Thank you to Lydia Noordegraaf, of Holmes Agro for answering our questions! 

What was the biggest challenge you saw in 2022?

The uncertainty at the beginning of the year in terms of supply and tariffs based on the happenings with Russia and Ukraine, coupled with the already volatile fertilizer market, made things challenging.

What will be an opportunity for 2023?

We are fortunate to be in the production area that we are. There is great potential for high yields, with great opportunities to market our products locally and globally.

What is the ‘inputs’ situation like for 2023 so far? Prices and Availability? 

• Overall, the market is similar to last spring in terms of price, and supply is adequate for spring needs.
• The nitrogen market has been the most variable. Back in February the price fell due to lack of buying and demand. There was less imported urea last fall which has created more in-season demand now, meaning there is a good chance we will see a slight increase in price moving into spring. As of right now urea is still a better buy over UAN per pound of nitrogen.
• Not much has happened in the phosphate market. There are not many suppliers globally, and the phosphate market is very closely matched to supply and demand.
• The potash market has stabilized since the last price drop in January. Similar to the nitrogen market the price decrease was due to the lack of market demand. Russian exports are strong once again making the global market well supplied and we don’t expect much change through spring.

Can you give one piece of advice for farmers heading into 2023?

Know your cost of production and have a marketing plan, but also be disciplined with that plan.