Grassley, Ernst reintroduce legislation to shine light on market factors driving up fertilizer prices

WASHINGTON — Iowa Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst as well as Democrats Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Raphael Warnock of California are reintroducing legislation to shine a light on market factors driving the high cost of fertilizer, which is a major expense for farmers.

The “Fertilizer Research Act” would require the US Department of Agriculture to conduct a study on competition and trends in the fertilizer market and their subsequent impacts on price.

Grassley says he’s recently met with several farm organizations, with all of them expressing concerns that grain prices are trending down while input prices are stubbornly high.  “Years of market consolidation and lack of access to fertilizer on the global market due to tariffs have left farmers with few options when it comes to spreading fertilizer, buying it, everything connected with it. Many farmers are wondering why they’re paying so much for fertilizer and when they’re going to see a change.”

Grassley says the USDA report would shine a light on the market factors driving the high cost of fertilizer.  “That report would look at all factors including tariffs and market concentration to see why farmers are paying such high prices. It would also examine whether the current public price reporting is sufficient for market transparency.”

Ernst in written comments says by gaining a better understanding of the fertilizer industry, such research would provide the foundational knowledge needed to give farmers much needed clarity and certainty as harvest approaches.