Fertiliser Price Tracker

jackrussell101

Member
Mixed Farmer
Just out of interest for any of the more experienced farmers on here, I'm fairly young and haven't had a long career in agriculture, have you or your parents/grandparents ever experienced a spike in fertiliser prices before?

To the extent that we are experiencing now?

Also does everyone believe that if less fertiliser is used then there could be a reasonable reduction in harvests?

It just seems crazy if it were to happen, I can't imagine a situation where we're short of food... I'm only in my 30's! I'm sure if my grandparents were alive today they would tell me about such times!
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Just out of interest for any of the more experienced farmers on here, I'm fairly young and haven't had a long career in agriculture, have you or your parents/grandparents ever experienced a spike in fertiliser prices before?

To the extent that we are experiencing now?

Also does everyone believe that if less fertiliser is used then there could be a reasonable reduction in harvests?

It just seems crazy if it were to happen, I can't imagine a situation where we're short of food... I'm only in my 30's! I'm sure if my grandparents were alive today they would tell me about such times!
If it throws a load more effort at increasing n use efficiency it can only be a good thing.
Every other article is about it now, hardly any before. Shame it takes this to make us try and find a solution, cheap fert makes us very lazy!
 

Renaultman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Darlington
Just out of interest for any of the more experienced farmers on here, I'm fairly young and haven't had a long career in agriculture, have you or your parents/grandparents ever experienced a spike in fertiliser prices before?

To the extent that we are experiencing now?

Also does everyone believe that if less fertiliser is used then there could be a reasonable reduction in harvests?

It just seems crazy if it were to happen, I can't imagine a situation where we're short of food... I'm only in my 30's! I'm sure if my grandparents were alive today they would tell me about such times!
I'm trying to remember an event in the late 70s I think 🤔 when ICI slashed the price of N for a short while then it went right up Some local farmers had sheds full if cheap fert where most were paying through the nose.
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Just out of interest for any of the more experienced farmers on here, I'm fairly young and haven't had a long career in agriculture, have you or your parents/grandparents ever experienced a spike in fertiliser prices before?

To the extent that we are experiencing now?

Also does everyone believe that if less fertiliser is used then there could be a reasonable reduction in harvests?

It just seems crazy if it were to happen, I can't imagine a situation where we're short of food... I'm only in my 30's! I'm sure if my grandparents were alive today they would tell me about such times!

I'm fairly young (42), but remember when phosphate went crazy. That would only have been a decade ago or thereabouts. Tsp was well into the £600s iirc.

Depending on the season, ten percent less fert might mean no yield loss or significant yield loss. And a decline in pushing for milling. If I had to trim ten percent, it would be that "last extra bag" on milling wheat. But then if everyone does that and we have a dull grainfill, that will be the most profitable application !

Doesn't help to overthink!
 

cricketandcrops

Member
BASIS
Location
Lincolnshire
If it throws a load more effort at increasing n use efficiency it can only be a good thing.
Every other article is about it now, hardly any before. Shame it takes this to make us try and find a solution, cheap fert makes us very lazy!
Some of us have been talking about NUE for long enough, however as you say often would get told "your thing says need 30 kg N, I was planning on putting on 60 kg N, lets go at 50 then" or "well I've got it in the shed so might as well put it on" only time I ever get questions on N-Sensor or N-Tester is when it says to put on less N...........that might be different in spring 22 !!!
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Just out of interest for any of the more experienced farmers on here, I'm fairly young and haven't had a long career in agriculture, have you or your parents/grandparents ever experienced a spike in fertiliser prices before?

To the extent that we are experiencing now?

Also does everyone believe that if less fertiliser is used then there could be a reasonable reduction in harvests?

It just seems crazy if it were to happen, I can't imagine a situation where we're short of food... I'm only in my 30's! I'm sure if my grandparents were alive today they would tell me about such times!
years ago we had a lot ordered at £60ton, never turned up, and had to find from elsewhere at £115 ton, x 4 artics, that hurt. 75 caught us out, we were injecting urea for all season grass growth, the drought that year, made it a waste of time, and useless.

Generally, chemical fertiliser is not climate friendly, either in it's manufacture, or use, and has been a very easy, and convenient product to use, which produces good results. It has replaced good rotations though, pre fert, fertility was based on a 'proper' rotation, building up soil fertility, to take a cash crop, or two. That has changed to taking continuous cash crops, only possible by using fert, to replace rotation. And many farmers today, think that is the 'normal' practice. Farmers, on very light soils, are finding problems, with that, continuous cultivation, has depleted soil structure, which is needed, with fert, to produce a crop.

