Lake Butler, Fla.—The Union County Board of Commissioners has set a March 21 date to vote on whether to set a one-year moratorium on approving any new mining permits, which would affect a newly proposed phosphate mine in Northeast Florida (GM March 7, p. 1). The move came after a large crowd of opponents packed a commission meeting March 7. Representatives from mine owner HPPC Enterprises LLC were also on hand. About half of the proposed mine would be in Union County, with the other half in Bradford County. Both counties would have to approve permits. There will be town hall meetings March 16 in Lake Butler and March 14 in Starke to further inform the community about HPPC’s plans.
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Anuvia plant begins large-scale production
Zellwood, Fla.—Anuvia Plant Nutrients has begun large-scale production at its newly-constructed plant in Zellwood, Fla. The A.J. Sackett and Sons Co. on March 11 announced the commissioning of the new facility. Sackett partnered with Anuvia to design a plant to process organic materials into homogenous Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (EEF) (GM July 20, 2015). The process uses a patented technology to create an organic matrix – a unique slow-release mechanism that delivers nutrients that meet the needs of turf, specialty, and agricultural markets. The first products are SymTRX™ for the agricultural market and GreenTRX™ for turf and specialty markets. Sackett designed, detailed, and fabricated the process and handling equipment to Anuvia’s specifications. “The Anuvia products emphasize sustainability and commitment to the 4R Nutrient Stewardship philosophy to use the right source at the right rate at the right time and at the right place. Our products provide a predictable, slow release of nutrients, while at the same time contributing to better soil health,” said Hugh MacGillivray, Anuvia’s executive vice president, marketing and business development. “Our work with Anuvia and the creation of the Zellwood facility is one more step in Sackett’s commitment to engineering and building high-efficiency equipment that supports the 4R Nutrient Stewardship philosophy and the overall trend toward better nutrient stewardship,” said Charles Formisani, Sackett vice president of sales. Capacity at the plant is expected to be approximately 80,000 st/y. The product will be an organic/conventional mix, with a ratio of approximately 16-84 percent, respectively, and will be dry and granular.
Quad Chemical Corp.
Sean Sands, 34, sales manager for Quad Chemical Corp. in Virginia Beach, Va., passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 30. Sands served as sales manager for Quad Chemical for the past four years. He is survived by his wife Nicole, a daughter, a baby expected this summer, and two beloved brown Labrador dogs. A memorial service was held on Feb. 5 at First Baptist Church of Virginia Beach. Condolences can be passed via www.gofundme.com/seansands.
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has named five farmers and their fertilizer retail partners as the 2016 4R Grower Advocates. The awards are part of TFI’s “high-priority initiative to raise awareness and adoption of fertilizer best management practices using the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship,” and were presented at the 2016 Commodity Classic in New Orleans on March 3-5. Winners were given an expense-paid trip to the event, and were honored at a banquet hosted by TFI.
This year’s winners are Powell, Wyo., farmer Ric Rodriguez and Joe Bridges with the J.R. Simplot Co.; Darin Stolte of Olin, Iowa, and Jimmy Daughtery, precision ag specialist with River Valley Co-op in Davenport, Iowa; Thomas Connors of Shipman, Ill., and Regan Wear, agronomy manager for CHS Inc. in Shipman; Calvin Haile of Haile Farm LLC in Dunnsville, Va., and Lucas Householder, general manager of Southern States’ Cooperative’s Eastern Virginia Agronomy Operations in King William, Va.; and Lowell and David Myerholtz of Myerholtz Farms in Gibonsburg, Ohio, and John Fritz, CCA with The Andersons Inc. in Fremont, Ohio.
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) announced on March 8 that it has added two public affairs staff members who will help communicate the work of TFI to the fertilizer industry, stakeholders, and policymakers. Jennifer Martin was named Director of Public Relations and Marketing, and Mike Pepe was named Senior Manager of Public Affairs.
Martin’s primary responsibilities will be helping TFI’s 4R, sustainability, and membership teams develop and implement communication initiatives. She has more than 10 years of experience in the agricultural communication field, most recently serving as director of Food Technology Communications with the International Food Information Council, and prior to that as media relations manager for USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. She is a graduate of Iowa State University and has an M.A. in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown University. Martin can be reached at 202.515.2716 or jmartin@tfi.org.
