Some farmers are concerned consolidation in the fertilizer industry is contributing to drastically rising input costs.
Mark Mueller, a farmer director with Iowa Corn, says prices should have moved lower with companies expanding but, “For some reason the increased production doesn’t necessarily translate into savings that get passed along to the farmer. Let’s face it. They went from roughly 20 companies 30 years ago down to 4. Every time there was a merger, they said they’d pass the savings down to the customer. That hasn’t happened.”
He tells Brownfield there aren’t many alternatives. “Now, I can’t raise a crop without fertilizer, so I have to buy it.”
Jared Nash with the Kansas Soybean Association says he trying to stretch every dollar he can. “We’re trying to do more with less like using less of fertilizer to get a decent yield and not lose as much money.”
Both farmers say they’re supportive of efforts like the Fertilizer Transparency Act that could provide some information on why prices have skyrocketed.
