AT this crucial point in the season Nutrien Ag Solutions Fertiliser is well set up to fulfil the fertiliser needs of Western Australian growers.
A division of Nutrien Ag Solutions, Nutrien Ag Solutions Fertiliser may be a new name to WA agriculture, but the business and its people are not.
It has a long history in WA agriculture and a team that knows the demands and opportunities of a good season.
At a national level the season has started strongly with demand brought forward as a result of weather conditions and the coronavirus pandemic placing pressure on supply chains.
Nutrien Ag Solutions general manager fertiliser and distribution Brett Freer said the company's national procurement and logistics teams were working hard - with the world's best manufacturers - to ensure that growers across the country are set for the season ahead.
"In the West we're seeing a positive start with encouraging signs of a good season ahead," Mr Freer said.
"We have adequate product in-country and on ships to meet demand.
"We've seen strong early demand for urea, and with follow up rain, could see a significant Nitrogen season ahead for Western Australia."
Nutrien Ag Solutions is the combination of Landmark Operations (parent company of Macrofertil) and Ruralco (parent company of Primaries) which came together in October last year.
It is part of the global agribusiness Nutrien, the largest distributor of nutritional products in Australia and the world.
With agents and 100 retail operations across WA, Nutrien has been leveraging its national and global network to ensure the fertiliser supply chain is ready to meet WA demand in the season ahead.
Nutrien Ag Solutions Fertiliser offers products specifically designed for the WA environment, including a complete range of foliar and liquid trace element products, as well as bulk UAN and proprietary technology to meet the nutritional needs of diverse crops, production systems and soil and climate profiles.
Mr Freer said with progressive farming practices being implemented across WA, his team was seeing ever-increasing demand for nutritional advice and tailored nutritional programs through the crop life cycle.
"We have nutritional expertise and people in the regions," Mr Freer said.
"We're encouraging growers to be in close contact with their local Nutrien Ag Solutions agronomist and rep, to work on fertiliser solutions specific to their farm and of maximum value to their business, even for late season requirements."
Region fertiliser manager Shane Page, who is based in Perth, said the Nutrien Ag Solutions Fertiliser team offered the full package to growers including agronomy and technical support, finance, local and regional support, regionals depots, soil and plant testing analysis at our own lab, Echelon Precision Ag Platform and new innovations such as the EzyFlow Nano range.
"We consider ourselves to be a grower's partner," Mr Page said.
"We want to see them focus on nutrition that maximises the success of their business.
"We're all about making the right decisions through soil and in-season plant testing so we make the right recommendations to make farmers more profitable.
"We're able to provide that through our agronomists and our people on the ground who can offer that nutritional advice, in conjunction with our precision ag platforms."
Toodyay grower Darren Best is a new customer with Nutrien Ag Solutions Fertiliser this year and recently had 60 tonnes of muriate of potash delivered to his property.
"The pick-up process was seamless, I made an appointment for 8.30am, I got there at 8.20am and I was easily out by 9am, you just need to look at Nutrien's product to see it's good stuff," Mr Best said.
"We crop 3600 hectares, canola is our main crop, this year it'll be 1700ha, while wheat will be 800ha and the balance is oats and barley and when it comes to fertiliser, including liquid, I'll need at least 1200 tonne."
Mr Page said the Nutrien Ag Solutions team was dedicated to serving the WA grower base throughout the year.
"We're not just here to take the orders," he said.
"We're working with our clients throughout the cropping cycle, we understand their challenges and we're fully committed to delivering value to their business.
"Their success is our success," Mr Page said.
