Fertilizer Affordability Shock Hits Spring Planting

By Ihumate | April 26, 2026

Agricultural field under open sky

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What Happened

A new American Farm Bureau Federation survey found that about 70% of responding U.S. farmers cannot afford all the fertilizer they need for the 2026 season. The survey, conducted April 3-11, drew more than 5,700 responses from every state and Puerto Rico.

The pressure is uneven. AFBF reported that 78% of farmers in the South said they could not afford all required fertilizer, compared with 69% in the Northeast, 66% in the West and 48% in the Midwest.

Market Pressure

The survey follows a sharp global fertilizer supply shock linked to Middle East disruption and the Strait of Hormuz. Rabobank said global fertilizer markets ended the first quarter of 2026 under severe strain, with tight availability, higher prices and volatility across major nutrients.

Retail nitrogen prices moved quickly in April. DTN reported that urea was 27% higher month over month in the second week of April, averaging $858 per ton. Anhydrous ammonia was 20% higher, while UAN32 rose 19%.

Farm Decisions

Farmers who did not pre-book fertilizer are most exposed. AFBF said only 19% of Southern producers had secured fertilizer before the season, compared with 67% in the Midwest.

Some growers may delay applications, reduce rates or shift acres. ICIS reported that many surveyed farmers planned to forgo initial spring applications in hopes that prices would ease later in the season.

Why It Matters

Fertilizer affordability is now a yield and margin risk. FAO noted in April that pressure on fertilizer supplies and elevated energy prices were adding uncertainty to food markets, even as global cereal supplies remained broadly comfortable.

For specialty fertilizer, humic acid, amino acid, seaweed extract and biostimulant markets, the story is not about replacing core NPK nutrition. It is about higher demand for nutrient-use efficiency, root health and stress-management programs as growers try to protect yield under tighter input budgets.

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