(WASHINGTON D.C.) — Amid the rising cost of fertilizer and the added pressure on farm margins, it appears the Trump Administration is talking with fertilizer industry executives to manage price spikes and find solutions.
POLITICO’s Grace Yarrow reported on Wednesday that top White House officials, including Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, met with a handful of executives and leaders from the fertilizer industry to have a “frank discussion” and discuss how the administration could work with companies to “keep this fertilizer crisis in check.”
Farmers have seen fertilizer and fuel costs skyrocket in recent weeks as the Iran war has caused challenges with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz along with damage to various infrastructure in the Middle East. American Farm Bureau this week released a new survey that showed around 70% of respondents report being unable to afford all the fertilizer they need. The AFBF survey also showed that fertilizer pre-booking rates varied significantly by region, with just 19% of Southern producers reporting fertilizer purchases secured ahead of the season, compared to 30% in the Northeast, 31% in the West and 67% in the Midwest, reflecting differences in planting decision timelines and exposure to recent price increases.
Those AFBF numbers seem to be lower than Ag Secretary Rollins recent assertion that 80 percent of farmers had already locked in their fertilizer needs for the season. A new survey from the National Corn Growers Association indicated that many growers secured fertilizer supplies for the 2026 crop before recent global disruptions intensified. However, anxiety about fertilizer pricing and availability is rapidly accelerating—particularly for the 2027 crop year according to NCGA. Their survey results show that for every one farmer expressing greater concern about fertilizer price and availability for the 2026 crop, there were nearly two farmers expressing greater concern for the 2027 crop.
Just this week, DTN/Progressive Farmer reported that five of eight major fertilizers had sizable retail price increases compared to the prior month, four by double digits. According to their numbers: urea was 26% higher compared to last month, anhydrous was 18% higher, UAN32 was 17% higher and UAN28 was 10%.
Many farm groups, including NCGA, have continued to push for countervailing duties to be removed on phosphate imports from Morocco and Russia. The Corn Growers note in their release, however, that Mosaic Corporation and J.R. Simplot – have pushed for continuation of countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizers. Meanwhile, a recent story from Farm Policy News notes that Nutrien is in favor of lifting the duties.
