Tel: West Raynham 01328 838111 March 01354 740740 Fax: 01354 740 720 Email: sales@lawfertilisers.co.uk www.lawfertilisers.co.uk

WINTER NEWSLETTER 2017

Law’s WEST RAYNHAM FACTORY OPENS ON SCHEDULE ON 1st AUGUST

An old RAF hangar which launched countless aerial sorties during the war has been given a new mission on the ground – producing fertiliser for the surrounding farmland. The sizeable building, covering more than an acre of the former base at West Raynham, once housed Blenheim and Mosquito bombers.

But now this relic from East Anglia’s wartime heritage has been brought back into use to make tailor-made nutrients for the region’s arable farmers.

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A cargo of Law’s granular nitrogen being unloaded at King’s Lynn port on December 20th timed to benefit from a weakening euro as other producers put prices up.

WINTER NEWSLETTER 2017 WINTER NEWSLETTER 2017

FOLIAR RANGE 2017

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POTASH SUPPLY PROBLEM 2018- SAVE BRITISH POTASHIn 2018 the Israeli owned potash mine in Yorkshire will close after 40 years of mining due to depressed world prices and the decision by the Israeli’s to concentrate potash mining at their Gobi desert operation which has lower operating costs and is more appropriately located to supply the growing markets in East Asia and Africa.

Fertilisers are food and as there are only 7 resources of potash in the world: Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany, China, Israel and the UK, it is strategically important for the future of British farming to keep the Yorkshire mine open.

2016 was a most complicated year for predicting the prices for fertilisers. Weak and stable world commodity prices have been the result of mining projects committed in the aftermath of the commodity boom of 2007/8 and the reduction in natural gas prices for nitrogen production due to declining demand and over supply of oil and gas.

The main reason for the volatility in the UK has been the changes of sterling as a result of Brexit and the Trump election, both of which were against expert predictions. Any statements or events that go against the UK economy or political stability will lead to the pound declining in relative value hence the increase in the cost of fertilisers. A devaluation of over 20% in the £ to dollar value had led to a £50/t increase in phosphates in just the two months following Brexit.

Current pricing trends have included significant inflation across all commodities but recent problems in Europe especially France, Italy and Greece and concerns over the instability in the US have led to a 10% increase in the value of sterling against both the euro and dollar and we expect this trend to continue.

The medium to long term view on fertiliser prices suggest levels on the low side of a 20 year average excepting any major international disruption caused by the Trump presidency.

Plenty of reason to keep following the news.

WORLD POTASH PRODUCTION 2015 2016

COUNTRY MT/YEAR COST $/T

Canada 11 121

Russia 7 62

Belarus 6 77

China 4.2 n/a

Germany 3 151

Israel 1.8 146

UK 0.7 220

MAINTAIN SOIL FERTILITY – CALCULATE SOIL BALANCES REGULARLYFarm cropping changes in recent years due to political or economic pressures have led to risks to the maintenance of good soil nutrient fertility.

Increases in spring cropping, variable root acreages especially sugar beet, utilisation of crop residues, the expansion in cover and energy crops, and variation in crop yields have made planning phosphate and potash requirements more challenging.A nutrient balance per field per year needs to be calculated and compared with independently analysed soil results such that indices are kept to a 2 for P and at least 2- for K. Declining trends need to be addressed by maintenance plus fertiliser additions such that no planted crop will be limited by any of the major nutrients.Organic manures and cover crops will only supply 50% of the available P or K in the 1st crop due to soil factors and growth trends and may complicate nitrogen planning by utilising soil nitrogen reserves for carbon breakdown or mineralise large amounts of nitrogen during crop maturity leading to post harvest issues such as bacterial rots in potatoes.

NEW: Law’s Harvest Plus – chemical intervention in plant sugar signalling to increase yield and resilience.

Increases in Laws foliar range for 2017 include the introduction of the very latest biotechnology to speed starch deposition that has been shown in recent studies at Rothamsted and Oxford University to have increased yields by 20%. This biotechnology improves the conversion of light energy into starch by stimulating deposition into storage organs.

The signalling compounds will be added to existing late season formulations to boost yields and delay senescence.

Recent management changes have led to inefficiencies and declining sales from a mine that was sold to the Israeli ICL Corporation for around £30m in 1990 but would cost over £2bn to build today.Law Fertilisers will be lobbying government ministers to keep the mine open and would welcome support and comment from farmers.

PRICING FORECASTS 2017

Grain responding to sugar signalling biotechnology at Rothamsted. 2016

Remote controlled mining machines extract approximately 12,000 tonnes of potash per day

After carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, potassium (K) is the most abundant element present in plants due to the primary role in maintaining water in the plant. Without water movement in the plant there will no flow of other nutrients or sugars. Deficiency is characterised with yellowing of older leaves and often mistaken as nitrogen deficiency. A winter wheat plant at maximum biomass will contain 40 tonnes/ha water and 400kgs/ha potassium.

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It is always best to develop a nutrient plan for annual applications to minimise soil fixation and improve nutrient uptake such that soil phosphate and potash levels are kept in balance over the rotation.