Pepe will primarily be responsible for policy advocacy communication, grassroots advocacy, and FERTPAC, TFI’s political action committee. He has more than 10 years of experience in political communication and campaign organization, most recently serving with Weber Merritt, where he was responsible for providing strategic counsel and public relations campaigns to trade associations, non-profits, and corporations. Pepe is a graduate of American University and has his J.D. from Suffolk University’s School of Law. He can be reached at 202.515.2719 or mpepe@tfi.org.
CHS Asia Pacific
Bryce Banfield, vice president, CHS Asia Pacific, will succeed Rick Browne as the leader of the CHS Asia Pacific region on May 31. “Bryce has extensive business experience in the Asia Pacific region and will provide our Asia Pac team with the vision and strategic guidance that will help us continue to build our business in Asia,” said Stefano Rettore, senior vice president, CHS Ag Business International.
Browne will retire from CHS on Aug. 3 after serving with the company and its predecessor companies for more than 36 years. He joined the former Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (GTA) organization, which later became Harvest States, in 1979 as a grain buyer. Browne later held a variety of grain merchandising and management positions in St. Paul, Minn., and Portland, Ore., and served as senior vice president, CHS Grain Marketing, from 2001-2011. Browne was also a director for the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, North American Export Grain Association, North American Grain and Feed Trade Association, and several CHS joint ventures.
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL)
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL) Chairman Nir Gilad is stepping down. He will serve until a replacement is named. Gilad was a former senior official with Israel’s Finance Ministry before joining the private sector in 2008.
Transportation
U.S. Gulf: The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood watch in the New Orleans area on March 10-12 in response to a forecast for 7-13 inches of rain. The New Orleans river gauge read 12.7 feet and rising on March 10, while Baton Rouge was above the 30-foot action stage at 31.38 feet and rising.
Algiers Lock navigation was delayed 8-19 hours for the week, shippers said, with as many as 30 boats queued during peak hours. Industrial Lock logged 7-14 hour wait times with nine vessels waiting to lock. Transit through Bayou Sorrel Lock averaged 6-12 hours with 14 vessels in line, and Port Allen Lock reported wait times in the 3-4 hour range.
Industrial Lock was closed to daylight transit on March 9. An unscheduled fall closure at the lock is expected to cause substantial delays. The Corps previously planned to dredge the Baptiste Collette channel for use as an alternate route during the 90-day closure, but a lack of funding to complete the dredge work will leave the Corps without a viable detour, sources said.
Elevated river levels closed Charenton Lock for the week, and an excessive tidal surge kept the East Calumet Floodgate offline. Elevated readings from the West Calumet Floodgate’s east gauge closed that site for the week.
Harvey Lock transit, unavailable since Feb. 29, will remain offline through April 30. The Corps was said to be routing traffic through Algiers Lock, triggering delays.
Navigation through Calcasieu Lock carried a 28-hour wait on March 10, with 28 tows reported to be waiting for service. Clearance through the West Port Arthur Bridge was reduced by a minimum of three feet for the week, with painting and maintenance operations scheduled through April 30.
A tugboat pushing three barges struck the Black Bayou Bridge at Lake Charles, La., on March 7, temporarily closing the Intracoastal Waterway. A large backlog of vessels was waiting by the time of the bridge’s March 9 reopening. Daylight transit through the Galveston Causeway Railroad Bridge was unavailable on March 7-11.
The Corps extended repairs at Brazos Lock through April 29. Repairs to both the east and west floodgates have triggered intermittent shutdowns during daylight hours, Monday through Friday. Brazos Lock delays were called 2-4 hours for the week.
The Corps reported mechanical issues in the east and west chamber gates at Colorado Lock, extending navigation delays to 1-3 hours for the week.
Lower Mississippi River: A flash flood warning was in effect for central Mississippi for March 9-10, and a flash flood watch was issued for March 10-12.
Levels at Vicksburg continued to swell, reaching the 39.5-foot mark on March 10, above the region’s 36-foot action stage. The NWS predicted levels would increase to 42 feet on March 14, just shy of the 43-foot flood stage.
The Memphis area fell under a flood warning on March 9. That gauge read 26.58 feet on March 10, but was predicted to recede over the coming week. Action stage at Memphis begins at 28 feet.
