Ag Plays

[MWM]

Some big hits today on the back of Monsanto verdict...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/11/one-mans-suffering-exposed-monsantos-secrets-to-the-world

[MWM]

Some big moves of late...

[MWM]

Grabbed some MON, sector looks hot...

[MWM]

Not much going on here...

[MWM]

Nice moves here today!

[MWM]

MOS small uptrend...

[MWM]

Ag plays have been Wild of late!

[MWM]

Kerimov selling $3.7 billion Uralkali stake to investor: report

MOSCOW | Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:06pm BST
(Reuters) - Russian tycoon Suleiman Kerimov is selling his stake in potash producer Uralkali (URKA.MM) to investor Vladimir Kogan for $3.7 billion, news agency RIA Novosti reported on Friday, citing a source.

A representative for Kerimov's investment company Nafta Moskva declined comment. Uralkali, the world's largest producer of the mineral fertiliser ingredient, also declined to comment.

[MWM]

Michigan potash deposit worth $65 billion

By YVONNE ZIPP

Kalamazoo Gazette

Published:
September 12. 2013 9:06AM

A Michigan company is developing a potash deposit worth $65 billion, an official of Michigan Potash said. The huge deposit holds the promise of aiding the state economy and helping Midwest farmers find a source closer to home.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — You’ve heard of shovel-ready projects?

Western Michigan University’s Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education, working in conjunction with the company Michigan Potash, said that it has rediscovered a mineral deposit in West Michigan potentially worth billions of dollars that could establish Michigan as a leading U.S. supplier of a key fertilizer used by farmers worldwide.

“This is the United States’ only shovel-ready potash project,” said Theodore Pagano, a potash geologist, engineer and general manager of Michigan Potash Co. LLC, the company that now controls the Borgen Bed, which lies under 14,500 acres in Mecosta and Osceola counties. “What we’re looking at is the introduction of an industry that is critical to the economic health of the state. We’ll be producing a Michigan product for Michigan farmers that would dramatically reduce the expensive transport costs on the more than 300,000 tons of potash consumed in our state annually.”

At current market prices, the deposit is estimated to be worth $65 billion, said Pagano in a phone interview with MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette ( http://bit.ly/18U1ME2 ). Michigan Potash has been purchasing the mineral rights, which the previous owners had let lapse, for the past three years, as well as making sure it was technically, economically and logistically feasible to put the deposit into production, he said.

Production would not begin until mid-2014 at the soonest, said Pagano, who estimated it would take about three years for a build-out. He estimated that the project would create 300 construction jobs, as well as 110 full-time jobs at the site.

The high quality of the mineral resource has the potential to create a multibillion-dollar industry in Michigan that would surpass the state’s historical oil and gas production revenues, as well as create several hundred jobs in Osceola and Mecosta counties, where the deposit is located, said Pagano.

It also could help the state’s agriculture industry, as well as the Midwest as a whole, offering a locally sourced supply of the fertilizer for corn and soybean farmers, said the WMU geologists who worked on the project.

“One of the things that makes this so valuable is that it is an incredibly rich deposit that is in easy reach of the enormous demand from Midwest corn and soybean farmers who operate within a 500-mile radius of this deposit,” said William Harrison, professor emeritus of geosciences and director of the geological repository at WMU. “This is an opportunity for new wealth to come from the use of natural resources never tapped before.”

Potash, potassium chloride, is found in areas once covered by inland seas. After the seas evaporated, the potassium and sodium chloride deposits crystallized into potash ore and were covered by layers of rock and soil. Potash is mined in 13 countries, including Canada, Russia and Belarus. In the U.S., New Mexico is by far the largest source, with smaller amounts mined in Utah and Michigan. United States domestic potash production has declined by 65 percent since 1962, and the country imports more than 82 percent of its potash fertilizer. U.S. potash prices increased 1000 percent between 1962 and 2012, before dropping this summer.

In the Midwest, most corn and soybean farmers get their potash from New Mexico or Canada and can pay upward of $400 a ton. Michigan farmers used about 300,000 tons of potash annually. About $40 to $60 a ton of that cost is for transportation, said Linda Harrison in a phone interview.

“No one pays more for potash than Midwest farmers,” said Harrison. “This locally available deposit is fabulous for Michigan and the Midwest.”

Verification of the quality and amount of the potash in the Borgen Bed was done using core samples that are part of the 500,000 feet of cores housed in Western Michigan University’s Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education.

