WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — Rising fertilizer and fuel costs continue to weigh heavily on farm margins as producers navigate planting season pressures and ongoing global uncertainty tied to energy markets and geopolitical conflict.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins joined RFD News by phone to discuss the administration’s response, saying efforts are underway on both short- and long-term strategies to stabilize input costs and strengthen domestic supply chains, adding that the administration is working with industry leaders and federal agencies on a “full toolkit” approach.
“I’ve been saying this now for about a year—the average cost of inputs is up 40% between 2020 and 2024,” Rollins said. “At the same time, you marry that to what was an agricultural trade surplus when President Trump left in January 2021 — and then inheriting, four years later, a $50 billion trade deficit. [...] Last year, 18 new trade deals. This year, expected corn exports, ethanol exports, tree nut exports, dairy exports will all increase between 10 and 25%, cutting that ag trade deficit we inherited by 40% in year one.”
In her exclusive interview with RFD News on Tuesday afternoon, Secretary Rollins emphasized that fertilizer prices have climbed significantly in recent years and have been further affected by overseas conflict, and she is working with lawmakers across Washington to bring real relief to producers as soon as possible.
“It’s really an important issue right now, especially for our farmers in planting season, and you mentioned it—listen—this is not a new issue,” Rollins said. “The cost of fertilizer went up 40% in the last administration. We were working and had begun to see a little bit of moderation on that. When the conflict overseas happened, and the President was very clear that there may be some tribulations we’re going to have to work our way through, and certainly we have seen that specific to certain pieces of the fertilizer industry. With regards to nitrogen and a few others, you’ve seen a big cost increase.”
She pointed to recent actions, including regulatory adjustments and efforts to improve domestic fertilizer movement and production capacity.
“So we have done a couple [of] things already; [and] we’ve got a lot more coming,” she said. “We waived the Jones Act. We’ve opened up a line from Venezuela. We’ll have more to announce in the next few days.”
Rollins also shared about her recent meeting with fertilizer industry CEOs and highlighted ongoing discussions with transportation and energy officials as part of a broader effort to address supply constraints. She also noted that additional policy announcements are expected in the coming days, outlining further steps.
“I met with several CEOs of fertilizer companies from around the world, actually, which goes to a much bigger question—and that is, why are we relying on fertilizer from other parts of the world? But that’s a long-term effort that we’re working on. We’ve got to fix that as well,” Rollins said. “We’re continuing our talks with Secretary Sean Duffy at Transportation, really working to honor and elevate companies like CF Fertilizer out of Illinois that has agreed to stop any sort of maintenance on their plants so they can keep fertilizer moving and keep their prices down.”
Rollins emphasized that increasing domestic production remains a long-term priority, stating that reducing reliance on foreign fertilizer sources is central to improving farm security and price stability.
“So we’ve got an all-tools-in-the-tool kit approach right now for the short term, and then for the long term, really looking to see how to onshore or restore what we have moved out of America over the last couple of decades,” Rollins continued. “So, looking at potential investments from the Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, some of the tariff money perhaps being used to reinvest there. We’ll be announcing—I’ll be in Missouri on Friday to talk a little bit more about this—and then hopefully next week we’ll be able to release a pretty significant plan on how we’re going to approach both the short term and the long term here for our farmers.”
The Secretary also addressed congressional efforts, such as the proposed Fertilizer Transparency Act, saying that greater market data could help producers make more informed decisions and improve accountability across the supply chain.
"[It will] take a lot of manpower—it would—but listen, I agree. The more transparency, the more information we can get out to our farmers, the more accountability and measuring we’re able to do as an agriculture industry, the more successful we will be,” Rollins said. “There are really important questions out there. Why do our farmers continue to barely survive from season to season? From open markets to closed markets, why is it such a struggle when seed companies, fertilizer companies, equipment companies continue to year over year make record profits? Also, why 20 years ago there were 30 companies providing fertilizer and seed, and now it’s only a handful—and some aren’t even America-based? This is what President Trump was elected to do. For years, it’s a very short period of time to try to completely undo, deconstruct, and reconstruct an entire industry—but that’s what we’re working to do.”
On fuel prices, Rollins said the administration and President Donald Trump are “highly aware” of diesel cost pressures facing farmers and are coordinating with energy and interior officials on mitigation strategies.
"[The President] is hyper aware. We’ve talked about it quite a bit. Lee Zeldin has been working to lift some of those restrictions—we’ll talk about that more hopefully by the end of this week, —but he’s hyper aware,” Rollins assured RFD-TV viewers. “And certainly Chris Wright, our Secretary of Energy, and Doug Burgum, our Secretary of the Interior, they’re talking about it every single day. We’re working alongside them. It is not sustainable, and we realize that. We’ve got to do everything we can, within the current circumstances, to bring mitigation to that. [...] And listen, I had a hearing in front of the House Appropriations Committee last week. I have another one with the Senate tomorrow. This is front and center on everyone’s minds. We’re looking at GT Thompson’s farm bill getting voted on today or tomorrow, working with Senator Hoeven on the Senate side, on perhaps increasing the limit for CCC funds. It is an all-day, all-night effort. I’m about to jump on a call with the White House to talk about this, so really making sure it is front and center for everyone.”
Rollins described the current farm economy as challenging but pointed to recent trade activity, biofuel policy adjustments, and labor program changes as areas of progress aimed at improving long-term producer profitability.
“The good news—if I may, or maybe not good news yet — but the silver lining in all of this is, it really has shined a light on how important it is that we have got to be able to produce this within our own country,” Rollins said. “Relying on other countries like Russia and China, and to a certain extent even others, for some of this, is not sustainable. We will not be able to pass freedom on to the next generation if we’re relying on other countries for our food, for our fertilizer, etc. I’ve been saying for a year now that ‘farm security is national security.’ And I think you’re seeing a real recalibration of at least the federal government—and I know a lot of state governments, too—around the importance of the farmer and rancher in all of this.”
In addition to reducing the ag trade deficit and passing a Farm Bill, Rollins also assured farmers and ranchers that other federal priorities include legalizing year-round E15 and lowering input costs, getting American-grown foods into schools, and more.
“All the pieces of the formula are being deployed every day, no matter what the day holds,” Rollins said. “The president feels very strongly about securing the safety of the world, but also believes we’ll get back to business as usual quickly—and continue bringing those input costs down. So, [we are] working every day to recalibrate so that our farmers can thrive and prosper—not just survive year to year.”
