Some farmers who pre-booked nitrogen fertilizer supplies for this spring are being told by their retailers that they might not get them, says the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers.
A combination of factors, including farmers holding off on purchasing fertilizer last fall, the challenges with rail logistics and last year's bumper crop leaving soils depleted, have all contributed to a supply shortfall heading into seeding.
The situation has been exacerbated by the unplanned shutdown of Agrium's nitrogen fertilizer plant in Carseland, Alberta, explains Doug Chorney.
"There were challenges with warehouses running low to empty with the rail service this winter, but now we've had the added glitch of Agrium having mechanical problems at their Carseland facility," he says.
A malfunctioning boiler at the fertilizer plant is expected to take around 55 days to repair, removing an estimated 100 thousand tonnes of urea and 20 thousand tonnes of ammonia from the nitrogen supply for this spring.
"It's a big concern," notes Chorney. "We've heard some dealers are challenged as to where they're going to source their fertilizer this spring."
The fertilizer shortage was one of the issues discussed at KAP's General Council meeting in Portage on Friday.
"We wanted to get that message out to members, to talk to their dealers and figure this out as soon as possible," he says.
Source: SteinbachOnline