DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

OMAHA (DTN) -- For the first time in several months, more retail fertilizer prices were higher than lower than the previous month, according to sellers surveyed by DTN.

During the third week of February 2024, prices for five of the eight major fertilizers were higher than last month, while prices for the remaining three fertilizers were lower. For the fourth straight week, however, no fertilizer saw a significant price move, which DTN designates as anything 5% or more.

The fertilizers that were higher in price included DAP, with an average price of $739 per ton, 10-34-0 $610/ton, anhydrous $771/ton, UAN28 $336/ton and UAN32 $392/ton.

The three fertilizers that were just slightly lower in price from last month were MAP with an average price of $809/ton, potash $504/ton and urea $529/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.57/lb.N, anhydrous $0.47/lb.N, UAN28 $0.60/lb.N and UAN32 $0.61/lb.N.

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) recently expressed some alarm with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) lowering of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter, according to a TFI news release. This change will lead to permitting gridlock across much of the country, negatively affecting economic growth and fertilizer production, TFI contends.

The particulate matter NAAQS significantly curtailed air pollution nationwide, but a major challenge for industries arises as those levels are progressively lowered. Despite ongoing technological improvements, industries reach a threshold where additional air quality improvements become more and more unfeasible under stricter standards, especially as 84% of current PM2.5 emissions originate from nonindustrial sources, according to TFI.

"At a time when the need to strengthen the domestic fertilizer industry has been made clear by multiple ongoing global crises and echoed by the Biden administration, now is not the time to hamstring fertilizer production by making new production facilities or the expansion of existing production more difficult or, in some instances, impossible," TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch stated in the news release.

All fertilizers except one are now lower by double digits compared to one year ago. MAP is 6% lower, DAP is 12% less expensive, 10-34-0 is 19% lower, urea is 23% less expensive, potash is 27% lower, UAN28 is 31% less expensive, UAN32 are 32% lower and anhydrous is 37% lower compared to a year prior.

DTN gathers fertilizer price bids from agriculture retailers each week to compile the DTN Fertilizer Index. DTN first began reporting data in November 2008.

In addition to national averages, MyDTN subscribers can access the full DTN Fertilizer Index, which includes state averages, here: https://www.mydtn.com/….

Retail fertilizer prices were evenly mixed for the second week of February 2024. You can read about it here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Dry
Date Range	DAP	MAP	POTASH	UREA
Feb 13-Feb 17 2023	838	857	692	686
Mar 13-Mar 17 2023	825	821	655	638
Apr 10-14 2023	821	809	642	625
May 8-12 2023	828	826	627	664
June 5-9 2023	822	832	618	622
July 3-7 2023	824	827	619	615
July 31-Aug 4 2023	766	773	579	572
Aug 28-Sep 1 2023	730	736	518	563
Sep 25-29 2023	703	777	508	570
Oct 23-27 2023	713	799	507	574
Nov 20-24 2023	713	811	512	570
Dec 18-22 2023	721	815	517	537
Jan 15-19 2024	727	810	510	530
Feb 12-16 2024	739	809	504	529
Liquid
Date Range	10-34-0	ANHYD	UAN28	UAN32
Feb 13-Feb 17 2023	754	1213	483	572
Mar 13-Mar 17 2023	740	1059	428	521
Apr 10-14 2023	740	1003	427	507
May 8-12 2023	739	910	423	517
June 5-9 2023	739	787	411	478
July 3-7 2023	730	752	396	466
July 31-Aug 4 2023	713	638	378	411
Aug 28-Sep 1 2023	607	680	355	391
Sep 25-29 2023	610	767	353	413
Oct 23-27 2023	610	825	360	418
Nov 20-24 2023	583	833	338	402
Dec 18-22 2023	599	807	342	402
Jan 15-19 2024	601	770	334	391
Feb 12-16 2024	610	771	336	392

Russ Quinn can be reached at Russ.Quinn@dtn.com.

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