A group of corn growers say more needs to be done to investigate potential anticompetitive behavior in the fertilizer market as input costs continue to rise.
Tadd Nicholsen, executive director of Ohio Corn and Wheat, says members from Ohio, Iowa, and Texas recently sent a joint letter to the administration urging the president to move forward with a federal investigation.
“When you have losses for four years in a row, it’s burning through a lot of capital on farms,” he says. “There’s a problem that needs to be solved. The FTC has already announced they’re doing an investigation. They’ve been at it for quite a while. We’ve done enough talking. We really would like to see some action.”
He tells Brownfield farmers need permanent solutions that improve price transparency and lower costs.
“In 1990, there were 18 different fertilizer producers for just phosphate in the United States,” he says. “Today, there’s four. We need to see some changes in how things are done. We need some answers.”
Nicholsen says farmers are looking for long-term action that helps improve profitability and lowers production expenses.