MGRRE acquired the cores in 2008, when Mosaic, the company that owns a potash mine in Hersey, offered to donate them to the university rather than store them any longer. Harrison and his wife, Linda Harrison, an administrator with the repository, drove their pick-up truck up north to find 4,000 boxes of core samples. It took four pick-up loads to bring all the material down to Kalamazoo, said Harrison in a phone interview.

“There are probably still hidden treasures in our collection. We’re like a rare book archives,” said Harrison.

The Borgen Bed deposit, Harrison said, is particularly notable for its quality. He said tests done by an independent laboratory show that it is the purest and highest-grade potash being produced in the world — six times higher than what is being mined in New Mexico’s Permian Basin. It is also twice the grade of deposits found in Canada and Russia, the two countries that control more than 80 percent of the world’s potash reserve.

“What blew our minds was that there were layers in there that were essentially 100 percent of this potassium chloride,” said Harrison.

There is already a potash mine in Hersey, which was part of a pilot project begun by a Canadian company in the 1980s. But it was never fully commercialized, explained Harrison.

“I know they knew there was a deposit there. I don’t know if they knew what a gem it was,” said Linda Harrison.

To offer a sense of the potential economic impact of the Borgen Bed, Linda Harrison said that, over the past 30 years, the cumulative value of the state’s oil and gas production was $35 billion.

“When you consider this is twice the in-ground value of 30 years of oil and gas production in the state, that’s pretty astronomical,” she said.

The mine in Hersey, in Osceola County, still possesses the mineral rights for land a half-mile in every direction, said Pagano. Michigan Potash has purchased the rest, he said.

The potash is mined using a well, said Harrison. So there would be far less surface disturbance than strip mining, he explained.

Pagano estimated that, at a rate of 1 million tons a year, the deposit could last for 100 years.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without Bill Harrison’s lifelong pursuit of providing applied science and a core repository that is for the specific purpose of applying natural resources to the economy in Michigan,” said Pagano.

- See more at: http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20130912/ARTICLE/130919951#sthash.LULw0NaW.dpuf

http://www.michiganpotash.com/index.html

[MWM]

CGA looking interesting here...

[MWM]

MOS a little write up from Forbes...

And we could add one of our most recent picks to that list of laggards as Mosaic MOS -1.43%, the world’s largest integrated producer of phosphate, and the third largest global producer of pot­ash, just became inexpensive enough to justify a purchase. Mosaic endured plenty of downside volatility, plunging by more than 20% in July following an an­nouncement by the CEO of a major Russian potash pro­ducer that his company was leaving a decades-old potash cartel and would pursue a volume-based strategy that could damage global potash pricing power industry wide.

While this near-term headwind could be difficult to overcome, we note that these types of spats in cartels often don’t result in anar­chy, but instead lead to new agreements that evolve over time. Additionally, we like that Mosaic has a fortress bal­ance sheet that includes $6.25 per share of net cash, and that the firm generates strong free cash flow, giving man­agement operational flexibility to return capital to share­holders via share repurchases and/or dividend increases. We believe that while the operating environment will be challenging over the coming quarters, the firm stands to benefit long-term from the positive global macro agricul­ture trends. With a very inexpensive valuation after the plunge in the share price and a dividend yield of 2.4%, we welcomed old friend MOS back into Buckingham Portfolio in August.

[MWM]

MOS and POT ones to watch!

[MWM]

DBA telling the story here...

[MWM]

Potash announces its Board of Directors rejects BHP Billiton's unsolicited $130/share offer, says non-binding proposal as grossly inadequate

[MrG]

Sweet!

[J-Rhino]

Great chart and great fundamentals. Looks ready to bust a move this week.

[MWM]

Just read this article on AALRF, sounds good

China May Finance Ethiopian Mine
MARCH 25, 2010, 1:55 P.M. ET

China's $300 billion sovereign wealth fund may finance China Mining United Fund's plan to develop a potash project in Ethiopia that is also being eyed by mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd., a senior official familiar with the situation said Thursday.

China Investment Corp. is studying whether to take a stake in the potash project being jointly developed by China Mining United Fund and Canada's Allana Potash Corp., or finance part of the project's construction costs, the person familiar with the situation said.

According to China Mining's Web site, the potash project is one of the largest in the world, with projected output of about 200 million metric tons.

CIC's possible involvement in the pursuit of potash, used in fertilizers, highlights China's growing demand for the mineral, as it seeks to boost its agricultural output.

However, China's appetite is facing serious challenges from global mining companies, which have been moving fast to tap into Africa's rich potash resources as crop prices rise.