Upper Mississippi River: Shippers reported rainfall in the Upper Mississippi Basin for the week, and hinted that tow lengths could be restricted should levels rise too quickly.
Lock 27 transit times were called 1-4 hours. Navigation through Lock 20 came in at 1-2 hours, while Mel Price Lock delays were reported at 1-2 hours.
Locks 13-17 opened to spring transit last week. Repairs and seasonal maintenance at Lock 9 are scheduled to conclude March 12, opening that lock for the season. Twin Cities-area locks remained closed to navigation on March 10, but sources expected those to return to service late in the week of March 13.
River levels at St. Louis were at 12.96 feet and rising on March 10, and were forecast to peak at 15 feet on March 12-13.
Illinois River: Heavy rains were expected to slow transits on the Illinois River.
Lockport Lock waits were reported at under an hour for the week, while Dresden Island Lock transits were called 1-3 hours. Passage through Marseilles Lock required 2-3 hours, the same as Starved Rock Lock. The Peoria and LaGrange Locks both reported 1-2 hour waits.
Ohio River: High-water conditions on the Ohio River were reduced last week, shippers said, citing a return to “more or less normal” operating conditions.
River levels at Cincinnati fell to 30.75 feet on March 10, but were expected to swell to 35.9 feet by March 14. The Cairo gauge slipped to 37.22 feet on March 10, below the 40-foot flood stage, but forecasts called for levels to begin rising again around March 12.
Delays of roughly 1.5 hours were reported at Lock 53, and both the Dashields and Montgomery Locks saw wait times of 1-2 hours.
The Montgomery Lock auxiliary chamber is scheduled to close March 14 through April 1, with minimal delays expected. Montgomery’s main chamber will shut down May 16 through June 10, reopening to clear traffic on May 28-29 and June 4-5.
Major delays are expected at Geenup Lock starting April 1. The main chamber will be offline through Sept. 30, leaving the auxiliary chamber as the only option for transit.
New Cumberland Lock will shut its auxiliary unit April 4 through May 27, although transit windows are planned for April 16-17, April 30-May 1, and May 15-16. Emsworth Lock is penciled to shut down July 5 through Aug. 10, temporarily reopening on July 16-17 and July 30-31. Shippers expect substantial delays.
Water levels were improved on the Allegheny, Kanawha, and Big Sandy Rivers for the week, but high water was reported on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. The Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lock experienced sporadic 10-11 hour closures last week. Lock maintenance is scheduled to run through April 20.
On the Monongahela River, the Braddock Lock and Dam river chamber remained offline due to equipment failure. Vessels were required to use the site’s land chamber instead.
Arkansas River: Heavy rainfall on the Arkansas River caused shippers to cut tow lengths for the week. Further ahead in 2016, Webbers Falls Lock will close May 16-22, and again between Aug. 24 and Sept. 11, effecting a river shutdown.
Crops/Weather
Grain Futures: As of 4:00 p.m. on March 10, corn, soybean, and wheat futures were higher compared to the week before.
Corn contracts for May 2016 clocked in at $3.6275/bushel, up from the previous week’s $3.565/bushel. December 2016 corn firmed to $3.81/bushel from $3.755/bushel the week before, while corn for March 2017 was $3.8975/bushel, up from $3.8425/bushel at last report.
The May 2016 soybean price rose to $8.8925/bushel from $8.6375/bushel a week earlier. Soybeans for November 2016 were $9.0075/bushel, up from $8.78/bushel, and January 2017 soybeans were posted at $9.0525/bushel, compared with $8.8375/bushel the week before.
Wheat for July 2016 was $4.8325/bushel, up from the previous week’s $4.7575/bushel, and September 2016 wheat firmed to $5.06/bushel from $4.89/bushel at last report. Contracts for July 2017 wheat were listed at $5.51/bushel, up from $5.3525/bushel the week before.
Eastern Cornbelt: Although conditions were wet in many parts of the Eastern Cornbelt, sources reported much warmer temperatures and renewed buying interest from dealers and growers.
Ohio sources reported midweek temperatures in the 60s and 70s, prompting one source to comment that prospects for an early start to spring fieldwork “look good here.” Illinois sources also talked of “warmer weather on the way,” but fieldwork was spotty last week due to frequent showers and muddy field conditions.
