A custom applicator from the cooperative based at Cutback, Mont., applies urea to a spring wheat field near Valier in northwest Montana. Fertilizer From Afar The urea applied to this spring wheat field near Valier, Mont., represented a few of the 1.5 million tons imported from Canada annually. Another 2 million tons of urea arrive from the Arab Gulf each year on vessels that take about 30 days to reach U.S. ports. Recently, to avoid costs associated with traveling through the Suez Canal and the Somalian pirate threat, vessels carrying crop nutrients are sailing to the United States the long way — around the coast of South Africa, which adds another 10 days, reports Matt Bohan, international product manager, CHS. “Then it takes five days to discharge the vessel and 21 to 28 days for urea barges to make it up the Mississippi River, for a total of 75 to 80 days from the Arab Gulf to Midwestern terminals. The longer supply chain means growers should start making crop nutrient decisions earlier to ensure adequate spring supplies.” — Peg Zenk Your CHS Connection 17