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
Mosaic sees sliding fertilizer sales; cost-cutting boosts profit
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
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
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
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
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
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
Fertilizer firm CF Industries to buy OCI assets
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 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