(Dave Bedard photo)

Canpotex aims for ‘material’ potash price bump from China

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian potash exporter Canpotex is pressing Chinese buyers to pay a “material” price increase for the fertilizer in their annual supply contract, as spot values in other markets rise off multi-year lows, Canpotex’s chief executive said on Monday. “We’re not interested in some kind of ratcheting down. That is for sure,” […] Read more

Simplifying phosphorus

Simplifying phosphorus

Experts’ opinion on P fertilizer have changed over time, and are still changing now

In the early days of fertilizer use on the Canadian Prairies phosphorus was the only game in town- mostly 11-48-0. “If in doubt use 11-48,” was the chant. Much work was done to find the amounts to use for various crops and soils and the best way to put it on. We thought we knew […] Read more


fertilizer spreading tractor

Most common fertility questions

Rigas Karamonos answers the fertilizer questions he’s hearing from farmers

At CropConnect in Manitoba in February, Dr. Rigas Karamanos gave his 868th presentation to farmers. He’s been counting. And, he said, it’s the 35th time he’s been asked to give a talk on “contemporary fertility issues.” He used his time on the CropConnect agenda to talk about the issues he hears farmers raising. Fertilizing for […] Read more

(LouisDreyfus.ca)

Dreyfus sees recovery after two-year profit slide

Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus’ core earnings fell for a second year in 2016 amid a persistent high supply of crops, but the agricultural commodity trader said a revamp of operations should help results this year. Large inventories, low prices and limited volatility have curbed margins in the past two years for companies that […] Read more


An Agrium fertilizer distribution facility west of Portage la Prairie, Man. (Dave Bedard photo)

Indian regulator warns on Agrium-PotashCorp merger

New Delhi | Reuters — India’s competition regulator said the proposed merger between Agrium and PotashCorp was likely to hurt competition, a government statement said Wednesday. The two Canadian fertilizer producers agreed to merge last September to navigate a severe industry slump by boosting efficiency and cutting costs. Neither Agrium nor PotashCorp have physical presence […] Read more

Plants in the affected areas had smaller, thinner leaves. The newest-formed leaves out of the growing point in the problem-area plants were slightly cupped and starting to yellow.

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: Irregular strips of struggling canola

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the April 4, 2015 issue of Grainews

In early July I received a phone call from Dwane, a grain farmer at Davin, Sask., who was seeing a peculiar pattern forming in one of his canola fields. Dwane told me that despite some heavy June rains, his early canola establishment had been excellent — he had achieved his target plant density and the […] Read more


The VT Flex applicator from Summers is custom built to match the exact needs of a producer, according to the company.

New fertilizer applicator from Summers

Customizable 
tool can 
incorporate up to three types of product simultaneously

For those who want to incorporate fertilizer other than during seeding operations, North Dakota’s Summers Manufacturing has introduced a new machine to the marketplace to help accommodate that: The VT Flex applicator. It’s a fully customizable fertilizer applicator, according to the company, that will allow placement of up to three fertilizer mediums (dry, liquid and […] Read more

Production costs for spring planning

Production costs for spring planning

For farmers in southern Manitoba, soybeans are pencilling in well for this spring

Across the Prairies, new cost of production figures and calculators for 2017 are appearing on provincial websites to help producers make sound production, management and marketing decisions. On the marketing side things look a little rosier than they did this time last year. “When you look forward to September 2017, it doesn’t look as bad […] Read more


(Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Laura Rance)

Wet spring hampers Prairie fertilizer timetable

CNS Canada — This week’s dump of snow in eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba will likely push back fieldwork and fertilizer applications on a lot of farms, according to one crop watcher. Keystone Agricultural Producers president Dan Mazier, speaking from a conference in the U.S., said only about 50 per cent of the normal amount […] Read more

Getting the dirt on 4R nutrient stewardship

Getting the dirt on 4R nutrient stewardship

Fertilizer Canada’s 4R nutrient stewardship research tour delivers valuable information

In the ever-changing world of farming, information is a more valuable commodity than the finest canola crop. Consequently, the recently launched webinar series “Across Canada Tour of 4R Nutrient Stewardship Research” sponsored by Fertilizer Canada is must-see viewing. The tour began last month in Alberta, where co-presenter Dr. Miles Dyck offered an overview of 4R […] Read more