Ag chemical supplies in 2023 should be much better than this past year…

However, we do not expect supplies to get back to normal until the 2024 or possibly the 2025 season. Most companies are taking prices up a little bit right now (3% to 10%), but since there is still a fair amount of inventory that we have on hand from last season, there should be some better deals right now compared to what you will find next spring.

Personally, I think glyphosate (Roundup) and glufosinate (Liberty) will go down a little bit between now and spring, but I could certainly be wrong. The odds that any other products will be lower in price come spring is pretty low.

In other words, for most herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, we do believe now is a pretty good time to buy.

The way you have likely operated on your farm for years, if not decades, has been to prepay in December or January, depending on when you need the tax break, and then pick product up in-season when you need it. In the last couple of years, supplies have been tight. Manufacturers have also eliminated their programs where retailers could lock in prices prior to shipment by prepaying, meaning many retailers will not commit on a price to you until you actually take the product or at least until the product shows up at the retailer’s location.

With all this uncertainty and change, it means buying ahead and taking product earlier than normal is probably a good bet.

In order to make sure you get what you need at a competitive price, we have actually brought in far more product early than ever before. We now have roughly two-thirds of everything we sold last year already on hand in our system. With good crop prices, the last thing anyone needs is to either not find the right pesticides to take care of their weeds, insects, or diseases, or to have to pay an excessive price.

As long as we’re talking about purchases for your next crop, I would encourage you to evaluate how everything went on your farm this year. If you had weed, insect, disease, or other issues, please talk to us. There are so many choices compared to what we used to have that it’s a little confusing and overwhelming, but the good news is we have lots of ways to stop the tough pests that attack your crops. The key is to plan ahead and then execute that plan.

Whether you want to buy your 2023 supplies right now or if you want to wait until next spring, we appreciate your business anytime. We will do everything we can to help you make this next season one of the best ever on your farm.