U.S. Gulf/Tampa: Sources reported no price movement in the Tampa market, and continued to call it $540/mt CFR. Likewise, NOLA barges were unchanged from the previous week at $540/st FOB.
June NYMEX rolled off the board May 28 at $4.619/mmBtu, up from May 22’s $4.359/mmBtu. July NYMEX closed May 29 at $4.559/mmBtu.
Eastern Cornbelt: The anhydrous ammonia market remained at $655-$675/st FOB terminals in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low end quoted in Illinois and the upper end out of Indiana terminals.
Sources reported significant planting progress in the region last week, despite powerful storms that surged through central Indiana on May 27 and brought scattered showers to northern Ohio on May 28.
Corn planting as of May 25 was 95 percent complete in Illinois, compared with 87 percent in Indiana and 69 percent in Ohio. Progress was ahead of the five-year average in both Illinois and Indiana, but trailed the average pace in Ohio. USDA reported that fully 88 percent of the corn crop was seeded nationally by May 25, equal to the five-year average pace.
Soybean planting was tracking ahead of the average pace in Illinois and Indiana, with progress rated at 64 percent complete in Illinois and 58 percent in Indiana as of May 25. Ohio growers were trailing the five-year average, however, with only 34 percent of the soybean crop planted by that date. USDA said 59 percent of the soybean crop was planted nationally by May 25, ahead of the five-year average.
Western Cornbelt: Anhydrous ammonia remained flat at $570-$630/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low out of Nebraska terminals and the upper end in Iowa on a spot basis. Delivered ammonia in the Missouri market was also reported at the $630/st level from southern production points.
Favorable weather allowed growers in the Western Cornbelt to plant virtually all of the corn crop by late May, along with most of the soybeans. Planting progress was either equal to or tracking ahead of the five-year average in all three states in the region.
California: Anhydrous ammonia was steady at $720/st DEL in California, with aqua ammonia referenced at the $195/st FOB level in the state.
Wildfires continued to plague Central and Southern California in late May due to worsening drought conditions. The May 27 U.S. Drought Monitor placed nearly all of California in the extreme to exceptional drought categories, the two worst ratings, with only a portion of southern California labeled in the lesser “severe” drought category.
Cotton planting was virtually complete in the state by May 25, with rice planting tracking ahead of the five-year average at 90 percent complete. Sources said fertigation was underway in the state in late May. “California is still going strong, with the sidedress season in full swing,” said one contact.
Pacific Northwest: Fertilizer movement was starting to slow down in the Pacific Northwest. While supplies remained tight for several products, producers had reportedly lifted allocations on dry phosphate tons. Sources continued to report spot outages at some regional warehouses, however.
Although showers dotted parts of the Pacific Northwest in late May, drought conditions were expanding in the region, according to the May 27 U.S. Drought Monitor. A sizable patch of extreme drought was reported in southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho, with severe drought covering much of the southern half of both states. Northern Oregon remained in the abnormally dry to moderate drought categories, while western Washington was generally under moderate to severe drought conditions. Montana remained drought free in late May.
Sources pegged the anhydrous ammonia market at $770/st truck-DEL and $750-$8