After a sharp drop at the end of July, urea prices settled in the $740-$750/ton range over the last few weeks. While some buyers have been waiting to see if prices will dip even lower, most global market conditions seem to point toward rebounding prices in the weeks ahead, says Matt Bohan, urea product manager for CHS.

The strike by miners at three PotashCorp. mines in Canada continues this week, with no signs of a fast end in site, according to local newspaper reports. The strike by some 500 members of the United Steel Workers union at the company’s Cory, Allan and Patience Lake mines in Saskatchewan is in its third week. “The strike shouldn’t have much impact on fall potash supplies, since there is enough in the pipeline for that, but it could impact winter-fill,” says Burnie Baker, CHS supply manager for potash and phosphates.

“The fertilizer markets have gotten wilder in the last 12 months than I ever thought they could, but it’s nice to be going out when the industry is doing so well,” says Burnie Baker, CHS supply manager for potash and phosphates, who will be retiring at the end of this month.

Rapid economic growth in China, combined with the recent U.S. slowdown, could mean the United States may soon lose its title as world’s largest manufacturer. The shift in fertilizer production provides just one example of this trend (see following story). The debate now focuses on how soon China might take the lead.

The fertilizer industry provides several examples of the dramatic change in manufacturing and production now being seen in both the United States and China. The shift in production of phosphate rock illustrates this trend.

In what appears to be the latest sign of the mounting global food crisis, countries including China and Saudi Arabia plan to lease vast tracts of land in Africa and Asia to grow crops for their own needs. This has raised many concerns about the potential for creating neo-colonial systems, according to a recent story in the London-based newspaper Financial Times.