RAEFORD, N.C. (RFD NEWS) — As producers continue facing soaring input costs, farm and fertilizer groups are warning lawmakers that something needs to give.
Industry leaders testified before the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry this week, telling senators that many farmers are struggling to afford fertilizer ahead of the growing season.
Eddie Melton with the Kentucky Farm Bureau said recent survey data shows affordability challenges remain severe, particularly across the South.
“Affordability challenges are especially acute in the South, with roughly 78% of the respondents indicating that they were unable to afford all the fertilizer they need,” Melton said. “In my home state of Kentucky, just 29% of farmers were reported to be able to pre-book fertilizer, with almost 72% stating that they could not afford all the fertilizer that they needed this growing season.”
Melton said farmers need immediate support as well as long-term, systemic changes to address rising input costs and low commodity prices.
“Addressing these challenges requires both immediate and long-term action,” Melton added. “In the near term, greater transparency in the fertilizer market and ensuring farmers have access to the fertilizer they need to get through this growing season are essential.”
Farm-state lawmakers are now searching for ways to provide quicker relief.
Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) argued that fertilizer costs have become one of the biggest financial burdens facing agriculture today.
“The number one challenge for the American farmer today is input costs — and fertilizers now account for up to 40% of those input costs,” Marshall said. “Fertilizer is the biggest chunk of those [input costs] that we need to address. We’ve been working on these again since Russia invaded Ukraine, and we need to give the American farmer some relief. Now, getting rid of those countervailing duties would be the quickest, most immediate impact that the American farmer could see in the real world today.”
Marshall recently introduced legislation to lower fertilizer prices by eliminating tariffs and countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco.
Testifying before Congress, The Fertilizer Institute told lawmakers the industry supports greater transparency in fertilizer pricing and market dynamics.
“Yes, we do support transparency,” said Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute. “We think farmers need more information to understand market prices, and we believe that USDA can play a very important role in being able to explain that. I was at a farm on Friday talking to some growers about the global dynamics creating the price structure we have today, and they were very appreciative of that. But I’m one person, and I think the more that we can do to invest in providing that market information, the better it would be for growers to make those decisions.”
The president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association also testified before the committee, backing increased fertilizer price transparency and endorsing Senator Chuck Grassley’s proposed Fertilizer Research Act.
Farmers continue to navigate a number of economic pressures that influence operational decisions across agriculture, from rising input costs to ongoing market uncertainty.
Dr. Robert Ellis with American Farmland Trust (AFT) joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report to discuss current challenges facing producers and resources aimed at helping farmers protect their bottom lines.
In his conversation with RFD News, Ellis outlined some of the biggest on-farm challenges producers are facing in today’s economic environment. He also discussed AFT’s efforts to provide resources and support for farmers evaluating current practices and long-term business decisions.
Finally, Ellis explained how members of the farming community can access those tools and educational resources.
LEARN MORE: www.farmland.org/policy