The person didn't say what stage CIC was at in the decision, but said the project is very important for China, which imports around 80% of its potash needs.

"Without support from CIC, from the government, how can we come up with so much money for such a big project?" the person said, adding the project's value keeps appreciating, raising concerns about a possible bid from BHP Billiton.

A spokesman for CIC wasn't immediately available for comment.

BHP Billiton spokesman Ruben Yogarajah Thursday declined to comment on any interest in Allana Potash's Ethiopian mining project. He said BHP has exploration licenses in Ethiopia, but he declined to provide more details, saying the work there is at a "very early stage."

Allana Potash signed a strategic agreement in November with an affiliate of China Mining United Fund, China Mineral United Management Ltd., to place shares worth 2 million Canadian dollars ($1.96 million) to the fund. The proceeds of the initial investment will be used to finance exploration and development of the potash project in Danakil Depression in northeastern Ethiopia.

Under the agreement, China Mineral would acquire 20% of the total potash production of the project and finance 35% of its construction costs, estimated at around $280 million, Allana said on its Web site in November. It said the Chinese mining fund is closely linked to one of the largest fertilizer companies in China, but didn't name the company.

China Mining United Fund, which was set up in May last year, is one of China's first private investment funds focused on mining-related investments.

—Victoria Ruan in Beijing and Matthew Walls in London contributed to this article.

[J-Rhino]

Thanks, Mike. Drilling started last week and I think speculators will start loading in anticipation of the results.

[MWM]

ALLRF looking good for ya!

[J-Rhino]

New 52 week hi.

[J-Rhino]

ALLRF close to a 52 week high breakout.

[J-Rhino]

yes, I think its headed higher soon.

[MWM]

Nice chart!

[J-Rhino]

ALLRF is a compelling Potash junior to watch. Drilling results expected over next few weeks.

[MWM]

Potash Corp raises earnings forecast; shares jump
Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:04pm ESTStocks

* Sees sharp rebound in potash demand as long-term trend

* Sees Q1 EPS $1.30 to $1.50 Vs prior range of $0.70 to $1

* Sees record North American sales

* Strong offshore shipments also seen (Changes dateline, adds share price movement, details; Figures in U.S. dollars, unless noted)

By Euan Rocha

TORONTO, March 11 (Reuters) - The world's largest fertilizer maker Potash Corp of Saskatchewan (POT.TO) sharply raised its first-quarter forecast on Thursday, citing a sharp rebound in demand for potash -- a key crop nutrient.

The announcement sent its shares, which had closed Thursday at $116.93 on the New York Stock Exchange, soaring 7.5 percent to $125.72 in trade after the evening bell. The news also boosted the shares of other North American potash producers like Mosaic Co (MOS.N), Agrium Inc (AGU.TO) and Intrepid Potash (IPI.N).

In January, Potash Corp issued cautious guidance, after it was forced to repeatedly cut its 2009 outlook in the face of weak potash demand. At the time, the forecast was well below market expectations and its shares fell as much as 8 percent.

Potash -- the common name used to describe various compounds containing potassium -- emerged from obscurity a few years ago when high grain prices, tight supplies and strong demand drove the price of the nutrient to above $1,000 a tonne from below $150.

The price gradually retreated through the course of 2009, as farmers, hit by the credit crisis and falling grain prices, reined in their use of the nutrient. The price of potash recently fell as low as $350 a tonne, but producers have begun to attempt to push pricing above the $400 mark, as dealers have begun to restock potash inventories and farmers have begun to replenish soil nutrient levels.

NEW OUTLOOK

Potash Corp said it now expects first-quarter earnings to be between $1.30 and $1.50 per share, well above its prior forecast of 70 cents to $1 per share.

"The upward revision reflects a sharp rebound in potash demand that is expected to drive a record quarter for North American sales volumes and strong offshore shipments, as well as higher-than-expected margins in nitrogen and phosphate," the company said in a statement.

The company said the increased demand was the result of strong farm returns, limited supplies at distributors and the agricultural need to replace soil nutrients after a period of lower demand in 2009.

"While we know that growth does not follow a straight upward line, we believe the increase in potash sales volumes this quarter represents the beginning of a return to long-term growth in demand," Chief Executive Bill Doyle said.

Last month, Canpotex -- the potash export arm of Potash Corp, Mosaic and Agrium -- signed potash supply deals with Indian and Chinese potash buyers. [ID:nN19110956]

China, India, Brazil and the United States account for roughly 65 percent of the world's potash demand, while Canada, Russia and Belarus together account for the vast majority of global supply.

