Ontario fertilizer prices at mercy of outside forces

Ontario fertilizer prices at mercy of outside forces

Rail labour uproar and prospect of U.S. bumper crop make market insights muddy

A railway labour disruption in Canada and the prospect of a massive crop in the U.S. Midwest leave too many questions for clear pronouncements on fertilizer or commodity market directions in Ontario.

Aerial view of the soon to be functional green ammonia plant on R&L Acres near Sperling Manitoba.

Green, farm-produced anhydrous ammonia in the home stretch

FuelPositive’s technology will soon be producing anhydrous ammonia using water, air and hydro on a Manitoba farm

Glacier FarmMedia – After two years of delays, the world’s first on-farm green ammonia plant is weeks away from producing fertilizer. In mid-June, Ontario clean energy company FuelPositive announced that pieces were in place for its pilot project at R&L Acres near Sperling, Man. Why it matters: Aside from reducing emissions, producing anhydrous ammonia on […] Read more

Adzuki beans with nodules (shown with red arrows) on June 25, 2024.

Nodulation and nitrogen use in dry beans

OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of July 1

In late June, adzuki beans that had been in the ground for 3 weeks already had a few nodules on the roots (see photo at top), and the nodules were active (pink inside when split open). Another field of adzuki planted in the same region around the same time did not have any nodules on […] Read more




Sulphur (S) deficiency in winter wheat. S and Mn deficiency are appearing in fields: S deficiency appears as yellowing on the whole leaf starting with new growth. Mn deficiency will show a distinct striping pattern with necrotic areas, on new growth.

How Ontario crops are shaping up so far

OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of May 9

Cereals Winter wheat is advanced by 10-14 days in southern Ontario compared to other years, particularly in early planted fields. Fields in Essex are now at the early boot stages. Regions of the province further north and east as well as later planted fields are not as advanced and are at the first to second […] Read more

CF Industries is one of the world’s biggest nitrogen fertilizer producers and competes against Russian imports.  Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. fertilizer imports helping fund Russian war effort, CF Industries says

Reuters – U.S. agriculture companies have been brisk importers of Russian fertilizer since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, a practice that is unwittingly helping fund Russia’s war against Ukraine, U.S. producer CF Industries CF.N said on Thursday. The U.S. does not impose sanctions directly on Russian fertilizer, which is important to global food supplies and prices. […] Read more

The LENS units are small enough to carry to the field and provide almost instant results from tissue samples.

Quicker tissue test available for corn growers this season

Testing for nutrients takes an in-field turn with newer technology

A nutrient-testing system first used in potatoes will be available for use in corn this year. The Leaf-Evaluated-Nutrient-System (LENS) unit from Picketa Systems, based in Fredericton, N.B., offers growers and crop advisers an efficient and cost-effective testing method for nutrients. The technology has been used in potato crops for the past three growing seasons, and […] Read more


The Agriculture Web Mapping Application Tool can perform a variety of functions, such as comparing fertilizer use in different regions or the adoption of no-till.

Online mapping tool offers agricultural land use information

The application developed for CAPI creates maps and datasets that can show change over time and help inform policy

Glacier FarmMedia – A new online tool allows users to examine agricultural land use across the country. Developed by ALCES for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), the Agriculture Web Mapping Application Tool offers maps and datasets about land use, management practices and agri-environmental indicators. Census, crop production and land use data can be viewed individually or […] Read more

Reducing emissions and making our society more energy efficient are worthwhile targets, but they’re not occurring in a vacuum. – Gord Gilmour

Opinion: Fertile ground needed in climate fight

Glacier FarmMedia – Canada is the latest nation to join a multinational group looking to advance efficient and novel fertilizers, known as the Efficient Fertilizer Consortium. It’s not a shocking development for a federal government that’s made climate policy one ofits signature initiatives. The stated goals of the group are downright ‘mom and apple pie’, […] Read more