DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

OMAHA (DTN) -- Most retail fertilizer prices continued to drift lower the third week of July 2020, according to retailers surveyed by DTN.

Seven of the eight major fertilizers were lower in price compared to last month, but none of them were down a noteworthy amount, which DTN considers 5% or more. MAP has an average price of $428 per ton, down $1; potash $360/ton, down $3; urea $358/ton, down $1; 10-34-0 $466/ton, down $2; anhydrous $460/ton, down $3; UAN28 $225/ton, down $8; and UAN32 $263/ton, down $10.

The remaining fertilizer, DAP, had a slightly higher price looking back to last month at $407/ton, an increase of $3.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.39/lb.N, anhydrous $0.28/lb.N, UAN28 $0.40/lb.N and UAN32 $0.41/lb.N.

University of Minnesota Extension nitrogen management specialist Fabian Fernandez said farmers often ask if a late-season application of nitrogen is worthwhile. The thought is the crop takes up half of its total nitrogen at this point of the growing season, he wrote in a Minnesota Crop News blog titled "Late-season nitrogen application: Is it worth it?"

With a shorter growing season in Minnesota, Fernandez wrote, there is no evidence to suggest that post-tassel nitrogen applications provide a yield benefit.

"In some situations, the yield with the later application was similar, but in some fields, a late-season nitrogen application actually ended up reducing corn yield compared to earlier applications," Fernandez wrote. "This yield reduction was likely the result of either the yield potential of the crop being compromised due to insufficient nitrogen earlier in the growing season or the late sidedressing nitrogen did not get to the roots because of a lack of moisture."

Fernandez wrote that the only situation where a post-tassel application before R1 may be beneficial to increase yield is if the crop is severely limited by a lack of nitrogen. Producers should carefully evaluate the potential return on their investment, as the nitrogen application cannot make up for the lost yield potential, he wrote.

"That said, there was generally low potential for nitrogen loss during the spring this year, so if an adequate amount of nitrogen was applied earlier in the season, additional nitrogen applied now will likely result in no yield benefit," he wrote.

The entire University of Minnesota Extension blog can be viewed at https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/….

All retail fertilizer prices continue to be lower from a year ago. Anhydrous is 21% lower; MAP is 19% less expensive; DAP, UAN28 and UAN32 are all 18% lower; urea is 17% less expensive, potash is 9% lower and 10-34-0 is 4% less expensive from last year at this time.

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
Jul 22-26 2019	495	531	394	430
Aug 19-23 2019	491	495	387	413
Sep 16-20 2019	480	478	384	404
Oct 14-18, 2019	465	472	382	402
Nov 11-15 2019	457	465	382	388
Dec 9-13 2019	445	463	378	380
Jan 6-10 2020	435	444	375	358
Feb 3-7 2020	413	435	373	361
Mar 2-6 2020	409	432	369	369
Mar 30-Apr 3 2020	408	432	370	383
Apr 27-May 1 2020	413	433	370	386
May 25-29 2020	410	434	365	377
Jun 22-26 2020	404	429	363	359
Jul 20-24, 2020	407	428	360	358
LIQUID
Date Range	10-34-0	ANHYD	UAN28	UAN32
Jul 22-26 2019	485	582	272	320
Aug 19-23 2019	475	530	257	291
Sep 16-20 2019	471	509	254	289
Oct 14-18, 2019	471	507	253	289
Nov 11-15 2019	473	496	246	284
Dec 9-13 2019	470	489	241	276
Jan 6-10 2020	471	486	237	272
Feb 3-7 2020	464	490	235	277
Mar 2-6 2020	466	490	235	277
Mar 30-Apr 3 2020	467	492	235	278
Apr 27-May 1 2020	468	492	237	279
May 25-29 2020	468	478	236	279
Jun 22-26 2020	468	463	233	273
Jul 20-24, 2020	466	460	225	263

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

Follow him on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN

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