Reading Time: 3 minutes When it comes to getting maximum yields, nitrogen is still king. “Nitrogen is the most important nutrient when it comes to providing yield responses,” said agronomist Rigas Karamanos. In a study conducted in 2000 that looked at how barley yields responded to various nutrients, nitrogen increased yields by almost 60 bushels per acre — over […] Read more
Stick to deep banding — not shallow banding — when applying nitrogen
In order to reduce nitrogen losses, producers need to deep band their fertilizer, use enhanced-efficiency products, and follow the 4R nutrient stewardship principles
Fertilizer maker Yara to cut costs, raise investments
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
Input costs to chip away at farmers’ shrinking income
CNS Canada — An anticipated downturn in farm income and higher input costs mean Canadian producers will be in a tough financial position this year, the head of the National Farmers Union (NFU) predicts. Farmers’ net cash income is expected to move lower in 2016, declining nine per cent to $13.6 billion in 2016, according […] Read more
Mosaic looks for bargain buys as fertilizer sector slumps
Reuters — U.S. fertilizer company Mosaic Co., grappling with falling prices and profits, is looking for acquisitions that could be bargain-priced in a weak commodity sector. The world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products on Thursday forecast lower selling prices for potash and phosphate in the current quarter. The Plymouth, Minn.-based company also reported fourth-quarter […] Read more
Agrium’s forecast disappoints
Reuters — Canadian fertilizer and ag retailer Agrium has joined rival PotashCorp in forecasting a weaker-than-expected 2016 profit, as prices for crop nutrients remain weak. Agrium’s Toronto-listed shares fell as much as 5.2 per cent to $110.89, its lowest in a year, as investors ignored a better-than-expected quarterly profit. The company, which sells seed, fertilizers […] Read more
Fertilizer expected to be pricier by springtime
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
Russia considering export duties on fertilizers
Stavropol | Reuters –– Russia’s government is looking into introducing duties on exports of mineral fertilizers to make them more affordable for the country’s farmers, President Vladimir Putin said Monday. Meeting his loyalists from the pro-Kremlin public movement, the All-Russia People’s Front, Putin heard compalints from a farmer saying that massive exports of mineral fertilizers […] Read more
PotashCorp shutting New Brunswick potash mine
Reuters — Weak conditions in the potash market will not improve any time soon, PotashCorp’s CEO said Tuesday as the fertilizer company announced it would suspend operations “indefinitely” at its New Brunswick mine. Potash Corp said it was putting its new Picadilly mine near Sussex, about 75 km northeast of St. John, in “care and […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus said seeking buyers for juice, fertilizer units
Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Commodities is seeking buyers for its orange juice and fertilizer units as the global merchant focuses on higher-margin activities, sources said, the latest firm to take steps to weather weak commodity markets. The company had been actively marketing the orange juice and fertilizer businesses for some months, having appointed banks to […] Read more
Boosting the bottom line through better pasture management
It’s about more sunlight, rain, and forage types — and never overgrazing
Reading Time: 3 minutes If farming these days is all about managing inputs, then grazing comes down to managing the land itself — the sunlight, water, minerals, and biodiversity that make pasture lands grow. “We can’t control the price of oil; we can’t control the cost of steel for making farming equipment; but we can manage and control these […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
