USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins is working directly with ag input companies to address the still-rising costs of farmer inputs amid warnings of fertilizer supply shortages and ongoing disruptions. Rollins said in an interview last weekend that her agency wants significant relief for farmers. Reports say that the White House is wrestling with high prices for diesel and fertilizer, which have risen sharply since the Iran war began.
One source said “We’re now talking about this likely not just as a spring problem, but a problem that will likely last into the fall.” Farmdoc, from the University of Illinois, reports an especially significant spike in the on-farm diesel price. “Prices are now working toward the record-high levels seen in March 2022,” said Nick Paulson, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois. Among fertilizer prices, Paulson said urea prices have climbed by 39 percent, marking the largest increase.
-NAFB