Reuters — U.S. fertilizer maker CF Industries said on Thursday it will buy OCI NV’s North American and European plants for US$6 billion, making CF the world’s largest publicly-traded nitrogen company. The stock and cash deal comes 10 months after CF’s merger talks with Yara International collapsed. It marks the largest fertilizer M+A deal since […] Read more
Fertilizer firm CF Industries to buy OCI assets
Fertilizer prices steady as farmers gauge fall use
CNS Canada — Farmers are starting to assess how much fertilizer they’ll use going into the fall, if at all, based on crop budgets, according to an industry analyst. Fertilizer prices are being driven by crop prices and the global market, and both those factors are keeping prices steady, said David Asbridge, president at NPK […] Read more
Three online crop tools to stretch your fertilizer dollar
Soil testing is key but there are also two free online tools to better gauge your fertilizer requirements
Reading Time: 2 minutes An Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development specialist is recommending three tools he says can be a big help with controlling fertilizer costs. “Soil testing is one of three tools you can use to make your fertilizer dollar stretch further,” said Harry Brook, a crop specialist with ARD in Stettler. “The other two tools in the […] Read more
Spring run on fertilizer creates challenges
CNS Canada — Seasonal challenges are popping up for fertilizer users this spring, according to the president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers — but Dan Mazier says they’re not your typical ones. “The supply seems to be all right; definitely anhydrous ammonia is available,” he said. However, he’s heard some reports that this year’s phosphate […] Read more
PotashCorp, Mosaic profits climb less than expected
Reuters — North America’s two biggest potash producers, PotashCorp and Mosaic Co., reported larger first-quarter profits on Thursday, but results missed expectations. Saskatoon-based PotashCorp, the world’s biggest fertilizer maker by market capitalization, cut its full-year profit forecast, and both companies warned potash prices could slide. Prices are yet to recover after a collapse in 2013, […] Read more
Skipping soil tests could cost you big time
You have to know how to interpret it, but not soil sampling and using 'the usual retail blends' can be a costly mistake
Reading Time: 5 minutes Not very many hands go up when Mark Cutts asks a room full of producers how many of them test their soil every year. “I don’t think the majority is doing soil testing,” said the crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “If a producer is happy with his yields and he’s not soil […] Read more
Sludge a success story for Whitecourt-area farmers
Reading Time: 4 minutes They say great ideas start with the planting of a seed — and that’s precisely what happened after employees at Alberta Newsprint Company noticed tomato plants growing in a pile of pulp sludge. The result is a ‘superfertilizer’ that area farmers can’t get enough of. The phone at the Whitecourt plant rings off the hook […] Read more
Ammonium sulphate seen tougher to find, afford
CNS Canada — A shortfall in production seems to have made granular ammonium sulphate, the prime fertilizer used by canola growers in Western Canada, relatively scarce just weeks away from seeding. “Last year (it was) $470 a tonne, now it’s $525 a tonne; if you can get it. Those were the words from my supplier,” […] Read more
PotashCorp buys stake in Heringer to expand in Brazil
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the world’s largest fertilizer company by market value, agreed on Monday to pay about $69.8 million for a 9.5 per cent stake in Brazilian rival Fertilizantes Heringer SA, the latest effort by PotashCorp to grow in Latin America’s largest economy. The deal, which is expected to […] Read more
Expert advice for ergot control
There’s no silver bullet for combating ergot, but mowing grasses near fields and good agronomics can make a big difference
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ergot is a rising threat on the Prairies, and plant researchers are trying to figure out the best way to combat the disease. “Everyone is concerned with fusarium head blight, but ergot is right up there in terms of danger,” said Jamie Larsen, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge. Rye and […] Read more
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