So, if fert use is restricted, either by price, or tax/law, to maintain crop yields, an alternative needs to be found, or you accept lower yields, that's pretty obvious, it's the how, that isn't. Pre extensive use of fert, a huge amount of research was going into building soil fertility, by rotation, different crops etc, all that research, went out the window, when fert came in, the easy, reliable alternative, that has remained the 'stalwart' behind decent yields, ever since, till now. So replacing/reducing fert use, you have to look back, to that early research, to find answers, luckily we have plenty of modern 'tools' to help.
 
Last edited:

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
Some of us have been talking about NUE for long enough, however as you say often would get told "your thing says need 30 kg N, I was planning on putting on 60 kg N, lets go at 50 then" or "well I've got it in the shed so might as well put it on" only time I ever get questions on N-Sensor or N-Tester is when it says to put on less N...........that might be different in spring 22 !!!

I can well imagine that!

Farmers are very risk averse on things like that - every season is different so the theory of better to put more on and be sure of full potential than save a bit and lose potential has some logic. Farmers never want to risk losing yield through something they have done....enough of it gets lost through matters beyond their control so holding on to have you have is bad enough at the best of times.

Best option in scenarios like you mention are to do a field or two each way and keep repeating it for a few years.


(Not that I need tell you that - you have plenty of experience on both sides of the fence)
 
Last edited:

cricketandcrops

Member
BASIS
Location
Lincolnshire
I can well imagin that!

Farmers are very risk averse on things like that - every season is different so the theory of better to put more on and be sure of full potential than save a bit and lose potential has some logic. Farmers never want to risk losing yield through something they have done....enough of it gets lost through matters beyond their control so holding on to have you have is bad enough at the best of times.

Best option in scenarios like you mention are to do a field or two each way and keep repeating it for a few years.


(Not that I need tell you that - you have plenty of experience on both sides of the fence)
Agree total risk management, and with milling wheat in particular harder to not do the extra N. I always like to try new things, last year pushed one wheat field to 300 kg N vs farm standard of 210 kg N...............yield difference = zero! however the oilseed rape crop looks stunning, it will need about 140 kg N tops!
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Osr frequently used to look better after milling wheat than feed, which I out down to a larger reservoir of soil N in August. You then "get that back" by needing less N on the osr.

I'm currently looking at late winter wheat with my daddy saying it won't need more N and it will just produce less (useless) straw. Personally I can't wait to get some Piamon on it, then spend spring rolling it repeatedly.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Some of us have been talking about NUE for long enough, however as you say often would get told "your thing says need 30 kg N, I was planning on putting on 60 kg N, lets go at 50 then" or "well I've got it in the shed so might as well put it on" only time I ever get questions on N-Sensor or N-Tester is when it says to put on less N...........that might be different in spring 22 !!!
I was thinking more in terms of soil biology etc making it more efficient as opposed to tools like that
 

David.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
J11 M40
@JR101
You only have to go back to 2008, I think it was... stand to be corrected without checking back.
Some wheat had sold for approaching £200 per ton, so early Nitram at Cereals event started at about £300 and got to £329. Urea peaked at about £425.
Best thing to have done was nothing, it was all back 100 quid by April.
 

Farma Parma

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Northumberlandia
@JR101
You only have to go back to 2008, I think it was... stand to be corrected without checking back.
Some wheat had sold for approaching £200 per ton, so early Nitram at Cereals event started at about £300 and got to £329. Urea peaked at about £425.
Best thing to have done was nothing, it was all back 100 quid by April.
I cant see that being the case going forward atm mind.
 

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
I think the biggest issue is the potential supply, I have always ordered our small load and a bit in early new year. I have never had a position where supply might be an issue regardless of price. I did order in Oct just to ensure it was in the shed for the first time ever
Just out of interest for any of the more experienced farmers on here, I'm fairly young and haven't had a long career in agriculture, have you or your parents/grandparents ever experienced a spike in fertiliser prices before?

To the extent that we are experiencing now?

Also does everyone believe that if less fertiliser is used then there could be a reasonable reduction in harvests?

It just seems crazy if it were to happen, I can't imagine a situation where we're short of food... I'm only in my 30's! I'm sure if my grandparents were alive today they would tell me about such times!
 
Last edited:

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top