Several state corn grower associations have asked the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to expedite an investigation into the U.S. fertilizer industry.
Vice President of the Kansas group Brett Grauerholz says he’d like the findings to identify what’s driving record-high prices, but quickly adds, “This is not going to be a quick easy fix as much as we want it. As a fifth-generation farmer, I want quick and easy, but it’s going to take time. As producers, we’re going to have to look at our books a little bit harder and maybe think dollars per acre instead of bushels per acre as our outcome.”
Recently, 17 associations including, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota, sent Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Richard Durbin a letter asking for a quick investigation into potential anti-competitive practices.
Kaitlin Taylor, public policy director with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, said producers deserve more transparency. “Right now, there are a lot of unknowns of what has been going on within the fertilizer industry, specifically with these mergers. I think that’s the first step right now for any investigation that goes on.”
In late May, the Federal Trade Commission asked for an investigation into the industry. Grauerholz and Taylor say producers should submit any information that could help the investigation.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Surveys after survey have come to the same conclusion – farmers’/ranchers’ highest concern this year is rising input costs. At the top of that list are fertilizer prices. Farmers have been forced to either cut back or change cropping patterns, in some instances, simply because of fertilizer costs. Currently 2026 has seen near record increases in fertilizer prices and upset farmers are looking to Washington for answers.
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