CROP tonnes/ha phosphate potash Organic Input Inorganic

Input Balance

Oilseed Rape 5 70 55 5ts/ha ptry (75p

80k) +5p -25k

Wheat + straw 11 95 130 50p 75k -45p -55k

Sugar Beet 90 72 153 cover crop 50p 100k -22p -53k

Maize (wholecrop) 45 63 198 50p 150k -13p -48k

W.Barley+Straw 9 77 106 35ms/ha digestate

(16p 61k) -61p -45k

Beans 4 44 48 -44p -48k

Rye (Wholecrop) 30 60 150 75k -60p -75k

TOTAL 200 481 840 200p -245p -349k

The first phosphate factory for 45 years is near completion at Wimblington. A new innovative acidulated phosphate with added minerals will be produced to significantly improve plants’ uptake of phosphate using a sustainable source of this finite and vital mineral for plant growth.

NEW PHOSPHATE FACTORY OPENS FOR SPRING 2017

While potash uptake in wheat should be 13kgs/ha/day in soils deficient in available potassium the daily uptake may be as low as 0.5 kgs/ha/day (Asfary et al, 1983). Long term nutrient strategies to ensure adequate potassium is consistently available throughout the area of soil exploited by roots is essential because increasing potassium soil concentration by just a third of an index will require applications between 500 kgs/ha (sands) and 1600 kgs/ha (clays) over maintenance levels.

Effects of a decline in Potash soil level on yield% Williamson 1972 300ppm to 130ppm K 130ppm to 36ppm KBarley 10 32Sugar Beet 26 48Potatoes 43 60

Due to the high levels of potash required it is essential that potash is available for uptake from as many parts of the root system in the soil. The availability of potash is significantly reduced in min till or no till systems and would be limited by placement or topdressing late in the season. Potash mixed in the seedbed will not be fixed by the soil unlike top dressed fertilisers and there is also a very low leaching capability of potash such that even in sandy soils with less than 5% clay losses after 100mm rainfall were only 7kgs/ha (Askegaard et al 2004). It is most effective to incorporate potash in the seedbed even if this is in the autumn on sandy soils.

Example of decline in Soil Fertility

EFFECT OF K ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS. BEDNARZ 1999

RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN WHEAT WITH VARYING K SUPPLY AND DROUGHT. GUPTA 1989

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Weak and stable world commodity prices have been the result of mining

Sam is from a farming family at Shouldham and after graduating in applied biology at Nottingham University he became an operational manager at Anglian Water.

Sam’s varied skill set enables him to assist in all aspects of production and spreading as well as soil and plant sampling with particular emphasis on mapping technology. Sam plays cricket for Narborough and follows Premiership rugby and he is a keen country sportsman and when family commitments allow can be found with a gun to hand.

Sam can be contacted on 07979591364

WINTER NEWSLETTER 2017

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS DEVELOPED AND MANUFACTURED BY LAW’S

COMPLEX PLACEMENT NUTRITION COMPOUNDS

We can manufacture complex granular or liquid fertilisers to be placed near the seed at planting to increase uptake of phosphates and trace elements for quicker establishment and healthier plants with a Law’s tailored blend

Options Granule LiquidTrace elements 10-25 kgs/ha or 15-25 litres/ha Nitrogen + Phosphate 15-375 kgs/ha or 20-200 litres/haN,P+t/e+biocides 500-625 kgs/ha or 50litres/ha

FERRIC PHOSPHATE GRANULES:Highly palatable granules available in mini (1.5mm) or maxi forms (3-4mm) include manganese, copper and sulphur for elevated plant defence against pest feeding.Special offer only 75p /kg in 25kg, 600kg or 1000kg bags

SEED PROTECTOR:Apply to seed or seedlings to boost natural defences against damping off diseases or early season infection. Proven in trials at British Sugar to improve quality of sugar beet establishment.

LAWS REPELLENT:Root extract that repels winged insects by stimulating the natural defences of leaves to resist predation. Apply at 0.5 litres/ha. New SEASON OFFER £25/litre in 5 litre cans. Safe to both the operator and the environment.

Law’s innovative approach to crop disease by boosting natural defences through sophisticated nutrition whilst minimising stress has been extended to include both the root and shoot system as they are so interdependent.

ENP 2016/2017: Enhanced Nutritional Programme

The challenging year of 2016/17 led to some crops, which had encountered significant stress during the growing season, to fail to maintain natural disease resistence towards harvest.

Despite the extreme year over 50% of the ENP crops met yield and quality and a new range of ENP feeds for the post flag leaf emergence stage when anti oxidant capability within the plant declines is being introduced to delay the onset of senescence.

For ENP agronomy and fertilisers the costs are being held at £38/hectare for 2017 with a target of 5% increase in yield and protein content in winter wheat.

We are now taking bookings for additional growers for 2017/18

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PROGRESSIVE POTATO NUTRITION

• INTERNAL BRUISING

• SKIN BLEMISHES

• FRY COLOUR

• STORABILTY

FOLIAR AND PLACEMENT FERTILISERS FROM LAW’s TO ADDRESS:

LAW’S SOIL CONDITIONER - NEW AND IMPROVED FOR 2017

After the forth year of commercial scale use and the first year of replicated trials this innovative granular product continues to show benefits for soil health in support of current nematicides and fungicides. A complex of glucosinolates, trace elements, elicitors, humates and micro biological organisms, the multiple activity gives increasing efficacy with time contrary to highly volatile synthetic products. Certified organic and safe to the environment, operator and plant the granule is best placed at planting in combination with a Law’s tailored blend for maximum early plant vigour.

Sam Jones joins as Assistant Manager, Norfolk

Sugar Beet Trial – yield. A. Barker 2016

Laws Soil Conditioner