A revolving door is hard to lock
Will the Venezuelan Takeover Have Long-Term Effects on Fertility Markets?
What a way to “ring in” the new year. After months of tension between the two countries, America carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela; Capturing the foreign leader, sounding a declaration of a national emergency, and leaving uncertainty of what’s to come next. So, what is to come next? The vice president of fertilizer with Stone X says recent events could have a long-term impact on the nitrogen market.
“Years ago, back before Chavez and Maduro took over, I believe their urea production capacity was something like 2.2 million tons, which has fallen off dramatically since that point in time. So, if they can start to rebuild it, you know, now you start talking about adding more production there.” – Josh Linville
Production would really need to ramp up for a major movement. Venezuela ranked 18th among the world’s largest exporters of urea, only accounting for roughly 1% of global exports in 2024. However, the focus has been heavier towards the global oil markets and the potential for production there. Another large opportunity does also exist within natural gas, which conveniently is an essential input for the manufacture of nitrogen fertilizer. If infrastructure is updated, selective changes are introduced, and logistics refigured, is there optimistic potential for farmers? Time will tell.
A Revolving Door is Hard to Lock​
History likes to repeat itself; Here we are yet again. Glufosinate (Liberty, Liberty Ultra, Surmise 5, Interline, etc.) resistant waterhemp populations have been confirmed in Illinois with suspected resistance reported in at least six other states; one being Missouri. Picture the Kool-Aid man breaking through a brick wall. Considered the last dependable post-emergence option to control such tough broadleaf weeds, is now compromised to some degree. Sound the alarms? Possibly. Roundup was once the cure all with “Roundup Ready” crops introduced in 1996. Jump 30 years ahead, and glyphosate resistance is all too common. The harsh reality: farmers can no longer solely rely on a single product to control tough, driver weeds. The old rule of simply rotating sites of action is also no longer sufficient. Why? Metabolic resistance. Think of a lock with a key. Insert the key, turn the lock, walk through the door. That’s known as “Target-Site” resistance. Meaning, resistance only favors those chemistries with the same site of action (group numbers) and can be managed easily by chemical rotation with different sites of action. Metabolic resistance, “Non-Target Site” resistance, is a much bigger problem. You have the same lock but the key you once used won’t open the door. No problem, just use another key, right? Those won't work either.
Fertilizer Board Prices: January 5th, 1993
Plants evolve and have the ability to dodge a herbicide, not by modifying a single binding-site, but by rapidly metabolizing, storing, or de-toxifying the herbicide to where it never reaches its target site. This isn’t limited to just one herbicide either, and has broken many other SOA groups: 2, 4, 5, 9, 14, 15, and 27. Adding non-chemical strategies such as tillage, crop rotation/diversification, cover crops, and harvesting weed seed control are all things considerable. For help selecting the right herbicidal options on your farm, stop in and see us at the Agronomy Center!
“No one can long hide behind a mask; the pretense soon lapses into the true character.”
Seneca the Younger