Farmers Need To Tell Congress About The Pain Of High Fertilizer Prices

Regardless of commodity or where you farm, there’s one thing all producers are struggling with now nationwide; the price of fertilizers.  Kentucky Farm Bureau president Eddie Melton expressed his concerns before the Senate Ag committee last week.

“Brought the message from farmers all across the country, and especially Kentucky, talking about fertilizer pricing and the availability of fertilizer and just where we are in agriculture, and I would almost describe it as a crisis right now, where we are with input cost and production agriculture and low commodity prices,” Melton noted.

He said there are actions Congress can take now to address the matter.

“The first thing that I talked about was transparency in pricing, some kind of pricing mechanism, and transparency about where pricing is, and to help us make better decisions on the farm, and then we need more domestic production," Melton said.  "There's no doubt about that. We can make them here in this country. We need to do that.”

Melton added it’s important for farmers and ranchers to advocate for themselves with lawmakers and make their voices heard.

“We as farmers, we need to build those relationships with our lawmakers, let them know who you are and what you do for a living, as we do in Farm Bureau fashion, you need to tell your story and get out and let them know why certain things, such as fertilizer, pricing and transparency is important to you as a farmer.” 

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