By Russ Quinn
DTN Staff Reporter
OMAHA (DTN) -- Retail fertilizer prices are mixed, according to prices tracked by DTN in the first week of March, 2020.
For the first time in several months, prices split down the middle, with half coming in higher and half lower.
Four fertilizers were lower in price compared to last month but none were down a substantial amount, which DTN considers a price move of 5% or more. DAP had an average price of $409/ton, down $4; MAP $432/ton, down $3; potash $369/ton, down $4; and anhydrous $490/ton, down fractionally.
The other four fertilizers, meanwhile, had a slight price increase, looking back to last month. Urea had an average price of $369/ton, up $8; 10-34-0 $466/ton, up $2; UAN28 $235/ton and UAN32 $277/ton, both up fractionally.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.40/lb.N, anhydrous $0.30/lb.N, UAN28 $0.42/lb.N and UAN32 $0.43/lb.N.
With the calendar turning over to March, farmers are finishing up their fertilizer plans as spring planting season rapidly approaches. Some have already started spring applications.
Quentin Bowen, a farmer from Humboldt, Nebraska, said he was able to get most of his anhydrous applied last fall. Harvest wrapped up the day before Thanksgiving, and the weather was cooperative well into December, which allowed him to apply anhydrous, repair terraces, grid soil sample and lime some fields.
"After heading into last spring with nothing applied and trying to do it all in the middle of April when we should have been planting, this season seems more normal," Bowen told DTN.
He purchased roughly 20% of his anhydrous needs last summer, and then bought the rest in December. He estimated there was only a $10/ton increase in price between the two purchases.
Bowen was busy last week on his southeastern Nebraska farm applying dry fertilizer as conditions allowed for some field work in early March. He booked dry fertilizer in September 2019, he said.
He is prepared in case the cooperative weather changes this spring, but things are "so far so good" early in the growing season, he said.
Retail fertilizers are now all lower in price from a year ago. DAP is 20% lower, MAP is 19% less expensive, anhydrous is 18% lower, both UAN28 and UAN32 are 13% less expensive, urea is 9% lower, potash is 4% less expensive and 10-34-0 is 1% lower 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 |
| Mar 4-8 2019 | 510 | 534 | 386 | 403 |
| Apr 1-5 2019 | 509 | 533 | 386 | 405 |
| Apr 29-May 3 2019 | 498 | 528 | 390 | 413 |
| May 27-31 2019 | 497 | 527 | 392 | 430 |
| Jun 24-28, 2019 | 495 | 531 | 392 | 429 |
| 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 |
| Liquid |
| Date Range | 10-34-0 | ANHYD | UAN28 | UAN32 |
| Mar 4-8 2019 | 470 | 596 | 270 | 317 |
| Apr 1-5 2019 | 474 | 599 | 272 | 319 |
| Apr 29-May 3 2019 | 487 | 595 | 268 | 315 |
| May 27-31 2019 | 487 | 590 | 270 | 314 |
| Jun 24-28, 2019 | 487 | 584 | 269 | 318 |
| 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 |
Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@dtn.com
Follow him on Twitter @RussQuinnDTN
(KD/BAS)
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