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Farmer Fertilizer Focus - Potash

By: Josh Linville, Vice President- Fertilizer

Potash
 
Josh Linville
Director - Fertilizer
What everyone wants to know first, what do we think will happen going forward
If this is the first product that you have read, buckle up because you are about to see this repeated across all products.  If this is the last product you are reading, sorry to keep repeating myself!
Potash values look as though they are going to continue to see price appreciation in the coming weeks/months, barring any sort of unforeseen event.
Based on the conversations that we have had across North America thru spring, potash inventories were emptied during application season.  This gives producers more than enough confidence to hold values flat/push them higher as they know there are plenty of bins to fill (big demand).  Expectations for demand looking ahead continues optimistic with too early forecasts for corn 2022 acreage already discussed north of 91M (big demand).   Put those together with the fact that potash is controlled/produced by relatively few producers.  Few producers means less chance that one will step out of line to gain market share by dropping prices.
The global wildcard remains the political situation in Belarus.  There is a decent amount of potash produced in that country that finds its way around the world.  If global inventories were a little more plentiful, we wouldn't be as concerned.  However, inventories are tight and if the situation continues to spiral and end with sanctions against their country (could include shutting down potash exports), it would mean that prices spike even higher.
We cannot lose focus on the fact that the sands can shift very quickly.  However, taking a snapshot of the current market, it is hard to see potash values dipping in the coming weeks/months.
What has happened in the last 30 days?
Political situation in Belarus continues to spiral and affect potash around the world

There is a good chunk of potash that is produced in Belarus whose product finds its way around the world.  If you haven't seen in the news, there has been a political flare up in country that is resulting in a war of words as well as increased pressure in the form of sanctions.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, we could see sanctions placed against potash exports which would reduce the available supply globally.  If global inventories were plentiful, it wouldn't be that big a deal.  Unfortunately, that isn't the case.  As tight as it is, if we do see sanctions put into place, values are likely to climb higher.

I still believe that their product would find homes.  Just that the routes would have to be...more unique, we will say!  Iran is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, yet their fertilizer finds homes.  The Belarus situation would cause a short term blip but eventually settle down.

North American values continue to climb

During normal years, potash values would deteriorate coming out of the spring application season in North America.  Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year, this is anything but normal!!!

The spring season ended with inventories depleted and buyers begging for fill out of fear of repeating 2008 (grain values spiked similar to today and fertilizer prices jumped substantially higher than today).  With that combo, values were initially steady out of spring and have climbed since then.  In fact, NOLA potash values are approximately $70 higher than where they were toward the end of April.  

Where are current values in relation to the past
For potash, we use NOLA/New Orleans Louisiana as our base point as it is the easiest spot to track.
  • Vs 30 days ago - +17% or approximately $55 higher
  • Vs 90 days ago - +17% or approximately $55 higher;
  • Vs 6 months ago - +59% or approximately $141 higher;
  • Vs 1 year ago - +89% or approximately $179 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
  • Inventories were tight coming out of spring – like most fertilizers, many repeated the same story in late spring: potash was hard to find to finish applications.  This spring ended with potash inventories across North America extremely low.  Lot of bins to fill and producers are all too aware of that fact and will want to capitalize on it.
  • Fall '21/Spring '22 demand looks solid – not only are current inventories low but forward looking demand appears solid.  For potash producers, the outlook doesn't get much better looking than right now.
  • Belarus could continue to spiral and remove needed potash supplies from the global market – I'm never one to bet on political situations.  Too many moving parts.  However, if that situation continues to get worse and start to affect potash exports, the world is going to see prices even higher.
Bearish Factors
  • Grain prices could plummet – current grain/potash ratios are high vs recent years.  However, the current low inventory/high demand situation is continuing to support higher prices.  If we were to see corn prices plummet (for example), those ratios would get much worse.  Farmers would all of sudden not feel that they need to spend money and demand could stop.  
  • High potash prices could alter demand – even if grain prices hold, we could see a shift in purchasing/application patterns.  If prices are high enough, demand that normally steps forward in June/July may wait until fall.  Applications that typically get done in the fall may decide to wait until spring.  Decisions may be made to lower application rates.  Keeping supplies steady and decreasing demand typically means prices falter.  
  • Out of all fertilizer, potash is the easiest product to add production to – potash is mined out of the ground.  It is a fairly simple process when compared to products like nitrogen.  Producers could be looking to take advantage of current prices by increasing daily output, dusting off plans for new mines, etc.  If enough extra is made, it will eventually weigh on the marketplace.
POTASH VALUES ARE HIGHER. GRAIN VALUES ARE HIGHER. ARE WE BETTER OR WORSE OFF THAN WHERE WE WERE?
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 75 bushels to pay for 1 ton of potash
  • Spend 45 bushels to pay for 1 ton of potash.
When we compare the current ratio value against recent years, we start to see if we are high or low.
The dotted line compares the markets expectation of forward prices (fertilizer futures settlement for each month) against the new crop grain and shows us what to expect in the current environment.
YOUR VALUES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT
This graph looks at the NOLA potash 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.
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Josh Linville’s Thoughts
  • Potash prices are significantly higher than where they were not only last year during this time but in recent weeks.  Unfortunately, it is hard to come up with scenarios where potash prices drop in the coming months (it is possible, but right now not likely).  Everyone needs to think thru their operation, do their best to not get upset about it and make the best decision for them.
  • Keep in mind that there is no set rule that you have to purchase anything today.  It is early June.  Application will not start until November/December.  A lot of things can change in 4 - 5 months.
  • If you decide to drag your feet on purchasing or delay your application, HAVE A TALK WITH YOUR SUPPLIER/APPLICATOR.  Most operations are set up for normal demand in the fall and spring.  If enough of the market decides to delay and that is not conveyed, you might not like the results (delays in product arriving, delays in spreading, etc).  
  • When you get the call regarding fall pricing, DO NOT get mad at your supplier!  It will be easy to do with prices double what they were last year.  Your supplier is likely just as mad at the current price.  There is literally nothing they can do about it.
 
 
  • Fertilizers

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