A fertilizer market advisor says the early spring has led to some early supply challenges as some farmers are applying sooner than usual.
LJosh Linville with Stone X says this spring is, “not without its challenges, but it’s better than what I expected.”
Linville tells Brownfield the winter is when many of the fertilizer shipments arrive at retailers, but the shorter winter also means shorter inventories to draw from. “We only had two months to get this thing refilled and so, it sure seems like the story this spring is going to be that struggle to get the product in place where and when it needs to be.”
Linville says the recent opening of the upper Mississippi River to barges will help move more fertilizer north, but some products like UAN (Urea Ammonium Nitrate) might be a bit expensive. He says phosphate prices are starting to go down at the Gulf of Mexico for April and beyond, and it will take a little time for those prices to move inland. Linville says there have been some product allocations for anhydrous, and urea demand hasn’t taken off yet.
