By Russ Quinn
DTN Staff Reporter
OMAHA (DTN) -- Retail urea prices increased 5% compared to last month while the rest of the retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN were mixed.
According to retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the third week of May 2019, urea had an average price of $428/ton, up $20 from the same time last month.
Five other fertilizers were higher than last month, although the move to the high side was fairly muted. DAP had an average price of $497/ton, fractionally higher; potash $392/ton, up $4; 10-34-0 $487/ton, up $4; anhydrous $595/ton, up $1; and UAN28 $270/ton, up $2.
The remaining two fertilizers were slightly lower compared to last month but again the move lower was small. MAP had an average price of $527/ton, down $3, and UAN32 $314/ton, down $1.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.47/lb.N, anhydrous $0.36/lb.N, UAN28 $0.48/lb.N and UAN32 $0.49/lb.N.
A lighting strike at a south-central Nebraska dry fertilizer facility last weekend set off a large fire which destroyed the facility and injured three truck drivers who were sleeping in the parking lot, according to an Associated Press (AP) article.
The fire was first reported at 11:30 p.m. CDT Thursday evening at the Cooperative Producers, Inc. (CPI), dry fertilizer plant in Hastings, Nebraska. Crews worked most of the night and contained the fire just before 4 a.m. Friday morning.
Hastings Fire Chief Bob Hansen said no one was in the building when the fire started. The injured semi-truck drivers were treated and released from a local hospital.
Hansen said the plant was already fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Three other departments from nearby towns were called in to help fight the huge blaze, the AP article stated.
"We were utilizing every hydrant we could," Hansen said.
The CPI dry fertilizer facility just opened last year with a storage capacity of 42,000 tons of product. The preliminary damage estimate for the building is $14 million. The damage to the fertilizer inside of the building is estimated to be at another $5 million.
"I am very thankful and humbled by all of the outpouring of support we received from the community of Hastings as well as the leaders of various Nebraska cooperatives throughout the state. Their concern alone has given me more confidence in the future of the cooperative system," Allan Zumpfe, CPI CEO said in a press release on Friday. "We will rebuild this great facility and asset to our company."
All eight of the major fertilizers are now higher compared to last year with prices shifting higher. DAP is 3% higher, MAP is 4% more expensive, both potash and 10-34-0 are all 11% higher, UAN28 is 12% more expensive; UAN32 is 14% higher and both urea and anhydrous are now 18% 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 21-25 2018 | 483 | 504 | 354 | 364 |
| Jun 18-22 2018 | 485 | 505 | 354 | 364 |
| Jul 16-20 2018 | 486 | 505 | 354 | 366 |
| Aug 13-17 2018 | 487 | 508 | 356 | 363 |
| Sep 10-14 2018 | 491 | 518 | 362 | 380 |
| Oct 8-12 2018 | 501 | 523 | 365 | 393 |
| Nov 5-9 2018 | 506 | 529 | 368 | 407 |
| Dec 3-7 2018 | 501 | 529 | 369 | 410 |
| Dec 31-Jan 4 2019 | 508 | 533 | 381 | 407 |
| Jan 28-Feb 1 2019 | 513 | 536 | 384 | 407 |
| Feb 25-Mar 01 2019 | 511 | 535 | 386 | 404 |
| Mar 25-29 2019 | 509 | 534 | 385 | 401 |
| Apr 22-26 2019 | 497 | 530 | 388 | 408 |
| May 20-24 2019 | 497 | 527 | 392 | 428 |
| Liquid |
| Date Range | 10-34-0 | ANHYD | UAN28 | UAN32 |
| May 21-25 2018 | 439 | 504 | 241 | 276 |
| Jun 18-22 2018 | 440 | 503 | 242 | 277 |
| Jul 16-20 2018 | 442 | 503 | 243 | 279 |
| Aug 13-17 2018 | 446 | 481 | 233 | 271 |
| Sep 10-14 2018 | 449 | 487 | 238 | 278 |
| Oct 8-12 2018 | 452 | 488 | 238 | 280 |
| Nov 5-9 2018 | 458 | 517 | 245 | 287 |
| Dec 3-7 2018 | 457 | 524 | 249 | 293 |
| Dec 31-Jan 4 2019 | 460 | 571 | 267 | 304 |
| Jan 28-Feb 1 2019 | 468 | 585 | 271 | 313 |
| Feb 25-Mar 01 2019 | 470 | 596 | 270 | 318 |
| Mar 25-29 2019 | 470 | 597 | 269 | 318 |
| Apr 22-26 2019 | 483 | 594 | 268 | 315 |
| May 20-24 2019 | 487 | 595 | 270 | 314 |
Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@dtn.com
Follow him on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN
(KD/CZ)
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