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Farmer Fertilizer Focus - UAN

By: Josh Linville, Vice President- Fertilizer

UAN (28% / 32%)
 
Josh Linville
Vice President- Fertilizer
What everyone wants to know first, what do we think will happen going forward
This is a tough one.  This is actually a really tough one.
On the one hand, the spring could not have played out more perfect for the UAN marketplace across N.A.  While acres have been dropping due to the poor spring season weather, spring NH3 has fallen even further behind which means if farmers want to maximize yields, they need an alternate N source.  For a lot of the Midwest, that is UAN as they are weary of putting straight urea on top of the ground and adding stabilizer to urea raises the cost.  From this perspective, supplies are unchanged and demand has grown.  That is a recipe for stable to higher prices.
On the other hand, corn acres are suffering and most likely dropping.  Our own Arlan Suderman, Chief Economist for StoneX, has lowered his corn acreage to 88.6M vs the last gov't report of 89.5M which was vs the winter market expectation of 91 - 93M.  Long story short, as corn acreage has declined, so has N demand.  Supplies remain steady and demand drops, that should mean prices fall.
The problem is, we do not yet know which side is a bigger deal.  We are talking about 2 POV's which are enormous on their own merit.  Combined, it is a fight for the ages.
In the last couple weeks, we have been seeing slight declines in reported UAN values so a trend is developing.  We are also seeing urea continuing to lose value which puts it at a MASSIVE discount vs UAN which could draw more demand away.  Finally, we are seeing NH3 values falling around the world and just recently here at home across N.A.  Combining all this today:
I think UAN values are going to be on the softer side for the time being.  I'm not expecting a complete failure of prices but I think it is going to be really hard for the market to hold.
should you buy your Spring '23 uan needs today?
No...just no.
By the time I send this out, it will be June 1 (or just before if I get off my butt this weekend!!!).  That will be 11 months before April 2023.  All, that is almost a full calendar year away.  You have seen how prices can move in a matter of weeks.  Imagine what can happen in 11 months.
Today, the things that we look at are pointing us away from wanting to lock in the value:
  • Current price vs historical values - still higher than anything in history
  • Current price vs Dec '23 corn values - significantly higher than anything in recent years
  • Global events - we are seeing the world soften its tone regarding Russia which could mean a full return to normal exports if we continue down this road

I will admit, there are things that I am watching that could change my mind...eventually.  CF may win its counter vailing/anti-dumping duty case against Trinidad/Russia.  That could, once again, put North American in control as this would cut 80% of normal imports.  We could see grains rally even further than they already are in expectations for needing to purchase even more acres next year.

In the end, no one knows. It is all just educated guesses.  That said, my educated guess today says no.  Let's wait and see what happens when summer fill/spring prepay programs come out.  If they start anywhere close to today's values, demand is likely to lock up and walk away.  This would put the pressure back on the sellers.

All this said, while we could see a slight bump if all the N.A. demand hits at the same time, the forward price direction looks like it is going to be mostly downward.

What has happened in the last 30 days?
The N.A. market got 30 days closer to the final counter vailing/anti-dumping duty ruling
I know this isn't much of an update regarding the past 30 days.  This is more intended for the audience that is new this month.
Last summer, CF filed a counter vailing/anti-dumping duty case against UAN produced in both Trinidad and Russia.  This case received a yes on the preliminary duty vote (effectively means they would research the case).  They came up with some obscenely high numbers for the duty rates (effectively means that if approved totally, tons from both nations ARE NOT coming to the U.S.).  Now, the market is holding its breath for the final determination vote that is to occur this summer.
There will be a hearing where CF and those opposed to the case can make a case for either side.  Once those hearings are complete, the board will hold a yes/no vote with the simple majority "winning".  
Historically speaking, these final determinations are rubber stamp yes votes.  They would not have voted to research it and then come up with these types of rates, just to vote no at the end.  The typical chances of them voting no, from my viewpoint, is likely 10% or less.  However, there are some things that are helping raise that percentage:
  • Midterms for U.S. voting - politicians are looking for soapbox topics.  Food supply/scarcity has become a popular talking point.  Politicians can put their weight behind voting no.  While these cases are supposed to be decided upon based merely on the information at hand, the board is made of humans and humans can be swayed.
  • Recent commentary by CF reps - again, this shouldn't be an issue...but it might.  If you click the Bloomberg article link below, you will read what I am talking about.  A rep from CF was quoted saying "If US farmers do not buy all the nitrogen the company has, the company can ship it elsewhere".  We are living in a period where fears are at all time high's that we cannot produce enough food to feed the world.  Comments like this are likely to be repeated during the hearing as an example of the food producer being held hostage.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-18/top-fertilizer-maker…

Do not get me wrong, this does not raise the percentage chance of a no vote happening significantly.  Where it was 10% or less before, I put my chances around 25%.  Still a small chance but time will tell.

