Take advantage of steady nutrient costs

Take advantage of steady nutrient costs

The Fertiliser Quality Council (FQC) says current stability around fertiliser prices will give farm budgets an early boost for 2016 – but only if farmers are quick to seize the opportunity.

The two main fertiliser manufacturers, Ballance and Ravensdown, have kept costs for major nutrients under control since September 2015 – despite economic volatility caused by last year’s slide in the value of the New Zealand dollar.

The FQC says there’s no knowing for how long the good deals will continue and urges farmers to take advantage of the co-ops’ goodwill while it lasts.

Ann Thompson, FQC’s executive director, says: “We know that price is a huge factor for farmers. The current generosity of the co-ops around nutrient prices means that their fertiliser spend will spread further. It also removes the inconvenience and risk of farmers having to shop around for cheaper, and possibly inferior, products.”

She adds: “Farmers wanting to really maximise this opportunity should also take stock of nutrient placement. Accurate spreading minimises waste and increases production. The difficulty is that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’. Each nutrient product has different spreading characteristics. These need to be carefully matched to the right spreading equipment.

“Spreading is a specialist skill and not something just anyone can do – however, companies bearing the Spreadmark motif can assure spreading accuracy.”

A list of current Spreadmark registered companies is available on the FQC website:

www.fertqual.co.nz.

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