Farmers Feeling the Fertilizer Price Squeeze

Farm groups are warning the White House that the tariff war is making already high fertilizer prices worse.  That’s making it harder for farmers to afford to plant their typical amounts of wheat, corn and soybeans.

Politico said Ag industry representatives have hesitated to publicly criticize President Trump’s tariff policies, but some have spent recent months quietly lobbying lawmakers and administration officials to ease the impact on fertilizer prices, which can make up over 30% of the input costs for row crop farmers.

A recent letter from the National Corn Growers Association to administration officials like U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said fertilizer prices are approaching disastrous levels.  When the president took office in January, the average tariff rate on all the key farmer inputs jumped from 0.9% to 12.2% in August.  And some inputs, like pesticides, have risen by 20% or more since January.

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