’s completion
Major miner expects to produce about 4.4 million tonnes of fertilizer per year
After over a decade of development and digging, one of the world’s biggest mining and metals companies has granted its Saskatchewan potash mining project the go-ahead to completion and full production. Australian-British mining firm BHP announced Tuesday its board has approved its potash mine about 60 km southeast of Humboldt, near Jansen, Sask., for another […] Read more
Rail upgrades planned for P+H elevator
Eastern Saskatchewan elevator's rail spot expanding
Winnipeg grain firm Parrish and Heimbecker plans to boost throughput at one of its eastern Saskatchewan elevators with upgrades to its rail car loading systems. Privately-held P+H said Thursday it plans to expand to a 100-car spot, up from 50, at its elevator at Quill Lake, Sask., about 60 km east of Humboldt. Work on […] Read more
Fertilizer prices expected to stay high in 2021
Reading Time: < 1 minute Fertilizer prices are expected to remain higher for the rest of the year, says provincial market analyst Ryan Furtas. After edging below $500 a tonne in November, nitrogen was up by $85 in the April/May period thanks to strong demand, higher natural gas prices, and some supply chain issues. It was a similar story for […] Read more
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