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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
The Europe situation continues to worry me and that makes me think we have found a bottom
I cannot even believe I am saying this because it should mean large swathes of the Midwest will be looking at a UAN price around $0.80/lb of actual N.  That is just how stupid today's markets are...
...however, that is the way today's markets are.  Producers have rolled out their summer fill programs and it sounds like the uptake is "ok".  
We are going to see a lot more imports coming from Russia/Trinidad now that CF has lost their counter vailing / anti-dumping duty case.  That should mean that UAN prices will get much softer.  Unfortunately, I think we will see N.A. producers shift their production away from UAN and back toward urea in order to bring balance to the market.
If we lose much more of Europe, the world gets very tight, very quickly.  There are certainly roads that lead to lower prices but as I write this, I'm struggling to believe they will happen.
should you buy your Spring '23 uan needs today?
Time to start considering layers for spring
We now know the final ruling of the CV/A-D duty case.  We now know the summer fill program prices.  We are now getting more worried that further production cuts are coming.
While I'm not willing to stand on a box and scream that prices will only go up from here (still paths lower), but it certainly seems that way with the possibility (Europe) that it gets much worse/higher priced before it gets better.
Today probably isn't a bad time to lock in a layer to get started for spring preplant.  Spring sidedress, I'm not willing to make that same call.
What has happened in the last 30 days?
CF loses its CV/A-D duty case against Russia and Trinidad
There was no way I could write about UAN without starting with this ruling!
It is difficult to explain how monumental this is.  For them to look at the case, agree that it should be looked at, look at it, agree to proceed, come up with a rate that was enormous, and then finish by saying "I know we just did all those things that indicate a yes vote, but no" is huge.  It just doesn't happen.
Except it has and that means a return of imports from both nations.
In past months, I discussed how without Trinidad and Russian imports, there was very little product left around the world.  Only about 500K of product remained.  Now, both countries are free to come here and those 2 countries combine for just over 50% or just over 4M tons per year.  Graph/numbers are below.
Now, it does not seem that the entire story is told.  CF continues to push and say that at the very least Russia should be blocked from coming here.  I have absolutely no idea how this can/will proceed.  We believed that the no vote was the end of it.  Maybe this is CF grasping at straws with no chance of changing their minds.  Time will tell.
In the meantime, N.A. has its answer to a very big and important question.
image 42602
Summer fill programs are announced shortly after no vote
These programs were announced barely 24 hours removed from the no vote.  They did not waste any time!
I was a bit surprised at the price when they were announced.  At that point, urea values were still very low (they had not rallied yet) and it seemed they were desperately trying to hold it together.  Fortunately for them, the urea market rallied big and brought the N prices in line.
Not only was a surprised, but I was not a fan of the price by the process that I use:
  • High price vs corn historical ratio
  • High price vs historical flat price
  • High price vs urea (at that time)

However, I forgot one of the big things that I preach.  There was a decent number of buyers who decided it was worthwhile because they still see a path to solid profits next year for their overall operation.  In the end, if the farmer is making money things work.

European cost of production remains a concern

I know I've talked about this over and over and over again.  I'm sorry, but it needs to be said.

Take another look at the chart above that goes thru global production/exports.  Europe accounts for over 7M tons of UAN production per year.  That is 1/5th of global production.

If the natural gas situation continues/gets worse, we could see a lot more production go down.  It could get bad enough that European prices rally enough to start calling on imports from not only Trinidad and Russia (away from N.A.) but also from North America itself.  At that point, it becomes a battle for who will pay more for the same ton.  

...producers would be smiling ear to ear...

 
Where are current values in relation to the past
NOLA/New Orleans, Louisiana 
  • Vs 30 days ago - -15% or approximately $70 lower
  • Vs 90 days ago - -34% or approximately $214 lower
  • Vs 6 months ago - -27% or approximately $150 lower
  • Vs 1 year ago - +35% or approximately $106 higher

Black Sea

  • Vs 30 days ago - +1% or approximately $5 higher
  • Vs 90 days ago - -20% or approximately $130 lower
  • Vs 6 months ago - -18% or approximately $113 lower
  • Vs 1 year ago - +64% or approximately $198 lower
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
  • Global urea/NH3 values rising will take UAN with them – for the last year, UAN has remained the highest priced N alternative as imports were blocked and N.A. producers controlled the narrative.  Now, UAN is back in line with urea and NH3.  However, if urea and NH3 continue to rally, that will leave UAN as the cheap source and pull those values with it.
  • European production fears continue – today, we estimate that it costs European production facilities almost $1,000USD to produce a single ton of UAN.  Obviously, that is a big number and is not supported by the current global market.  We have not heard of any big additional plant downtime announcements...but we are on very high alert.  If they start, watch out.
  • Reduced N.A. UAN production for FY 23 - during the fertilizer year 2022, N.A. nitrogen producers shifted their production more toward UAN and less toward urea as imports were cut and UAN remained the premium product.  Now, those imports will start flowing again which should mean we are flush with product.  However, N.A. producers will shift back to balance the S&D (i.e. keep UAN prices up) during the fertilizer year 2023.
Bearish Factors
  • "Why buy today at stupidly high prices when I can wait until spring?" – this year, there is a wide array of opinions of how to approach purchases for next years crop.  I think there is a substantial number of farmers who are looking at today's prices and wondering why in the world they need to jump when April is a full 8 months away.  Better to wait and see if a reset comes later this year/early next year.  If enough demand stays away, retailers will be hesitant to buy more.  If retailers are hesitant, suppliers/producers get backed up with product and that can force them to fire sale.
  • Counter vailing / anti-dumping duty no vote means more competition – I know I listed this as a bear factor for a while but honestly didn't see the no vote coming!  Now that we know it is a no, tons from Russia/Trinidad can flow into the U.S. marketplace.  That means more tons available to buy.  That means more sellers.  That means more competition.
  • Grain prices get destroyed – whether some U.S. politicians want to admit it or not, we are currently in a recession.  At least when I was in school, it was 2 quarters of negative GDP in a row and that is what we just went thru.  Now, if this turns into a major recession, we could see the funds start pulling out of the grain markets.  If that happens, grain prices will be under fire.  UAN is already high priced vs grains.  Lowering grain values will only make it worse...much worse.
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 45358
image 45359
image 45360
image 45361
image 45362
image 45363
image 45364
image 45365
 
Josh Linville’s Thoughts
  • Make your own decision - these are tough times, folks.  There are a lot of global factors that could push prices higher and a lot of global factors that could push them lower.  Certainly seems there is no "one size fits all" approach to this thing.  At the end of the day, we need to know what works for us.  Not our neighbor.  Not our supplier.  For us.  Look at the numbers and make the decision that best fits you and your farm.
  • Hedge - if you do lock in UAN, please consider selling some grain next year.  I think I will have said this on every single newsletter but the worst outcome is not that we buy UAN and the price of UAN falls.  No, the worst situation is that we buy UAN and the price of grain falls.  If the price of UAN falls, it is an opportunity cost.  If the price of grain falls, we are in a bad situation.  You have to decide to do what you are most comfortable with but if you have any comfort in selling ahead, please consider it.  
  • Hold on tight - this fertilizer year looks like it is going to have a lot of volatility.  Keep your head on a swivel and look for those opportunities.  There is plenty of time before next spring but 8 months will fly by.
 
 
 
  • Fertilizers

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