Last year a tonne of potash sold between $290 and $320 dollars on the Ontario market. This year farmers are looking to pay between $340 and $380 per tonne.

Harry Bennett, a crop consultant with Harvex in Kemptville, says the number of world suppliers has decreased and world demand has put upward pressure on the price. China, a new buyer, has bought between one and one and a half million tonnes of potash.

"Potash suppliers have been left with very low inventories," he said.

Nitrogen, following the increase in natural gas from which it is made, rose about 10 per cent over last year, while phosphates have also gone up by 10 per cent.

Harvex’s phosphates, which come from Florida, should have decreased in price, considering how the Canadian dollar has jumped.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen," he said. "There’s a lot of indecision among farmers on what they are going to plant. Except for dairy farmers. They’ve made up their minds."

But farmers can’t vary too much. "It’s still in a farmer’s best interest to have a good crop rotation."

Instead of big swings in crops, he sees a change in planting strategies. Some farms are minimizing fertilizer rates while others are using bin run seeds.