Potash Corp said it will release its first-quarter results on April 29. (Additional reporting by Allan Dowd; Editing by Phil Berlowitz, Bernard Orr) ([e-mail]; Reuters Messaging: [e-mail]; 416 941 8185))

[MWM]

SEED FEED GRO and COIN Charts

[MWM]

POT big spike here at 2:00...

[MWM]

POT and MOS looking good here...

[MWM]

Everything up...

[MWM]

Ag's might be ready to heat up...

[MWM]

I bet some of these names start getting hot...

A lot of chatter about POT lately...

[ZoZoStockWatch]

Jim Rogers on AG

http://jimrogers-investments.blogspot.com/

[jerryp]

Marked and appreciate the board, Mike. Love the sector.

[MWM]

Unusually high call volume MOO

May 22 Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF 9:37 AM PST(Market_Vectors_ETF_Trust/Market_Vectors_ETF_Trust) - MOO Quote - OI/Vol. - Sector Details

Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF appeared on our 6 month record high call volume list this morning. Total of 8073 calls and 114 puts have traded. Most of the volume in the July 41.00 calls.
MOO (MARKET VECTORS-AGRIBUSINESS) is at 37.0501 +1.11

Calls: Ask Bid Volume Open Interest
09 Jul 41.00 0.85 0.95 7356 0

[MWM]

SEED having a good day!



Origin Agritech to report 1Q09 deferred revenue of RMB176.63 mln an increase 57.63% for the three-months ended December 31, 2008 (SEED) 3.83 +0.34 : Co announce unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended March 31, 2009 on May 26, 2009. These results reflect the co's financial statements during the period from January 1, 2009 to March 31, 2009. The co's Q109 financial results improvement included: 1Q09 Deferred Revenue was RMB176.63 mln ($25.84 mln) increased 57.63% for the three-months ended December 31, 2008 as compared to RMB112.05 mln ($15.36 mln) for the same period last year. 1Q09 Total Operating Expenses for the three-months ended December 31, 2008 were RMB39.96 mln ($5.85 mln) decreased 15.0% as compared with RMB 47.01 mln (US$6.44 mln) reported for the same period in 2007. "Our positive trends we saw in FY08 are carrying into FY09. Q109 demonstrated these positive growth trends. We expect to remaining quarters to show similar growth trends. The strength of our renewed product portfolio and our long-term, technology-based solutions are meeting the demands of a growing market opportunity... We had two good quarters, and we continue to press on toward more advanced agricultural technologies, we are determined to drive improved performance going forward." Based on preliminary financial data, the company expects annual revenue for the FY09 to range from RMB 550 mln to RMB 580 mln, and annual operating cash flow is expected to be around RMB 80 mln, both improvements over fiscal year 2008.

[MWM]

I'll add her, just added a few others too!

[iconoclassic]

Good work, nice board, Mike...bookmarked it. You could have nicknamed it "Green Shoots"...lol

[ZoZoStockWatch]

Marked the board

[ZoZoStockWatch]

WouldDBA be a part of this board______

[MWM]

I like MOO here as a safe play!

[MWM]

06:27 EDT POT theflyonthewall.com: Rec-Upgrade story about AGU from Citigroup
Citigroup upgraded Mosaic (MOS) and Potash (POT) to Buy from Hold and Agrium (AGU) to Hold from Sell as it believes stronger grain fundamentals more than offset China contract risk. The firm raised its target on Agrium to $55 from $36. :theflyonthewall.com

06:26 EDT POT theflyonthewall.com: Rec-Upgrade story about POT from Citigroup
Citigroup upgraded Mosaic (MOS) and Potash (POT) to Buy from Hold and Agrium (AGU) to Hold from Sell as it believes stronger grain fundamentals more than offset China contract risk. The firm raised its target on Potash to $145 from $83. :theflyonthewall.com

06:25 EDT POT theflyonthewall.com: Rec-Upgrade story about MOS from Citigroup
Citigroup upgraded Mosaic (MOS) and Potash (POT) to Buy from Hold and Agrium (AGU) to Hold from Sell as it believes stronger grain fundamentals more than offset China contract risk. The firm raised its target on Mosaic to $72 from $48. :theflyonthewall.com

[MWM]

Stocks were taken from Yahoo's Basic Materials Industry Browser

http://biz.yahoo.com/p/112mktu.html