Despite a recent study that says fertilizer prices will drop in 2009, at least one company is encouraging managers of turfgrass fields to purchase early before the prices rise.
Dave Heegard, vice president and general manager of LebanonTurf says it's difficult to predict where fertilizer prices will go but he thinks prices will increase. In addition, Heegard believes next month will be a big wake-up call to people in the turfgrass industry.
"The first warm days in March are going to wake up a lot of people to the fact that they need to be feeding their turfgrasses," he said. "I think that will put a lot of pressure on manufacturers and their distributors to deliver product to their customers, and it could affect the growing season at a lot of golf courses."
Heegard's company also announced this week that it had reached an agreement with Nutrient Technology Partners to make products containing fertilizer catalyst NutriLife in the Northeast and Midwest.
The company says the product increases fertilizer efficiency and strengthens root systems.
Earlier this week a report from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois estimated that fertilizer prices will continue to fall in 2009.