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



(Deere.ca)

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

fertilizer beads spilling from a hand

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