AGRONOMY
AGRONOMY
952-466-3730
A day on the job with Steve Salz and Don Gibson
What is a typical day working for Mid-Coun-
ty Agronomy? For Steve Salz, a Mid-County
Agronomy Sales staff member, that’s a tough
question to answer.
“I’m all over the place,” he said.
Salz’s position in the agronomy sales team
is “support,” making him a go-to person for an
assortment of tasks. He estimated that about
Steve Salz
40 percent of his work is spent in sales, while
Agronomy Sales the rest of the time he’s often doing mapping,
(952) 466-3730
soil sampling preparation, and custom appli-
cation. He also works with the Mid-County
crop management program.
When farmers have an issue in their field, it’s
likely Don Gibson, also a Mid-County Agron-
omy Sales staff member, will be able to help
as well. As a certified crop advisor, Gibson is
often called to check out problems, such as
plant diseases, weeds, or insect infestation.
Gibson has 30 years of experience in this
type of work. A normal workday for him might
include making farm plans, troubleshooting
specific plant problems, or helping customers
find the best products and services for their
needs.
Don Gibson
Agronomy Sales
(952) 466-3730
A look at the nitrogen market
Around the world, the nitrogen supply
has gone up big time in recent years. This
has left many farmers wondering what’s
in store for the future of fertilizer. Here
are some answers that might help: Does all the nitrogen fertilizer made in North America stay
here? No, sometimes the suppliers find it more advantageous
to ship elsewhere. Exports to South America, for instance, can
make financial sense because of the different timing for grow-
ing seasons.
Scott Nelson
Does North America have a huge
Agronomy Manager supply of new nitrogen coming online What will happen to nitrogen capacity additions in the fu-
ture? Experts believe that 2016 was the high point for glob-
al nitrogen capacity additions. Other projects have broken
ground in North America, but it will be four to five years before
they’re completed.
(952) 466-3733 soon? The new supply isn’t as large as
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some may have predicted previously.
Up until about five years ago, North America had a large
number of announcements about new nitrogen supply be-
ing built. CropLife reported that 25 projects were announced,
which would have added more than 15 million tons of nitro-
gen in the region. However, as of the beginning of this year,
only seven of those projects are on track for completion, four
of which are focused on ammonia for industrial use.
That doesn’t mean that North America won’t have a signifi-
cant nitrogen supply increase in the future, though. New nitro-
gen capacity is being added to bring levels back to where they
were in 2000, which is still far below the early 1980s.
Will North America continue to depend on nitrogen im-
ports? Yes, for now, North America will still need to rely on
other countries to supply its nitrogen needs. Even with all the
new capacity, CropLife estimates that 30 percent of this year’s
nitrogen use will be from imports.
The new capacity will help to displace some imports, though.
Global nitrogen fertilizer manufacturer/distributor CF Indus-
tries, for example, has increased its shipments to the US East
Coast, which directly competes with foreign imports.
www.midcountycoop.com
As new capacity has come online, capacity that has a high
cost has gone offline. China (the world’s largest region for ni-
trogen consumption) added 40 million metric tons of new ni-
trogen capacity in the past five years, while closing about 26
million metric tons of higher-cost nitrogen capacity.
When will nitrogen demand catch up with nitrogen sup-
ply? Worldwide, the demand for nitrogen increases by about
1.5 to 2.5 percent each year, due to both industrial use and
farmers’ needs. Currently, the nitrogen industry has more sup-
ply than demand, but it’s expected to get more balanced start-
ing in 2018.
Getting ready
In preparation for fall variable
rate application of P and K,
Mid County Agronomy staff
are ready to load their Case IH
Airfl ow from the Mid County
fertilizer blending tower.
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