Western Cornbelt: Warm weather in the Western Cornbelt helped spur additional preplant work during the second week of March, with sources reporting heavy fertilizer movement taking place in Missouri and parts of Iowa and Nebraska.
One source said fieldwork was just starting in southwestern Iowa at midweek, but a favorable forecast would allow growers in a much broader geography to get going “during the next two days.” A Missouri contact said his area was “running as hard as we can go,” with strong demand straining fertilizer supplies. He saw little chance of a break in the coming weeks, with temperatures expected to reach the 80s in his trade area at mid-month.
Activities were generally focused on field preparation, with minimal planting taking place at this early stage. “There appears to be strong interest in more corn acres for the 2016 crop,” said one regional contact. “This will generate a strong demand for nitrogen, as I’ve predicted all winter. P and K, not so much.”
Northern Plains: The Northern Plains continued to enjoy unseasonably warm temperatures in early March. While some North Dakota sources noted that it is still “way too early” for any significant fieldwork in the region, others reported “a little tillage” going on in their trade areas.
“All the frost is reportedly gone in most of North Dakota, and many people have been saying 7-10 days until spring is starting,” said one regional contact. “I am a little skeptical because we’re supposed to be in the lower 40s next week, but we will see.”
The region’s warming trend resulted in a number of temperature records, including 73 degrees in Bismarck, N.D., and Mobridge, S.D., on Feb. 27, more than 40 degrees warmer than the average temperature for those two locations on that date. Other recent temperature records included 70 degrees in Minneapolis on March 8, and 66 degrees in St. Cloud on the same date.
Northeast: Warmer temperatures were reported in much of the Northeast in early March after a cold and snowy February. A Pennsylvania source reported 70-degree temperatures in his trade area as the week advanced, with growers hoping to start topdressing wheat later this month.
Parts of New England also posted record high temperatures on March 9, including Boston at 77 degrees.
Eastern Canada: Spring-like temperatures settled across much of Eastern Canada during the week, with highs nearly reaching the 20s C in parts of southern Ontario on March 8. The warming trend was followed by rainfall as the week advanced.
“It is 60 degrees here and I saw my first farmer out working the fields yesterday,” reported one regional source on March 9. “Mind you, he was a Mennonite and it was a single furrow plough behind a horse on less than an acre, but it still qualifies.”
The warm weather had many planning for an early start to spring planting. “Yep, it will be early here,” said one contact. “Let’s hope Mother Nature doesn’t drop a nasty surprise on us all in April.” As several noted, the warm spell came just one week after a powerful winter storm brought strong winds, freezing rain, and 15-30 centimeters of snow in a wide band from southern Ontario to northwestern New Brunswick.
Sulfuric Acid
U.S. Gulf: Sulfuric acid market players reported no change in price ideas for vessels imported to the Gulf of Mexico, with the market unchanged at $35-$45/mt CFR.
The CFR levels were traced back to a range of (-)$5-$5/mt FOB, believed to be offered from Northwest European smelters. Price ideas to Brazil were $35-$45/mt CFR, along with $45-$60/mt CFR to Chile, both unchanged from last report.
Trading on the London Metal Exchange was mixed for the week. Copper, lead, nickel, and zinc closed higher on March 9 from the week before, but aluminum was down.
Aluminum fell to $1,564.00/mt from $1,597.00/mt a week earlier, and copper was logged at $4,935.50/mt, an increase from $4,780.00/mt at last report.
Lead was $1,858.00/mt, a rise from $1,795.00/mt at last check, and nickel closed the day a $8,785.00/mt, up from $8,760.00/mt the week before. Zinc was also up slightly, at $1,798.00/mt versus $1,796.50/mt one week earlier.
U.S. Imports: July-January imports were up 10 percent, to 2.34 million st from the year-ago 2.13 million st. January was less robust but still up 6 percent, to 305,451 st from 287,489 st.
Australia: Incitec Pivot Ltd. (IPL) increased estimates regarding the amount of sulfuric acid spilled in a Dec. 27, 2015, train car derailment in Queensland. IPL now estimates the spill at 150 mt, up from initial assessments of about 60 mt. IPL arrived at the updated figure by weighing the acid recovered from the derailed tankers.