See national chem pricing trends in the FBN Research report
Jun 25, 2024
Farmers confront many challenges as they strive for profitability, but the persistent and widespread lack of transparency in the chemical market quickly adds substantial costs to already expensive farming essentials.
In developing this year’s insights, the FBN Data Science team aggregated, anonymized, and analyzed farmer-submitted chemical invoices in an effort to provide clarity on price trends.
The analysis revealed that across a wide range of ag chemical products, regardless of geography or product popularity, Canadian farmers continue to pay a wide range of prices for the same exact product.
Click here to jump down to view recent product pricing trends.
Even in recent relatively low pricing environments, farmers are still paying substantially different prices for the same chemical products.
Active ingredient prices in China have fallen sharply from their peak in early 2022. The graph below shows how prices have changed for five common active ingredients since October 2020.
It is important to note that while these prices have decreased from their 2022 peak, the rate of decline differs between each active ingredient.
In addition, some active ingredients like glyphosate show a higher variance in price when compared to others. While prices of both 2,4-D and Dicamba have fallen below 2021 levels, prices for acetochlor and atrazine are still higher than early 2021 levels.
Since recent peaks back in 2022 and 2023, popular ag chemical prices have generally decreased. What has not changed, however, is the variance in the prices farmers are paying for the exact same products.
Below are four popular Canadian ag chem products with the most invoice submissions and their associated price trends, including the lowest / highest prices paid and the percentage difference between the two.
Product Name | Lowest Price (liter) | Highest Price (liter) | Price Difference |
Liberty 150® SN Herbicide | $9.03 | $15.75 | 74% |
Vibrance® Quattro | $25.10 | $34.00 | 35.5% |
Conquer® II Herbicide | $67.01 | $77.32 | 15.4% |
Prospect Herbicide | $50.93 | $58.61 | 15.1% |
As this year’s price transparency insights highlight, the lack of transparency in the Canadian ag chem marketplace continues to present an ongoing challenge for farmers.
FBN was founded ten years ago with a Farmers First® mission based on the idea that sharing information with each other could help farmers level the playing field in agriculture and maximize their farm’s profit potential.
As part of our ongoing commitment to putting Farmers First, the newly updated FBN.com Price Transparency feature shares exclusive active ingredient pricing trend insights, empowering farmers to compare prices and negotiate for fair deals using farmer-sourced market pricing data.
The updated tool allows members to:
See aggregated price statistics from network-powered invoice submissions for comparable products with the same active ingredient. FBN members can empower each other with pricing intelligence across even more products.
Understand price trends around products over time to help members build confidence around purchase timing.
Try out the newly updated tool by visiting a product page on FBN.com.
These tools, however, are only as powerful as the data submitted by our farmer network. Farmers can submit data at any time, and the FBN Data Science team will aggregate and anonymize all submissions to continuously update the Price Transparency tool throughout the year.
Sharing your invoices is simple and secure. To contribute a recent crop protection invoice:
Submit a photo of your invoice or forward an emailed receipt to data@farmersbusinessnetwork.com.
Upload invoices directly via the FBN app by clicking here.
© 2015 - 2024 Farmer's Business Network Canada, Inc. All rights reserved. The sprout logo, "Farmers Business Network," "FBN,", "Farmers First", "FBN Direct," "F2F Genetics Network", the Pro Ag logo, "Pro Ag", and "Professional Ag Distributors" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc. or its affiliates.
Fees may apply for certain product and service offerings other than FBN membership.
Liberty 150® SN Herbicide is a registered trademark of Bayer Group.
Vibrance® Quattro is a registered trademark of Syngenta.
Conquer® II Herbicide is a registered trademark of Nufarm.
Prospect Herbicide is a registered trademark of Corteva Agriscience LLC.
FBN Direct products and services and other products distributed by FBN Direct are offered by Farmer's Business Network Canada, Inc. and are available only in provinces where Farmer's Business Network Canada, Inc. is licensed and where those products are registered for sale or use, if applicable. Not available in Quebec. Nothing contained on this page, including the prices listed should be construed as an offer for sale, or a sale of products. All products and prices are subject to change at any time and without notice. Terms and conditions apply.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and provincial law to use any pest control product other than in accordance with its label. The distribution, sale and use of an unregistered pest control product is a violation of federal and/or provincial law and is strictly prohibited. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided on this page or which is provided by us in any form. It is your responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix and that the usage of a product is otherwise consistent with federal, provincial and local laws. We reserve the right to restrict sales on a geographic basis in our sole discretion. You must have a valid applicator license and/or be a certified farmer, to use restricted and commercial pest control products (exceptions may apply based on province). Please consult your applicable provincial authority for complete rules and regulations on licensing, use, and recording keeping requirements of restricted and commercial pest control products.
All product recommendations and other information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for consulting the product label or for specific agronomic, business,or professional advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified advisor. Neither Farmer's Business Network Canada, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the material and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.
Jun 25, 2024