First Quarter 2024 Fertilizer Prices Across Ohio

Authors: Amanda Bennett, Eric Richer, Clint Schroeder

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In December 2023, OSU Extension launched a quarterly survey of fertilizer retailers in the state of Ohio to better understand local fertilizer prices. The survey was completed by 23 retailers across the state of Ohio from 18 different counties. Respondents were asked to quote spot prices as of the first day of the quarter (January 1st) with payment made by January 15th. Sale types included pickup (ie. freight on board or FOB) at the plant (any quantity), direct-to-farm delivery (truckloads), or delivered and applied (poultry litter only). No blending or application charges were to be included in the spot price.

In general survey participants reported the average price of all fertilizers was lower in Ohio compared to the national prices (Quinn, 2024). In our survey, the fertilizer with the most movement in price was anhydrous ammonia with an average price ranging from $700-$900 per ton with an average of $786 per ton. This is slightly lower than some news outlets were reporting in December 2023 at $792 per ton.

Other fertilizers also saw a downward trend including MAP ($797 per ton); potash ($490 per ton); urea ($502 per ton); and UAN-28% ($327 per ton).

The chart below (Table 1.) is the summary of the survey responses. The responses (n) are the number of survey responses for each product. The minimum and maximum values reflect the minimum and maximum values reported. The last column is the simple average of all survey responses for each product. We recognize that many factors influence a company’s spot price for fertilizer including but not limited to availability, geography, volume, cost of freight, competition, regulation, etc.

Table 1. First Quarter 2024 Ohio Fertilizer Prices 

Product

Responses

(n)

Sale Type Min

$/ton

Max

$/ton

Average

$/ton

Anhydrous ammonia 82-0-0 8 FOB Plant $700 $900

$786

UAN 28-0-0 20 Direct to Farm $280 $510

$327

Urea 46-0-0 17 FOB Plant $458 $530

$502

MAP 11-52-0 16 FOB Plant $710 $1136

$797

DAP 18-46-0 13 FOB Plant $699 $785

$735

APP 10-34-0 15 Direct to Farm $495 $605

$569

Potash 0-0-60 20 FOB Plant $445 $510

$490

Ammonium Sulfate 21-0-0-24 14 FOB Plant $395 $606

$449

Ammonium Thio-Sulfate 12-0-0-26 14 FOB Plant $325 $448

$385

 

Another part of the survey focused on organic nutrients. Retailers were asked to report on organic nutrients they sold including poultry litter, sodium nitrate/Chilean nitrate, pelletized feather meal and sulfate of potash. Just four sites reported having organic nutrients for sale. Those data were not analyzed due to low response rate.  If you are a retailer, farmer or crop consultant interested in participating in this study, please contact Eric Richer at richer.5@osu.edu.

Reference:

Quinn, R. 2024. DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends. Accessed online January 10, 2024 at https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2024/01/03/retail-fertilizer-prices-end-2023.

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