Nitrogen fertilizer is a cornerstone of crop production. It’s also become a hot political topic, with market volatility, emission reduction demands, geopolitics and a slew of other factors keeping it in the headlines. While nitrogen prices remain high, there are strategies growers can employ to reduce nitrogen use without sacrificing profits or yields. Several researchers […] Read more
Tag Archives nitrogen — page 2
Lowering emissions without sacrificing profits
Nitrogen strategies that meet grower and government needs
Fertile strips could reduce nitrous oxide emissions
Ontario company hopes to expand trials for fertilizer placement/strip till technology
Placing fertilizer where it can be best used by crops can reduce nitrous oxide emissions, says an Ontario company that is researching emissions related to its Innovative Fertile Strip system. GPS Ontario is the contracted crop provider for Invest Ottawa’s AreaX.O, the former Ottawa research station now known as the Ottawa Smart Farm. It has […] Read more
Fertilizer: The long view
For Ontario, spring fertilizer to stay expensive. Internationally, the global nitrogen supply tightens
Supply is tight but flowing and the product is costly but available. Given current domestic and international realities, the same is likely to be said about fertilizer in spring 2023. Making specific predictions about the markets for fertilizer is difficult, particularly for nitrogen, but there are ways to improve supply chain resiliency. Russel Hurst, executive […] Read more
Could nitrogen shortage put food security at risk?
Tightening nitrogen fertilizer supplies raise alarm
Glacier FarmMedia – The head of the world’s leading fertilizer company is worried that food production will falter as nitrogen fertilizer supplies tighten. “We are deeply concerned about the state of global agriculture,” Svein Tore Holsether, president of Yara International, said during the company’s third quarter 2022 conference call. Fertilizer supplies are being squeezed as […] Read more
Richardson makes first entry in branded crop inputs
Company launches new N stabilizer, CirrusX
Prairie grain handler and agribusiness Richardson Pioneer has launched itself into self-branded crop inputs with a nitrogen stabilizer, CirrusX. Steve Biggar, associate vice-president of fertilizer and energy products for Winnipeg-based Richardson, said it was the right time for the company to launch CirrusX because of new treaters the company has installed to allow liquid products […] Read more
A new test for nitrogen on the horizon
New test being developed aims to better identify plant-available nitrogen
Research completed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and University of Guelph researchers indicates that Ontario corn producers may soon have a more reliable tool for nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate recommendations ahead of planting. Why it matters: Fertilizer prices have increased significantly, so more accurate methods of measuring nitrogen in a field can help save […] Read more
University of Guelph scientist slams fertilizer emissions plan
Financial incentives and more cost-effective testing for researchers and farmers is needed, he says
Glacier FarmMedia – A scientist from the University of Guelph says the federal government is rushing its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen fertilizer. Other scientists are concerned the plan could contribute to the urban/rural divide where city dwellers view farmers as bad guys who are trying to destroy the planet. Why it […] Read more
Improved nitrogen testing may be around the corner
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of August 1
Ontario’s corn crop is past the halfway point at this time and is left to Mother Nature’s will to help mature the corn and give us a decent harvest. For the most part, that means we can look back at what 2022 brought us and how we can adjust and improve our field and nutrient […] Read more
OMAFRA discontinues annual nitrogen survey
The survey may be replaced with a better program to advise farmers on nitrogen applications to corn
An annual soil nitrogen test survey led by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has been discontinued for 2022, with the ministry’s corn industry program lead Ben Rosser hoping to work with partners to come up with what he describes as a more effective and easily-administered replacement. The Pre Sidedress Nitrogen […] Read more
Nutrien to further boost potash output amid global shortage
Company will also speed up nitrogen capacity boosts
Reuters — Nutrien, the world’s largest fertilizer producer, said Thursday it will increase its Canadian potash production by 20 per cent to an annual 18 million tonnes by 2025, helping to address tight supplies that have contributed to a global food shortage. Potash prices have soared since the West imposed sanctions against Russia for Moscow’s […] Read more
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