Potash/Phosphate

https://thestarphoenix.com/

The White House has indicated that any new tariffs announced will stick, even if they affect American farmers

United States tariffs on Canadian potash may be going up on Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump moves to impose reciprocal tariffs on all its trading partners, including Canada, just as a previous exemption limiting the levy to 10 per cent expires.

Trump has hailed April 2 as “Liberation Day” for the U.S. and said the new round of tariffs will match surtax charges countries impose on American imports. The White House said on Monday that reciprocal tariffs would go into effect immediately.Meanwhile, April 2 is also the date an exemption reducing potash tariffs to 10 per cent from 25 per cent are set to expire.

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https://nationalpost.com/

Rare mineral found primarily in Saskatchewan, home to the world’s largest mines and deposits

Anyone following the on-again, off-again trade war between Canada and the U.S. will have seen potash mentioned among major Canadian exports to the U.S. subject to President Donald Trump’s new tariffs. But what is potash and why is it integral to the neighbouring nations’ trade relationship? Here’s a guide to understanding the rare earth mineral and its part in the dispute.

What is potash and what is it used for?

Potash is a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium – K on the periodic table. Its main form, after deep-earth mining and milling, is as potassium chloride (KCl), almost all of which is used as a fertilizer to improve crop root strength, disease resistance, water retention and yield by protecting and restoring soil fertility, making it essential to global food security.

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Trump said Canada has nothing the U.S. needs. When it comes to potash, the president couldn’t be more wrong

In Saskatchewan, 1,000 metres below the surface of the earth, in a cavern heated to a sweltering 27 C by geothermal energy, a machine is boring into the ground, searching for a compound that is critical to worldwide food production and crucial in Canada’s current trade battle with the United States. Launched just a few weeks ago, this boring machine is hooked up to a fibre-optic connection, and operated from a climate-controlled office on the surface.

This single tunnel, called a face, was sunk at a cost of $30-million. And it is just one in a network spread across six mines owned and operated by Nutrien Ltd. , Canada’s largest mining company and a major supplier of agricultural inputs worldwide. However, the company jewel – and a source of US$3-billion in net sales last year – was a single nutrient: potash.

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https://financialpost.com/

Company hikes dividend, though earnings fall 33% on lower prices

Farmers in the United States will be the ones absorbing any additional expenses if Donald Trump’s planned tariffs take effect next month, says Nutrien Ltd. chief executive Ken Seitz.

“The costs of this would be borne by the U.S. farmer; the tariff cost and tariff impact will be passed onto the U.S. farmer,” he said on a fourth-quarter earnings call with analysts, adding that American farmers are very dependent on Canadian potash. “Canadians supply over 80 per cent of that market.”

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s potash producers are warning that the lockout of unionized supervisors at British Columbia ports could allow rivals such as Russia and Belarus to gain market share.

With commodities such as potash stuck onshore at the Port of Vancouver, bottlenecks are growing in the supply chain. Potash is among the key exports suspended at Neptune Bulk Terminals (Canada) Ltd. in North Vancouver and Pacific Coast Terminals Co. Ltd. in Port Moody.

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https://thestarphoenix.com/

It has been 65 years since potash mining began in Saskatchewan and Nutrien invited media to tour one their mines. Find out more.

ALLAN, SASK. — Since the mining of potash began on the prairies 65 years ago, the mineral has grown more important as countries around the world try to feed their growing populations, but the industry wasn’t always so consistent.

“In my first 15 years, it was four years of layoffs off and on, not constant and never a complete out-the-door shutdown, but downsizing and cutting back,” said Bob Boehm, who has been working at Nutrien Ltd.‘s Allan mine, southeast of Saskatoon, for more than 40 years.

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https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/

The impact of the above and below-ground operations at Nutrien’s potash mines span multiple generations, fuelling the local economy and feeding the world. Celebrating 65 years in the Saskatchewan potash industry, Nutrien gave a special tour of its Allan mine east of Saskatoon.

Building started in 1964, and the first tonne of raw ore was pulled up to the surface in 1968. Over the last six decades, it’s seen giant leaps in technology which have further improved safety and productivity.

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https://regina.ctvnews.ca/

Rocanville, Sask. – Driving into the tunnels of Nutrien’s Rocanville mine, the largest potash mine in the world by production volume, feels like driving down a lonely highway in the middle of the night. “In a day you’d probably put on anywhere between 100 and 150 kilometres just to see your people,” said Chris Machniak, a general foreman at the mine.

The silence of the tunnels is broken only by the subtle but noticeable crinkling sound of fresh-cut potash settling into its new position. That quiet is quickly replaced by the roar of machinery as you reach the heart of the operation.

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