Ann: Director Appointment/Resignation, page-20

Hi JC. Nice to see you back in these parts. What I was actually referring to was the recent urea shortage in SA and western Victoria. It was actually IMO a demand side problem, rather than a supply side problem. What I think happened is that all the grain growers were relying on the BoM's advice that we were heading into a dry spell. In fact it rained more than was predicted and the forecast was suddenly for more. So all the growers down that way simultaneously decided that more urea would be a good thing. You know what happens when everyone wants something at the same time. Yup, price goes up until the supply runs out, which is what happened. What I was saying to Old Mate was that if he had bought in urea earlier and stored it at his place he would not have had a problem.
Nice of me to proffer retrospective advice from a long way away in NSW, I know, and just my thoughts. Up on the black soil plains in northern NSW they tend to do that. I know from asking people up there what they do. But they are old school and more conservative not trying to do precision farming for higher yields like I think Old Mate is doing in SA. And good luck to him if he can finesse it. He'll make more return per hectare..