The largest production cost for Canadian farmers is in fertilizer. While Canada can simultaneously boast some of the most sustainable fertilizer production in the world, there are a few reasons the price is outrageous: market distortion favours international suppliers, high energy costs impact local production, input concentration limits nitrogen (N) fertilizer inventory, a weak Canadian dollar reduces purchasing power, and trade dynamics (like tariffs and export restrictions) maintain price volatility. Yet, emerging from this chaos is Genesis Fertilizers, a farmer-owned company only months away from beginning construction on a N-fertilizer production facility in Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan.
The Genesis Fertilizers facility boasts it is “… reinforcing [Western Canada’s] position as a hub for sustainable agriculture” with its upcoming low-carbon fertilizer production complex and planned distribution network. When running, this facility is expected to annually sequester 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide with its carbon capture system, providing farmers a reliable, local, sustainable, and price competitive fertilizer source. This idea of increased competition is becoming a mainstay in Canadian agricultural policy and government investment; our country’s reputation as an import-heavy price taker has left us vulnerable to international production shocks and targeted trade barriers. As a result, this new facility (the first N-fertilizer production site built in Canada since 1992) promises to take advantage of Canada’s cheap urea and establish meaningful infrastructure that could reduce our reliance on international sources.
Fertilizer is priced using a netback system. The price paid by Canadian farmers is determined using a benchmark price, usually from the market in the United States, with the additional costs to get fertilizers to our fields (i.e. distribution and transport). It does not matter that international fertilizer production can sometimes use Canadian urea inputs; the distance between production facility and farm means Canadian farmers pay an extremely inflated price for a volatile product. With local input sourcing and production, as suggested by Genesis Fertilizers, the price farmers pay for fertilizer is theoretically competitive. The realisation of these promises, unfortunately, will not be revealed until earliest 2029.
One of the major selling points of Genesis Fertilizers is the farmer-owned structure, which is achieved by selling shares to farmers whose dollars will be used for start-up construction and operational expenses. In this specific structure, farmers are majority shareholders, and they are rewarded with the fertilizer they have invested in. 75 per cent of the fertilizer produced is already spoken for as offtakes for investing producers while the remaining 25 per cent will be sold in the open market, with profits distributed amongst owners. However, while Genesis Fertilizers has focused on the farmer-owned factor in marketing, it is still a company with profit-oriented goals.
The board of directors, seated by experienced individuals from former companies like AgraCity, Monsanto Canada (since absorbed by Bayer Crop Science), Fertilizer Canada, MNP, and Yara Canada, is governing opposed to advisory. This technicality means that, although farmers are the majority shareholders, the day-to-day operational decisions occurs independent of their input. Therefore, farmers buying into Genesis Fertilizers in the hopes of changing Canada’s fertilizer market may be misinformed. The overall cost of production may be reduced because of fewer transport miles or cheaper energy inputs, contributing to the predicted margin widening, but in instances where cost cutting is deemed insufficient, the price of fertilizer must rise to breakeven. An increase of this nature says nothing about the supply chain weaknesses Canada is known for like transport capacity, infrastructure investment, and labour disputes, which can worsen a business’ financial position.
Further complicating the situation is the transitional period Canada is trying to enter. Our agricultural policies are moving toward self-sustainability and increased transparency, the latter of which can be difficult when farmers are not involved in closed-door conversations. This was the unfortunate case in June 2025, Genesis Fertilizers’ founder and chief executive officer stepped down in the wake of AgraCity’s financial restructure; the company has since filed for creditor protection. The drama from that event has unfortunately had real impacts on the trust farmers have in Genesis Fertilizers, in some cases deterring new investors from participating.
It is difficult to make any solid conclusions about Genesis Fertilizers’ ability to deliver on their business plan when they are still in the planning stage and in search of additional start-up funds. On paper, it looks promising; who wouldn’t want the opportunity to save $100/mt on N-fertilizer? Forcing infrastructure development in the fertilizer sector may spur other sectors, even those beyond agriculture, to invest in the long-term future of Canadian production. By giving farmers the voting power, there is security in N-fertilizer offtakes and some of the major business decisions. However, farmers who are interested in Genesis Fertilizers need to understand that owning shares means they are taking on the risks of both a buyer and an investor, which comes with additional considerations for their own farm risk assessments.
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