(Alexey Rezvykh/iStock/Getty Images)

‘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

Thanks to Jim Lundgren, who farms at Glenora, Man., about 85 km west of Morden, for this photo of his early start to spring tillage on March 20, 2021, owing to the recent absence of snow and/or rain in the area. Not that it’s a race, but is spring fieldwork already underway where you are? If yes, feel free to snap a photo and email us at daveb@fbcpublishing.com. (Photo courtesy Jim Lundgren)

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


The photo shows NE26 Township 11 Range 11, west of Meridian 1, three miles east of Austin, Man. The soils are of the Almassippi association. The details of individual soils are all available online at Manitoba Agri-Maps at the Agrimaps website (see link at right).

Les Henry: Nitrate down the well

Quit porking on so much N

This song has been sung before in this column. With the death of babies as a possible consequence, it bears repeating. Nitrate in the environment In a native grass environment like my grandfather and yours broke up to farm, nitrate was a rare molecule. Native grass evolved by staying brown and doing nothing when it […] Read more

An ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer plant in Russia. (Saoirse_2010/iStock/Getty Images)

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


Yara is seeking Norwegian government funding toward switching its Porsgrunn ammonia plant’s production process to electricity by 2026. (Yara.com)

Facing green push on farm, fertilizer makers look to sea for growth

Winnipeg/Oslo | Reuters — Two of the world’s biggest fertilizer producers, CF Industries and Yara International, are seeking to cash in on the green energy transition by reconfiguring ammonia plants in the U.S. and Norway to produce clean energy to power ships. The consumption of oil for transportation is one of the top contributors to […] Read more

An ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer plant in Russia. (Saoirse_2010/iStock/Getty Images)

Fertilizer use fuelling climate-warming nitrous oxide emissions, study says

London | Reuters — Rising use of nitrogen-based fertilizers is driving up global emissions of nitrous oxide, a lesser-known greenhouse gas, complicating efforts to limit climate change, scientists reported in a study on Wednesday. Most of the focus in curbing climate-warming gas emissions has focused on the most abundant, carbon dioxide, and one of the […] Read more


New nitrogen stabilizer available in Canada

New nitrogen stabilizer available in Canada

Anvol offers long-lasting protection from ammonia volatilization

Anvol, a new, patented, nitrogen stabilizer developed by Koch Agronomic Services, is now available in Canada. The product, which can be used with urea or UAN (urea ammonium nitrate) fertilizers, offers extended volatilization protection through a novel active ingredient called Duromide. The active ingredient was designed to provide longer-lasting protection from ammonia volatilization beyond the […] Read more

Three situations where an in-crop nitrogen application may be worthwhile

Three situations where an in-crop nitrogen application may be worthwhile

Q & A with an expert

Q: When should I consider an “in-crop” application of nitrogen? A: Under the arid environment of the Canadian Prairies, splitting nitrogen applications in annual crops (e.g. applying 70 per cent of the nitrogen at time of seeding and top dressing the balance during the vegetative stage) rarely provides an agronomic benefit over applying all the […] Read more


Today’s biggest issues in soil fertility

Today’s biggest issues in soil fertility

When to broadcast, shallow band, deep band and top dress

Rigas Karamanos, a senior agronomist with Koch Fertilizer Canada, is one of the leading Canadian experts in soil fertility today. After speaking at hundreds of producer conferences and research symposiums, Karamanos says there are four major topics that come up again and again at every discussion of agricultural soil fertility. Broadcasting, shallow banding, deep banding […] Read more

Finding the fit for premium fertilizer products

Finding the fit for premium fertilizer products

Good for reducing the environmental footprint, crop production and management

Enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF) products that provide a range of benefits in terms of crop production and management, as well as environmental benefits, are likely to play an increasingly important role in coming years of Western Canadian crop production, says Mario Tenuta, a University of Manitoba soil scientist. The products, with familiar brand names such […] Read more