U.S. Gulf/Tampa: The Tampa price for December moved down to $450/mt CFR from November’s $480/mt CFR. Most had been expecting some sort of drop due to a soft international market. The $30/mt drop, however, surprised a few sources.
U.S. ammonia imports were down 17 percent for July-September, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, falling to 1.49 million st from the year-ago 1.79 million st.
December NYMEX natural gas closed Nov. 14 at $3.702/mmBtu, up from the week-ago $3.605/mmBtu.
Eastern Cornbelt: A massive storm on Nov. 17 brought multiple tornadoes to Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, causing significant damage and claiming at least eight lives, with six of those deaths reported in Illinois. The Sunday storm also brought damaging straight-line winds and hail to all three states, causing widespread power outages.
The National Weather Service reported that at least 16 tornadoes struck Illinois on Nov. 18, while as many as 26 were reported in Indiana, making it the third most active tornado day in Indiana’s history. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn declared 13 counties as state disaster areas in the wake of the storm.
The November storm also brought rain and hail to some areas, but sources reported minimal impacts to crops because the regional harvest was nearly finished. As of Nov. 17, USDA reported the corn harvest at 95 percent complete in Illinois, 92 percent in Indiana, and 87 percent in Ohio, while the soybean harvest stood at 97-100 percent complete in the region.
Fall ammonia volumes continued to lag in the region. The anhydrous ammonia market remained at $550-$565/st FOB, with the low reported in Illinois and the upper end FOB Huntington, Ind.
Western Cornbelt: The powerful Nov. 17 storm that brought multiple tornadoes to the Midwest focused its rage primarily in the Eastern Cornbelt, but parts of the Western Cornbelt also experienced wild weather. Local reports talked of strong winds in eastern Iowa and eastern Missouri on Nov. 17, with widespread power outages reported in the St. Louis area.
Harvest activities were rapidly winding down in the region at mid-month. As of Nov. 17, 91-94 percent of the regional corn crop was in the bin, while the soybean harvest had progressed to 86 percent complete in Missouri and 99-100 percent complete in Iowa and Nebraska.
Missouri cotton growers were still trailing the average pace with only 75 percent of the crop harvested by Nov. 17, but the region’s sorghum harvest was nearly finished at 93-97 percent complete by that date.
The anhydrous ammonia market remained at $510-$530/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low in Nebraska. Delivered ammonia in Missouri was quoted at $540-$550/st from southern production points.
Northern Plains: Although the first days of November brought nearly a foot of snow to parts of South Dakota, warmer weather at mid-month allowed growers to move rapidly on the regional harvest.
As of Nov. 17, the corn harvest was rated at 94 percent complete in Minnesota, 88 percent in South Dakota, and 78 percent in North Dakota, with all three states tracking nearly 10 percentage points ahead of the five-year average. The regional soybean harvest was virtually complete by that date, while the sunflower harvest lagged at 62-63 percent complete in the Dakotas, some 20 percentage points behind the average due to late crop maturation.
Sources reported some fall fertilizer work taking place in the region, but the pace remained slow. One Minnesota source described fall volumes in his trade area as less than average. “Weather has been a factor, but maybe the price of corn has told them there is no hurry,” he said, adding that growers now expect dealers to be fully stocked and able to “attend to their needs in spring as well