U.S. Gulf/Tampa: The Tampa and NOLA markets remained quiet at $540/mt CFR and $540/st FOB, respectively, with no new business reported.
July NYMEX prices closed June 5 at $4.701/mmBtu, up from May 29’s $4.559/mmBtu.
Eastern Cornbelt: Sources in the Eastern Cornbelt reported another busy week as growers worked to finish planting and move on to sidedressing and post-emergence spraying. Strong thunderstorms were reported in western Illinois and central Indiana at midweek, however, with showers also moving through northern Ohio.
Corn and soybean planting as of June 1 was ahead of the five-year average in Illinois and Indiana, with 95-98 percent of the corn and 81-86 percent of the soybeans seeded in those two states. Ohio was trailing slightly, with 88 percent of the corn and 66 percent of the soybeans planted by that date.
Sources reported the anhydrous ammonia market at $650-$660/st FOB regional terminals in the Eastern Cornbelt for the last sales, although inventories were nearly tapped out in early June. Suppliers were already working on restocking for the fall season.
“I hope our crystal ball is better for fall than it was for spring; we could have moved so many more tons through our locations,” said one regional contact. “People are already kicking tires for the fall season, but no number has been set yet.”
Western Cornbelt: Damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rains hit parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and northern Missouri on June 3. News reports said up to 4 inches of rain were reported in some areas, along with baseball-sized hail and 85 mph wind gusts. Tornados were also confirmed in central and southwestern Iowa.
Not all areas of the Western Cornbelt were in the storm’s path, however. Central Missouri sources reported very dry conditions at midweek, which have slowed fertilizer movement. “We should have a lot of topdressing demand on corn, but everyone is holding back because we can’t get rain,” said one Missouri contact. “If it doesn’t rain here soon, our season will be over and we will carry over quite a bit of product.”
Anhydrous ammonia was also reported in a broad range, from a low of $570/st FOB in Nebraska to a high of $645/st FOB Palmyra, Mo. Sources pegged the Iowa ammonia market in the $620-$630/st FOB range, and delivered ammonia in the Missouri market was reported at the $620/st level from southern production points.
Northern Plains: The Northern Plains reported rapid planting progress in late May and early June, despite spotty storm activity. Powerful thunderstorms moved through Minnesota and South Dakota on June 1, and a tornado was confirmed near Watford City, N.D., on May 26.
Corn planting as of June 1 had progressed to 81 percent complete in Minnesota, 86 percent in North Dakota, and 96 percent in South Dakota. Planting trailed the five-year average in Minnesota and North Dakota, but the pace in North Dakota had jumped nearly 20 percent from the previous week.
The soybean crop was 81 percent planted in South Dakota as of June 1, compared with 75 percent in Minnesota and 63 percent in North Dakota. North Dakota soybean growers had boosted progress by more than 30 percent from the prior week.
As for other crops, spring wheat and barley planting had progressed to 82-83 percent complete in North Dakota by June 1, compared with 95 percent in South Dakota and 78-84 percent in Minnesota. The sunflower crop in the Dakotas was 26-29 percent planted by that date, and growers in Minnesota and North Dakota had fully 97-99 percent of the sugar beet crop planted by June 1.
Sources said fertilizer demand was winding down in the region, and inventories were drawn down for numerous products.
The anhydrou