Reuters — Farmers have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether recent spikes in fertilizer prices are attributable to market manipulation by fertilizer companies, according to a letter sent Wednesday by the Family Farm Action Alliance. The group, which has more than 6,000 farmer and rural members, alleges fertilizer companies are setting prices […] Read more
Tag Archives nitrogen — page 4
Farmers ask U.S. Justice Department to probe fertilizer price spikes
Fertilizer shortage may lead to spring scramble
'It's next year's prices I'm worried about'
Reuters — A global shortage of nitrogen fertilizer is driving prices to record levels, prompting North America’s farmers to delay purchases and raising the risk of a spring scramble to apply the crop nutrient before planting season. The Texas Arctic Blast in February and Hurricane Ida in August disrupted U.S. fertilizer production. Then, prices of […] Read more
Split N applications offer economic benefit for producers
Reducing nitrogen rates in dry years results in higher margins without affecting yield
A University of Guelph study shows that split nitrogen applications in corn bring an economic and environmental benefit to producers. It can increase farm profits by 15 to 20 per cent in dry seasons compared to pre-plant broadcast. It also showed a small profit increase by making the second application of N during V13 rather […] Read more
‘Perfect storm’ causes fertilizer price spikes
'Most of us are in a "wait-and-see" position'
MarketsFarm — Fertilizer prices have increased over the past year, but could be headed even higher as a recent confluence of events has caused a shortage — the effects of which may affect producers past the New Year. “Particularly, in the last few weeks, there have been a number of supply events which have really […] Read more
Editorial: The need for more efficient nitrogen
Reducing use of nitrogen fertilizer is a big potential win for farmers and critics of farm practices. The discovery of the Haber-Bosch process and its ability to pull molecular nitrogen from the air is one of the foundations of modern society. Nitrogen fertilizer allowed farmers to feed crops and people as yields grew. They can […] Read more
Harvesting nitrogen a sustainable option, says Corteva
Biological product works with plants to draw nitrogen from the atmosphere
Glacier FarmMedia – Nitrogen makes up 78 per cent of Earth’s atmosphere. It is also one of the biggest cost factors in growing crops. So why not use the nitrogen in the air around us? It’s an exciting concept — extracting nitrogen from thin air and putting it to use growing a crop. As a […] Read more
N-inhibitors aid in greenhouse gas reduction
Weather and field conditions impact year-to-year effectiveness
Research from the University of Guelph indicates the application of nitrogen inhibitors can help farmers significantly reduce their emissions. While such products can differ in consistency across various growing conditions, their medium- and long-term impacts can still have a major effect. Why it matters: Governments are pushing the reduction of climate change-inducing gases and inhibiting […] Read more
Nitrogen application innovation wins award
David and Roger Buurma’s ingenuity in developing a low-cost solution for side-dressing nitrogen in corn has won them the 2021 Don Hill Legacy Award. The Lambton County grain farmers have developed an easy-to-use rubber hose dropping system that enables efficient, accurate nitrogen delivery into a taller corn canopy using the 120-foot boom on their self-propelled […] Read more
Manitoba soil temperatures allow for spring fertilizer
Winter ban lifted, with cautions
Farmers across Manitoba are now cleared to apply spring fertilizers including livestock manure on their fields, thanks to sufficiently warm soil temperatures, the province said Tuesday. Though the winter nutrient ban has been lifted, the province cautioned producers to “assess current weather conditions and periodically check weather forecasts” if they’re applying anytime between now and […] Read more
High fertilizer prices likely to climb more
MarketsFarm — Expect fertilizer prices to resume increasing, despite having fallen back recently. Prices began their sharp rise around the middle of December and beginning of January. “They will go higher as demand goes up at seeding time,” Mike Jubinville of MarketsFarm Pro in Winnipeg said. Jubinville reported urea prices have jumped $100 per tonne […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
