DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends
Anhydrous Breaks 8% Lower
OMAHA (DTN) -- According to fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the first week of July 2017, all eight major fertilizer are lower in price but for the first time in several months a fertilizer was actually down a significant amount.
As a sign that side dressing operations must be wrapping up across the Corn Belt, anhydrous was down 8% compared to last month. The nitrogen fertilizer average price was $462/ton.
While anhydrous broke free from the treadmill of steady prices that has been present this entire calendar year, the other major fertilizers did not.
The remaining seven fertilizers were lower compared to the prior month, but none of them were lower any substantial amount. DAP had an average price of $436/ton, MAP $467/ton, potash $339/ton, 10-34-0 $325/ton, anhydrous $462/ton, UAN28 $236/ton and UAN32 $268/ton.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.35/lb.N, anhydrous $0.28/lb.N, UAN28 $0.42/lb.N and UAN32 $0.42/lb.N.
The drop in anhydrous retail price was the first time retail fertilizers have seen a significant decline in nearly five full months. The last time we saw a noteworthy change in prices was the third week of February, a remarkable 20-week run of steady prices.
As fertilizer prices finally appeared to decline a bit, shares of fertilizer companies were sharply higher early this week as corn prices moved higher, Dow Jones reported. Corn futures moved more than 2% higher to settle above $4.00 a bushel for the first time since June 2016, helping to fuel the gains in fertilizer companies.
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Shares of CF Industries shot up 7.1% towards a three-month high, which was enough to make it the biggest percentage gainer in the S&P 500 index. Mosaic Co. shares were the second biggest S&P 500 gainer as they shifted 6.5% higher, a two-month high.
In addition, other fertilizer companies also saw gains with shares of Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc. jumping 6.8% and Agrium Inc. hiking up 7.1%.
Despite the gains seen this week, fertilizer companies are in the red for the year. CF's stock was still down 4.8% year to date, while Mosaic shares has fallen 18%.
With corn prices on the rise and retail fertilizer falling, it will be interesting to see how long this situation will continue to occur. Fertilizer prices usually follow corn prices in whatever direction they go, it is not often the prices are moving in opposite directions.
Retail fertilizers are lower compared to a year earlier. Five of the eight major fertilizers are double-digits lower.
10-34-0 is 21% lower from a year ago, while anhydrous is 17% less expensive, UAN32 is 12% lower and both urea and UAN28 are 10% less expensive. DAP is 7% lower and both MAP and potash are both 6% lower.
DTN collects roughly 1,700 retail fertilizer bids from 310 retailer locations weekly. Not all fertilizer prices change each week. Prices are subject to change at any time.
DTN Pro Grains subscribers can find current retail fertilizer price in the DTN Fertilizer Index on the Fertilizer page under Farm Business.
Retail fertilizer charts dating back to 2010 are available in the DTN fertilizer segment. The charts included cost of N/lb., DAP, MAP, potash, urea, 10-34-0, anhydrous, UAN28 and UAN32.
DTN's average of retail fertilizer prices from a month earlier ($ per ton):
DRY | ||||
Date Range | DAP | MAP | POTASH | UREA |
July 4-8 2016 | 469 | 496 | 359 | 361 |
Aug 1-5 2016 | 459 | 488 | 346 | 349 |
Aug 29-Sept 2 2016 | 449 | 464 | 327 | 326 |
Sept 26-30 2016 | 440 | 458 | 317 | 322 |
Oct 24-28 2016 | 436 | 451 | 313 | 317 |
Nov 21-25 2016 | 436 | 445 | 316 | 328 |
Dec 19-23 2016 | 432 | 437 | 321 | 336 |
Jan 16-20 2017 | 430 | 443 | 324 | 346 |
Feb 13-17 2017 | 432 | 450 | 332 | 357 |
Mar 13-17 2017 | 443 | 462 | 337 | 360 |
Apr 10-13 2017 | 437 | 466 | 338 | 353 |
May 8-12 2017 | 437 | 466 | 340 | 351 |
Jun 5-9 2017 | 438 | 469 | 339 | 338 |
Jun 3-7 2017 | 436 | 467 | 339 | 325 |
Liquid | ||||
Date Range | 10-34-0 | ANHYD | UAN28 | UAN32 |
July 4-8 2016 | 546 | 554 | 261 | 304 |
Aug 1-5 2016 | 548 | 552 | 254 | 307 |
Aug 29-Sept 2 2016 | 493 | 509 | 233 | 275 |
Sept 26-30 2016 | 465 | 486 | 223 | 271 |
Oct 24-28 2016 | 452 | 472 | 224 | 262 |
Nov 21-25 2016 | 445 | 465 | 218 | 256 |
Dec 19-23 2016 | 442 | 468 | 217 | 255 |
Jan 16-20 2017 | 437 | 478 | 235 | 267 |
Feb 13-17 2017 | 440 | 491 | 240 | 276 |
Mar 13-17 2017 | 441 | 507 | 247 | 280 |
Apr 10-13 2017 | 441 | 505 | 247 | 280 |
May 8-12 2017 | 437 | 508 | 247 | 280 |
Jun 5-9 2017 | 435 | 503 | 246 | 278 |
Jun 3-7 2017 | 432 | 462 | 236 | 268 |
Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@dtn.com
Follow Russ Quinn on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN
(BAS/ES)