Fertilizer Shortage This Fall?

Have you talked with your supplier and gotten your fertilizer booked for this fall yet? If not you should consider doing so soon! I have talked with my Coop and others in our area and they all are saying the same thing. Fertilizer supplies are tight this fall. Some of the fertilizer is imported from overseas. With the COVID-19 pandemic that pretty well explains why that fertilizer is expensive and in tight supply. But there are other reasons fertilizer supplies are tight this fall.

There is a lot of potash imported into the United States from Canada. There are 4 potash mines in Canada and two of them are shut down right now because they flooded. So, just there 50 percent of the potash production capacity was taken off line. Then the nitrogen in the anhydrous ammonia form that can be applied later in the fall when soil temperatures drop below 50 degrees. The pandemic  and workforce shortages likely caused decreased production.

So, talk with your fertilizer supplier and get ready for "sticker shock" because fertilizer costs are going to be a lot higher this fall compared to last year! Depending on the product prices are up 20 to 30 percent. I am sure some farmers will consider maybe applying their fertilizer next spring. Will costs drop between now and next spring? Typically the lowest prices for fertilizer are in the fall and they increase by spring but on one can know for sure!