I've kept the world UAN capacity/export information below as I think it is important to know where stuff comes from and typically goes.

image 30286
NOLA Urea is falling apart
Just because urea drops in price does not mean that UAN needs to do the same...but that pressure is there.  While the inland differences (especially when looking at applied values) need to be considered, the NOLA difference is huge today:
  • NOLA Urea @ $570 = $0.62/lb of actual N
  • NOLA UAN @ $595 = $0.93/lb of actual N

Today, UAN is a 30 cent PREMIUM to urea.  I am not a farmer...but if I were, I know which direction I would be pointing.  Does that mean 100% of remaining N demand goes to urea?  Absolutely not, but it also isn't zero...this will be a serious question as we try to figure out how much N demand is left this spring.

Russian exports still struggling...but its getting better
Since the start of the Ukraine invasion, the majority of the world (especially NATO) has taken a very hard line against Russia and its economy.  Slowly but surely, that line has started to blur as the world realizes it needs Russian exports to grow its food.
While I do not have a hard example of this occurring, we are seeing it in other ways.  Some EU countries are buying Russian natural gas and have show a willingness to pay in Rubles to meet Russian demands.  We have seen commentary that they need to keep the line short of stopping Russian fertilizer exports from happening.
I do not see Russian UAN exports back to 100% but every little gain helps increase the global supply.  Every little increase helps to reduce world fears of inadequate supplies.  Sometimes, enough little steps turn into big results.
Where are current values in relation to the past
For UAN, we use NOLA/New Orleans Louisiana as our base point as it is the easiest spot to track.
  • Vs 30 days ago - -5% or approximately $29 lower
  • Vs 90 days ago - +6% or approximately $35 higher
  • Vs 6 months ago - +8% or approximately $46 higher
  • Vs 1 year ago - +96% or approximately $292 higher
Bull/Bear Factors
Because no market is ever guaranteed to go higher/lower, we try to consider the factors that can sway values so that we are able to act when they occur rather than react.
Bullish Factors
  • The U.S. counter vailing/anti-dumping duty case may get approved – may get approved...a better way of saying that is likely to get approved.  If this case gets approved, Russia and Trinidad will be cut from the U.S. market which puts U.S. producers in control.  Have you ever met a bearish producers?  It doesn't happen often!!!
  • 2023 corn acre expectations are on the rise – without going into all the details, this spring has been rough and we have been dropping our expected corn acre total.  If this is combined with a less than trend line yield growing cycle, 2023 could need corn acres above 93 - 95M.  That is a lot of N demand.
  • The world is still pushing against Russia - while the line continues to blur, most of the world remains less than pleased with Putin which means it is less likely to do business with Russia.  From a UAN perspective, that is huge as Russia accounts for a large chunk of the global UAN export total.  Remove them completely and the world is looking for options that do not exist.
Bearish Factors
  • N.A. application continues to get delayed enough to shrink the window – this needs an explanation.  If N.A. knew that it had plenty of time to get UAN on the crop, once the demand hit, we would likely see prices rise as the market looked to replaced tonnage.  This spring, that app window will be so short, it will be hard to see NOLA values rise.  Inland values will for a short time but it will not have a lasting effect.
  • Current UAN vs literally any grain ratio is horribly high – it is really hard to make a case for why anyone would need to buy UAN for next years crop today.  We are higher than we have ever been in history.  The ratios vs grains is extremely high vs last several years.  There is 11 months until spring '23.  
  • The counter vailing / anti-dumping duty case gets voted no – this is a small chance/huge ramification situation.  If by some small miracle the board votes no, that will allow Trinidad/Russian tons to come back which creates large supplies and more competition.  The fight will be on!
Where are the current uan/grain ratio values today?
We believe that only looking at the flat price of either grains or fertilizer can be misleading:
  • Only selling grain can hurt you if fertilizer prices rise substantially
  • Only buying fertilizer can hurt you if grain prices fall
We look at the ratio "value" to get a better indication of where we are or how many bushels of X does it take to pay for 1 ton of fertilizer.
Would you rather:
  • Spend 100 bushels to pay for 1 ton of UAN
  • Spend 60 bushels to pay for 1 ton of UAN
When we compare the current ratio value against recent years, we start to see if we are high or low.
YOUR VALUES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT
This graph looks at the NOLA UAN price vs the flat grain price. There are no logistics on either product. Your location will look different due to fertilizer logistical costs, grain basis, etc.
image 38992
image 38993
image 38994
image 38995
 
 
Josh Linville’s Thoughts
  • If you are still deciding on when to buy spring tons, don't wait too long.  Eventually, all of this spring demand that has been building is going to burst forward.  We will likely see the entire market come forward at the same time which will strain logistics like we may have never seen.  I understand wanting to wait a little longer in hopes that prices pull down but do not wait too long.  
  • Have the conversation with your supplier.  If you are waiting, you better be talking.  Give them a heads up of what you will need and when.  Give them a fighting chance.
  • Be patient but be prepared this summer.  I do not think we will see summer fill / spring prepay numbers for UAN for a while.  It typically takes longer for UAN than most of the other fertilizers given the long application/demand tail on the season.  Producers/suppliers want to gobble up that in season premium as long as possible.  If they come out with summer fill prices, which are typically lower, they shoot themselves in the foot.  But when the time comes, if it makes sense, be ready to strike.
 
 
 
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