Ag groups are calling for an end to duties on phosphate fertilizers imported from Morocco and Russia, and now the battle is taking to social media.
“You’re going to put your consumers out of business if you don’t stop gouging this, because we can also see that they are not hurting,” says Nebraska farmer Jason Lewis. “In fact, some of those companies are making record-breaking profits, and we’re not seeing this here at the farm gate, so we’ve got to get something figured out here.”
Lewis, blunt in his assessment of fertilizer companies, serves on a National Corn Growers Association task force looking at input costs.
After The Mosaic Company took to social media defending their fertilizer pricing, NCGA responded by saying that farmers’ difficult financial situation has only been made worse by, “the extra $6.9 BILLION they have had to spend on fertilizer since you petitioned the government to place duties on imported phosphorus.”
NCGA gathered responses from around 1,600 farmers in March.
The survey says retail urea prices are up 37 percent, or about $227 a ton, since conflict in the Middle East escalated. Other nitrogen products are up more than 20 percent, and nine out of ten farmers say local nitrogen prices are higher.
“Here are the numbers. This isn’t just, you know, a feeling or how’s our gut feeling — what are the vibes out there. No, this is what’s happening. These are hard numbers, and I think it paints a very clear picture. We’re going to the companies, and we’re showing them these numbers.”
A recent Farm Bureau study of 5,000 farmers shows that 70% of farmers can’t afford all the fertilizer they need.
.@MosaicCompany, you’re right that U.S. farmers are facing a difficult economic situation, only made worse by the extra $6.9 BILLION they have had to spend on fertilizer since you petitioned the government to place duties on imported phosphorus. This has played a major role in… https://t.co/UuOqjE0jBu
— National Corn (NCGA) (@NationalCorn) April 13, 2026
Mosaic said in their social media post, “U.S. prices are lower than in other key agricultural regions of the world. This reflects reduced U.S. farmer demand due to the difficult overall economic situation facing American farmers. Our commitment is clear: we are responsible, reliable, and future-focused in our work to help feed a growing global population.”
NCGA’s response, “You have an opportunity to support America’s farmers, those who are growing the food and fuel our world needs, during one of their most challenging seasons: drop your petition to continue duties on imported fertilizers.”
