WHITE HALL, Md. (RFD NEWS) — Mid-Atlantic farmers are already asking about locking in fertilizer for 2027 as imported nitrogen supplies and global market uncertainty keep input costs in focus.
Certified crop adviser Ben Hushon with The Mill says some growers want price protection without taking immediate delivery.
Hushon says the region depends heavily on imported nitrogen. He estimates as much as 95% of urea ammonium nitrate used across parts of the Mid-Atlantic may be imported, with urea showing a similar dependence.
Potash supplies are more balanced, with about half coming from Canada and the remainder imported from other sources. He says most phosphate used locally is produced in North Carolina, although some imported material also enters the market.
Despite geopolitical disruptions, Hushon says his business has not run short of fertilizer or faced a supply failure. The concern has shifted toward managing cost and timing purchases.
He encourages growers to use soil tests, split nitrogen applications, stabilizers, modeling, and variable-rate fertilizer to target spending more carefully ahead of the next crop year.
