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Dry conditions could dictate fertilizer demand

Dry conditions in Missouri are affecting some fertilizer demand.

MFA’s Director of Plant Foods Chris DeMoss says there was good demand for fertilizer this spring across Missouri, but farmers are slow to top dress corn as the dry conditions worsen. He says the application window is narrowing.

“I think farmers are waiting on the rain, but it’s also, at some point, going to be far enough along that not much more is done. We’ll see more topdressing in May and early June and by July, it’s already grown enough that it doesn’t do much good to add nitrogen.”

DeMoss says farmers across the Midwest are starting to think about fall fertilizer and the dry conditions could dictate demand. However…

“We probably don’t have enough potassium and phosphorus in the ground anyway. That’s something to think about, farmers should know where their needs are at based on soil sampling.”

MFA has a new 14,000-ton dry fertilizer facility in Higginsville, Missouri that opened earlier this year. The cooperative hosted tours this week.