A contractor working at the Simplot Soil Builders fertilizer operation in Hershey, Neb., was killed in an industrial accident about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Russ Peterson, 59, Ogallala, Neb. Chief Deputy Roland Kramer said Peterson was among workers of an outside company doing maintenance on an elevator with a crane when a structure collapsed onto the roof of a building. There were no other injuries.

Simplot spokesman Ken Dey in Boise said Peterson was not a Simplot employee. "It appears to be a tragic accident, and we offer our condolences to the family," Dey told Green Markets.

Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) who went on strike just after midnight on Feb. 14 have agreed to return to work at Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway. Service at CP was set to resume on Feb. 17 after the Canadian government indicated it would act quickly to introduce back-to-work legislation to end the strike.

The walkout by 3,300 locomotive engineers, conductors, and other rail workers forced CP to curtail operations, prompting the government on Feb. 15 to quickly announce its decision to intervene. “For every day of work stoppage, our economy and trade relationships will be further undermined,” said Labour Minister Kellie Leitch. The legislation was tabled on Feb. 16 after TCRC announced an end to the strike.

TCRC and CP will now return to the negotiating table with the help of federal arbitrators. Leitch acknowledged that the two sides were still “not close to a deal” after months of negotiations, with workload fatigue and the lack of reliable schedules still at issue. “I do believe there are still numerous issues on the table and I’m confident that the mediation and arbitration process will get them to the place where they need to be,” Leitch said.

Unifor, another union that represents approximately 1,800 workers at CP who conduct safety inspections and perform maintenance and repairs on railcars and locomotives, had also planned to go on strike at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 15. The strike was averted, however, after a tentative agreement was reached between Unifor and CP just minutes before the strike deadline.

The Tampa ammonia price for March has been concluded at $475/mt CFR, down $20/mt from the price for February.

Uralkali said that on Feb. 17 it discovered a sinkhole with a diameter of 5 meters near the minefield of the flooded Bereznik-1 mine. The area had been fenced off and had restricted access since 2013. This is a separate incident from the recent sinkhole near the Solikamsk-2 mine which is having problems with flooding.

Uralkali said continued comprehensive monitoring of the area has been in place since 2006. Based on analysis of the monitoring data, it said engineering firm, Galurgiya, predicted in 2013 that soil subsidence might occur in this area in 2015. As a result, Galurgiya and the Mining Institute of the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Science determined the boundaries of this hazardous zone and it was later confirmed by Rostechnadzor.

Uralkali said the soil subsidence will not impact the current activity of the industrial facilities or social infrastructure in Berezniki.

Uralkali’s assets consist of five mines and seven ore-treatment mills situated in the towns of Berezniki and Solikamsk (Perm Region, Russia).

The Mosaic Co. today reported fourth quarter 2014 net earnings of $361 million, compared to $129 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. Earnings per diluted share were $0.97 in the quarter compared to $0.30 last year. Mosaic’s net sales in the fourth quarter of 2014 were $2.4 billion, up from $2.2 billion last year.

"While we expected strong fourth-quarter results, demand exceeded our expectations as customers came to the market in force, seeking to replenish empty inventories ahead of an expected strong spring application season in North America," said Jim Prokopanko, president and CEO. "2014 was a year of transformation for Mosaic. We grew and rebalanced our business portfolio, optimized our balance sheet, and worked to assure Mosaic remains a low-cost producer."

For the twelve months ended Dec. 31, 2014, net income was $1.0 billion, or $2.68 per diluted share, compared to $1.1 billion, or $2.49 per diluted share in 2013. Net sales were $9.1 billion, up from $9.0 billion a year ago.

"We are seeing the benefits of the many strategic initiatives we completed last year," Prokopanko said. "We continue to watch grain and oilseed prices, but we are optimistic heading into 2015. At Mosaic, we’ve taken advantage of the short-term cyclical dips and are well positioned to capitalize on the inevitable upward secular trends."

Total sales volumes for the Phosphates segment are expected to range from 2.8 to 3.1 million mt for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 2.7 million mt last year. Mosaic’s realized DAP price, FOB plant, is estimated to range from $440 to $465 per mt for the first quarter of 2015. The segment gross margin rate in the first quarter is estimated to be in the mid-teens and the operating rate is expected to be in the 80 to 85 percent range.

The company will provide updated Phosphates guidance reflecting the separation of the phosphate manufacturing and international distribution businesses in March, 2015.

Total sales volumes for the Potash segment are expected to range from 2.0 to 2.3 million mt for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 2.4 million mt last year. Mosaic’s realized MOP price, FOB plant, for the first quarter of 2015 is estimated to range from $270 to $295 per mt. Mosaic’s gross margin rate in the segment is expected in the high 30 percent range during the first quarter of 2015, while the operating rate is expected to be in the 85 to 90 percent range in preparation for anticipated strong demand this spring.

For the 2015 full year, Mosaic estimates Phosphates sales volumes in the range of 14.5 to 15.0 million mt and Potash sales volumes in the range of 8.5 to 9.0 million mt.

Yara International ASA reported fourth quarter 2014 net income after non-controlling interest of NOK 1,860 million on sales of NOK 26,230 million, up from the year-ago NOK 63 million and NOK 20,573 million, respectively.

Yara cited lower natural gas prices in Europe and a stronger dollar.

Full-year income was NOK 7,625 million on sales of NOK 95,343 million up from 2013’s NOK 5,759 million and NOK 85,092 million.