Agrotain Ultra Now Available In Canada

Agrotain Ultra, a new higher-concentrated liquid formula of Agrotain, is now available to retailers and producers in Canada. This new, more condensed formula reduces the amount that a grower needs by 25 per cent, making blending faster and easier while reducing the quantity of bulk handled and stored. Agrotain technology helps growers get the most

Chinese Soil Becoming Too Acidic

Heavy use of nitrogen fertilizers in China since the 1980s has resulted in severe acidification of its soil and some cropland in the south of the country can no longer be used, a Chinese expert said. “In the south, heavy use of fertilizers has pushed the pH to 3 or 4 in some places. Maize,


Yara Buys Terra Industries

Norway’s Yara agreed to buy Terra Industries for $4.1 billion to create the world’s biggest mineral fertilizer producer and boost its U. S. presence, as rivals look to join forces to gain size and reach. Norway’s biggest-ever foreign takeover announcement Feb. 15 comes a month after U. S. CF Industries Holdings withdrew its year-long hostile

In Brief… – for Oct. 29, 2009

Equipment dealer eyes Enns: Calgary’s Rocky Mountain Dealerships has signed a deal to buy Case IH dealer Enns Agri Sales Ltd. at Winkler, Man., about 110 km southwest of Winnipeg, for an undisclosed sum. The sale is expected to close on or about Nov. 1, the publicly traded buyer said Oct. 20. With Enns, Rocky

Preservatives Can Help With Late-Season Haying

Cooler evenings and shorter fall days reduce drying time for late-season hay, which could result in damaged hay if it is baled while it is too wet. Hay harvested at 18 per cent or higher moisture content will heat, mould, and lose feed value and palatability, warns North Dakota State University Extension Service dairy specialist


Getting The Most Out Of Green Gold

“Being the opportunistic SOBs that we are in the industry, we take that free nitrogen, convert it to something, and then charge the guys for it.” – RAY DOWBENKO Growing crops to feed the world removes nitrogen from the soil. To figure out how much needs to be put back in for next year, a

Dealers Forced To Be Flexible On Fertilizer Prices: Analyst

For farmers seeking relief from high fertilizer prices this spring, David Asbridge has two words of advice: shop around. Good deals on fertilizer can be found because dealers have excess supplies and are desperate to unload them, Asbridge told the annual GrainWorld conference in Winnipeg. But he warned farmers not to delay too much because

Fertilizer sales picking up in Western Canada

After low interest through November and December, farmers in Western Canada are starting to book fertilizer for the spring, according to Viterra Inc. officials participating in the company’s recent conference call. A late harvest in Western Canada, combined with poor weather conditions and farmer uncertainty associated with declining fertilizer and crop prices, led to very


Nitrogen Miser

As every agronomy student knows, three things are required to produce a crop moisture, sunlight and nutrients. The challenge is to make sure crops receive just the right amount of each, at just the proper time. Managing nutrients especially nitrogen is one of the greatest challenges. That’s because even if the proper amount is applied

World fertilizer prices down, farmers pay same

John Beckham knows world wholesale prices for fertilizer have dropped precipitously lately. But when he asks his fertilizer sales representative if retail prices will do the same, the man plays coy and pretends to know nothing about it. Beckham is not surprised. He knows agri-retailers are sitting on piles of expensive fertilizer they bought months