‘It’s not sustainable’: US farmers reeling as Iran war pushes fertilizer costs up
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- Long-standing family farms like Bushmeyer Farms in Illinois are struggling due to dramatically increased fertilizer prices over the past several years, while grain commodity prices have declined, making farming economically unsustainable in the long term.
- The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran amid the US-Israel conflict has severely disrupted global fertilizer supply chains, causing nitrogen fertilizer prices to nearly double and intensifying financial pressure on American farmers during the critical spring planting season.
- Fertilizer costs represent a significant portion of production expenses, especially for corn, and the current price spike threatens farm profitability, with many farmers relying on federal subsidies to avoid losses in recent years.
- High fertilizer prices are influencing planting decisions, with some farmers shifting acreage from corn to
