(Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Laura Rance)

Manitoba extends fertilizing deadline to Saturday

A warmer-than-usual November has allowed Manitoba’s conservation and water stewardship department to delay its winter fertilizing ban until Saturday (Nov. 14). With soil temperatures not yet at the freezing point, the province announced Monday it would extend its deadline for spreading of phosphorus and/or nitrogen, including synthetic fertilizers and/or manure, to Nov. 14 from Nov. […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Agrium bucks fertilizer sector trend with Q3 profit

Reuters — Canadian fertilizer and farm retail dealer Agrium on Thursday reported quarterly profit jumped nearly nine per cent, as higher sales volumes and lower costs helped it buck the sector’s trend of weaker earnings. Weaker currencies in fertilizer-buying markets such as Brazil and India are weighing down prices, leading rivals PotashCorp and Mosaic Co. […] Read more

Mosaic’s mine shaft tower from its K3 facility in southern Sask. Photo: Greg Berg

Mosaic sees sliding fertilizer sales; cost-cutting boosts profit

Fertilizer sales look to slide through the rest of the year, U.S. producer Mosaic Co. said on Tuesday, as greater shipments into key markets by rivals in Belarus and China boost competition. The world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by cost-cutting. Fertilizer prices have fallen as the strong […] Read more


Richardson building new crops inputs facility at Three Hills

Reading Time: < 1 minute Richardson International is building a new crop inputs facility at Three Hills. The new facility, due to open in spring, will have high-speed fertilizer-blending capabilities and a 10,000-square-foot warehouse certified under Agrichemical Warehousing Standards Association protocols. Richardson recently completed a new fertilizer distribution centre in Carseland. The 32,000-tonne facility, which will be fully operational next […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Agrium)

Slowdown in sales softens fertilizer market

CNS Canada — A lack of buying throughout North and South America has put fertilizer prices under pressure, but so far, no one is lining up to capitalize on the weakness, according to an industry watcher. “Farmers aren’t in the mood to buy fall fertilizer. I think they’re more uncertain this year than they normally […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Richardson to build in S. Alta. inputs market

Prairie grain handler Richardson International is moving to shore up its presence in southern Alberta’s crop inputs market with a new dealership. The Winnipeg company announced Wednesday it will build a new crop inputs centre at Three Hills, about 65 km east of Olds, starting this fall to open and begin operating next spring. “The […] Read more

Tillage radishes bring many benefits, but “we’re learning as we go,” says Clearwater County official Annie Bertagnolli.

Tapping into nutrients and tackling compaction with tillage radishes

The forage brassica has big-time potential for rejuvenating tired, compacted pastures — but there’s a learning curve

Reading Time: 3 minutes How effective are tillage radishes in rejuvenating poor soil and pastures? Staff at Clearwater County have been experimenting with tillage radishes to see if their theoretical benefits hold up in the real world. The fast-growing brassica can be used in forages as a cover crop and as feed for cattle; its long taproot can open […] Read more


straw

Manage crop residue with next year in mind

Reading Time: < 1 minute How you harvest, what you are using to harvest, and what you do with the residue will have a huge effect on what happens next spring. “Crop residue isn’t trash as it has a significant amount of fertilizer value,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “The straw has probably the lion’s share of this, as […] Read more

Nick Savidov (left) and Marc Legault used a bioreactor to convert poultry manure to fertilizer in three weeks.

Alberta project turns manure into liquid gold

Researcher says liquid composting of manure is a viable on-farm process whose time has come

Reading Time: 2 minutes Nick Savidov doesn’t mince words when he talks about relying solely on synthetic fertilizer to feed the planet. “The fact is that if we don’t learn how to recycle nutrients and water, we are doomed,” said the senior research scientist at the Bio-industrial Opportunities Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “We will start dying off […] Read more