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Farmer Fertilizer Focus - Potash

By: Josh Linville, Vice President- Fertilizer

Banner Fertilizer
POTASH
 
Josh Linville
Director - Fertilizer
What everyone wants to know first, what do we think will happen going forward
30 days ago, I wrote this for my thoughts on the potash market going forward:
"I still see potash pricing as a bit of a toss up...but you are not signed up for this for me to sit here and tell you I'm not sure.
Right now, I'm leaning bullish on the potash market moving forward into spring season."
I guess I should have stuck to my guns on thinking the toss up was the right call.  30 days later, the price of potash has only changed by $2.50 (to the lower).
Today, I'm still thinking that potash is a toss up and that prices likely will not do much going forward.  If I had written this 15 days ago, I would have been in the bull camp.  However:
  • Seems the Russia/Ukraine situation is cooling down a bit - this possible war scenario was one of those low probability/high impact situations.  Russia controls a big chunk of the global potash operating capacity.  If war did break out, I could see a lot of the free world turning their goods away which would greatly reduce supply.  Luckily, it seems that talks are on the horizon and troop drawdowns have been occurring.
  • Not hearing a lot in the way of prepay demand - this isn't to say it isn't there but I think a lot of you are content to sit back and wait to see what happens between now and spring.  Without a huge demand push, values will not be pressured higher.
  • Lot of uncertainty for crop mix in 2022 - I'm hearing values all over the place.  Mostly in terms of corn acres.  We continue to put our corn acreage at 91M until we get a better view.  If that is the number, we will end the spring low on inventories but will have enough.

I hate situations like this where I can come up with a very bullish scenario and in the same breath, talk the market down.  However, that is where we are today. 

 

What has happened in the last 30 days?
The Russia/Ukraine political situation continues
2 weeks ago, I was almost certain that Russia was going to invade the Ukraine.  They had amassed a huge number of troops and military equipment on the Ukrainian border and showed little signs of slowing.  It almost seemed imminent.
However, the last couple weeks has seen the situation die down a bit.  Russia has removed some troops and it sounds like talks are scheduled for early 2022.  This does not mean the situation is over, but it is a great step forward.
For the global potash market, this is also great news.  Russia has an estimated total production capacity of potash around 19M tons or 19% of the world total.  If we were to lose these tons "overnight", we would likely be looking at a bullish scenario.
That's about it!!
It was a very slow month for potash.  Sometimes that happens and it is reflected in the price movement...or lack of.
We have to remember that this is the potash market and things typically unfold rather slowly.  What has happened to potash in the last 12 or so months has been the exception, not the rule.
That isn't to say that we should not watch closely.  As soon as we get complacent, the market will punish us!!!
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 - unchanged percentage or approximately $2 lower
  • Vs 90 days ago - +3% or approximately $23 higher
  • Vs 6 months ago - +38% or approximately $187 higher
  • Vs 1 year ago - +172% or approximately $432 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
  • Russia/Ukraine situation deteriorates to war –  I know this is an extremely low probability situation.  I am not here saying I am really confident they go to war.  However, while the likelihood is low, the ramifications are huge.  Belarus and Russia account for approximately 1/3rd of global potash production.  If there is an all out war that shuts down their exports, prices are jumping fast.
  • Some estimate corn acreage in the 93 - 96M range – we continue to use a "conservative" 91M acres of corn to be planted in 2022.  All of our demand models use that number.  However, if the number truly becomes one of these higher estimates, then we have vastly underestimated demand.  With inventories already tight, that situation would push potash pricing higher immediately.
  • Big fall = low inventories – this has been a FANTASTIC fall application weather window.  Everything we wanted to get done has gotten done.  Not to say that some areas haven't struggled (drought) but by large, it has been good.  That means that we have likely reduced potash inventories back to low levels.  This will help producers remain bullish on their price ideas thru winter and into spring.
Bearish Factors
  • Grain price collapse– we continue to believe that if grain prices start to fall, one of the first input victims will be potash.  There are a tremendous amount of acres out there that continue to be profitable when planting corn in 2022.  However, that profit is not huge.  That means that any cut to income will result in farmers looking to cut input cost.
  • High price of potash causes producers to ramp up production – if this hasn't happened by now, chances are it will not.   However, that doesn't mean that it still cannot.  Potash producers are making a ton of money right now.  The temptation is there to increase production to take advantage of these margins.  If one producer is heard doing it, no doubt others will follow and cause supplies to ramp up.
  • Farmer frustration causes large demand destruction - let's face it, you are tired of seeing input prices skyrocket every time grain prices move higher.  You need to find a way to cut input costs going into 2022 and for a lot of operations, potash can be one of the first to go.  In 2008, we saw potash demand down 40% due to high price potash/low price corn.  Today, the price of corn is still decent but potash is well above that value increase.  If we see huge amounts of demand destruction again, the market will struggle to hold.
Where are the current potash/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 120 bushels to pay for 1 ton of potash
  • Spend 60 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.
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
  • If you are considering cutting your potash application rates in an attempt to save money, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Just make sure that it is a rational decision.  If cutting your potash rate saves you $5/acre but it reduces your yield potential by 2 bushels (corn, for example), you are losing money.  Make the smart, economic, logical decision.
  • Remember that in the fertilizer world, there are times when fundamentals drive price movements and times when emotion drives price movements.  Personally, it seems like the overall fertilizer market is moving more toward an emotional response which could cause prices to dip.  I'm not holding my breath but a lot of the market is scared of holding too much length when prices do drop.  They will be watching for any red flag to liquidate.
  • Enjoy the winter as much as you can.  I know everyone works 12 months out of the year but winter is typically a very slow period.  Everyone has just gotten done working themselves to death.  Enjoy this slow period because spring is literally just around the corner!!
 
 
  • Fertilizers

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