U.S. Gulf: The NOLA market held firm for the week, bolstered by reports of UAN continuing to move in the Midwest. Barges were quoted in a range of $275-$280/st ($8.59-$8.75) FOB on light volume, though some sources predicted the next round of business could dip as low as $270/st FOB.
The East Coast vessel price was static at $260-$270/mt CFR.
Eastern Cornbelt: UAN-28 remained in a broad range at $285-$310/st ($10.18-11.07/unit) FOB terminals in Ohio and Indiana, depending on location, with UAN-32 quoted at the $340/st ($10.63/unit) FOB level in the Illinois market.
Western Cornbelt: UAN-32 was steady at $340/st ($10.63/unit) FOB most regional terminals in the Western Cornbelt.
California: UAN pricing in California was down $10/st from last report. Sources pegged the market at $315-$330/st ($9.84-$10.31/unit) FOB coastal terminals in the state, depending on location and supplier, with delivered tons pegged at the $360/st ($11.25/unit) level, give or take. Some suppliers were reportedly sold out in late May, however.
“California is still going strong, with the sidedress season in full swing,” said one contact.
Pacific Northwest: The UAN-32 market was quoted in a broad range at $375-$395/st ($11.72-$12.34/unit) truck-DEL in the Pacific Northwest, depending on supplier and location. Sources said railed tons from the east could probably be had at lower numbers, but no one offered any concrete numbers because rail service remained far too sketchy.
“We can’t rely on rail service to receive deliveries,” said one contact. “Even with product already shipped, we are still experiencing an extra 30-65 day travel time after they have shipped. BNSF must be broken, they can’t get anything right.”
IRM’s UAN-32 postings firmed on May 13 to $395/st ($12.34/unit) DEL in eastern Oregon and Washington.
Western Canada: UAN-28 remained at $445-$460/mt ($15.89-$16.43/unit) DEL in Western Canada, with the lower numbers reported in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.