DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends
Urea Prices Spike 5% Higher Amid Transportation Trouble
OMAHA (DTN) -- Retail fertilizer prices continued to be fairly steady the second week of May 2019, although one spiked higher, according to retailers surveyed by DTN.
Like the last two weeks, prices for four of the eight major fertilizers were higher, while the other four were lower than last month. But, unlike the last few weeks, one fertilizer was considerably higher.
Urea was 5% more expensive compared to the second week of April, up $22 per ton with an average price of $426/ton. This marks the first time since the second week of February a fertilizer has seen a significant price move, which DTN considers 5% or more.
The remaining three fertilizers with higher prices saw more marginal increases. Potash had an average price $392/ton, up $4; 10-34-0 $487/ton, up $6; and anhydrous $595/ton, up $1.
The remaining four fertilizers were slightly lower looking back to the prior month. DAP had an average price of $498/ton, $6 lower; MAP $526/ton, down $5; UAN28 $267/ton, $3 lower; and UAN32 $311/ton, down $6.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.46/lb.N, anhydrous $0.36/lb.N, UAN28 $0.48/lb.N and UAN32 $0.49/lb.N.
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A potential reason why urea prices are shifting higher is the historic flooding along the Mississippi River has caused barge traffic to grind to a halt, according to an Associated Press article.
Farmers in more than a dozen states in the Mississippi River Basin normally would be sending soybeans, corn and other grains down the river to the Gulf of Mexico where they could be exported. Meanwhile, shipments of fertilizer that normally travel up the river to communities from St. Louis, Missouri, to St. Paul, Minnesota, haven't made it through because of the flooding.
Many of the locks and dams on the Mississippi that closed due to flooding beginning back in March have reopened. However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn't expect the river to be fully unimpeded until possibly June.
Even if the locks were open, "Many of these barges wouldn't be able to get here anyway," Sam Heilig, a Corps spokesperson at Rock Island, Illinois, said in the AP article. "Because the water's so high, there's not enough clearance to get under some of the bridges."
The Mississippi River flooding also affects the other rivers that flow into it. The Missouri River has remained mostly navigable right up until it meets the Mississippi River at St. Louis. This has disrupted shipments from farmers in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri trying to get their grain down and fertilizer up the river.
All eight of the major fertilizers are now higher compared to last year. DAP is 3% higher; MAP is 4% more expensive; potash, 10-34-0 and UAN28 are all 11% higher; UAN32 is 13% more expensive; urea is 16% higher and anhydrous is 17% more expensive compared to last year.
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.
DRY | ||||
Date Range | DAP | MAP | POTASH | UREA |
May 14-18 2018 | 483 | 505 | 354 | 368 |
Jun 11-15 2018 | 484 | 505 | 354 | 364 |
Jul 9-13 2018 | 485 | 504 | 354 | 366 |
Aug 6-10 2018 | 487 | 507 | 356 | 363 |
Sep 3-7 2018 | 488 | 514 | 358 | 366 |
Oct 1-5 2018 | 501 | 523 | 364 | 389 |
Oct 29-Nov 2 2018 | 506 | 528 | 366 | 408 |
Nov 26-30 2018 | 501 | 530 | 369 | 409 |
Dec 24-28 2018 | 507 | 533 | 379 | 407 |
Jan 21-25 2019 | 512 | 535 | 383 | 409 |
Feb 18-22 2019 | 512 | 536 | 385 | 404 |
Mar 18-22 2019 | 509 | 533 | 386 | 401 |
Apr 15-19 2019 | 504 | 531 | 388 | 404 |
May 13-17 2019 | 498 | 526 | 392 | 426 |
LIQUID | ||||
Date Range | 10-34-0 | ANHYD | UAN28 | UAN32 |
May 14-18 2018 | 439 | 510 | 241 | 276 |
Jun 11-15 2018 | 440 | 503 | 241 | 277 |
Jul 9-13 2018 | 443 | 505 | 242 | 279 |
Aug 6-10 2018 | 445 | 482 | 233 | 271 |
Sep 3-7 2018 | 446 | 480 | 232 | 271 |
Oct 1-5 2018 | 451 | 488 | 237 | 279 |
Oct 29-Nov 2 2018 | 457 | 505 | 245 | 285 |
Nov 26-30 2018 | 457 | 519 | 246 | 287 |
Dec 24-28 2018 | 457 | 568 | 266 | 303 |
Jan 21-25 2019 | 467 | 584 | 270 | 313 |
Feb 18-22 2019 | 470 | 596 | 271 | 317 |
Mar 18-22 2019 | 470 | 597 | 270 | 318 |
Apr 15-19 2019 | 481 | 594 | 270 | 317 |
May 13-17 2019 | 487 | 595 | 267 | 311 |
Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@dtn.com
Follow him on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN
(KD/AG)
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