Many producers are sick of this spring’s cool temperatures, but the inclement weather might have prevented tight supplies at fertilizer retailers.
Greg Marshall, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said fertilizer retailers have told him that supply is stable, mainly because of the stop and start nature of seeding this spring.
“It’s because seeding has been going so slow. Farmers aren’t using the product so quickly, so suppliers are able to keep up,” said Marshall. “The cold weather is a blessing in one way.”
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He said most Saskatchewan farmers balked at the high fertilizer prices last fall, holding off their purchases and application until this spring, based on a hope of lower prices.
The refusal to buy was expected to cause a supply shortage this spring.
However, calls to retailers and Marshall’s survey of retailers indicates that the supply crunch has not developed.
But Tisdale, Sask., farmer David Spencer said truckers were having trouble keeping up with demand for anhydrous ammonia at the fertilizer dealer in his region. The lack of supply was causing a delay for farmers, but Spencer couldn’t say if the wait was hours or days.
As well, on a day last week with a high of 5 C, Marshall said he noticed a long lineup at a fertilizer dealership in Raymore, Sask., which indicated that producers were taking advantage of another cool spring day to buy fertilizer.
