\u201cThis time of year is when the majority of fertiliser is put out in this country,\u201d Corriher told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got hit at the worst possible time, because we\u2019re trying to buy fertiliser when it skyrockets and when the supply also gets cut.\u201d<\/p>\n The cost hikes strike at a major support base for US President Donald Trump, who won 78 per cent of the 2024 vote in farming-dependent counties, said news service Investigate Midwest<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump blamed \u201cprice gouging from the fertiliser monopoly\u201d on Saturday, vowing: \u201cAmerican Farmers, we have your back!\u201d<\/p>\n But spring planting is already ongoing, with Corriher loading bags of dry fertiliser onto a tractor, hauling them to his fields.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve ordered several loads of liquid nitrogen a few weeks ago, and they\u2019re still saying they\u2019re not sure when it\u2019ll be delivered,\u201d Corriher said.<\/p>\n Since the war, Corriher estimates that the nitrogen fertiliser he uses rose by at least 40pc in price.<\/p>\n The cost of urea \u2014 a common nitrogen-based fertiliser \u2014 had jumped by around 50pc at the port of New Orleans.<\/p>\n Corriher has reduced usage by a third, a decision he worries might hurt his yields.<\/p>\n Russell Hedrick, who farms up to 1,000 acres including corn and soybeans around Hickory, North Carolina, said around 75pc of his fertiliser purchases were made after prices rocketed.<\/p>\n Like himself, many US farmers lack storage to stock up far ahead of planting, the 40-year-old told AFP<\/em>, after blending fertilisers and nutrients to be sprayed on his fields.<\/p>\n He has cut fertiliser use to the \u201cbare minimum\u201d, with an option to add more later.<\/p>\n Even before the war, rising costs meant \u201cfarmers have essentially become like Breaking Bad chemists with fertiliser, to get the most out of it\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said 80pc of American farmers had bought fertiliser for the spring planting season before the conflict. But that\u2019s cold comfort to those who lacked funds and capacity to do so.<\/p>\n Those remarks were \u201ca gut shot\u201d, said Marshville-based farmer Derrick Austin.<\/p>\n Austin, 55, called his supplier upon learning of the strait\u2019s blockage, knowing that costs would jump.<\/p>\n \u201cThankfully, he let me buy three loads of nitrogen at the old price per ton so I could at least fertilise my wheat crop,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n Fertiliser supply has diminished before, like in 2021 when China restricted phosphate exports to prioritise domestic needs.<\/p>\n Usually, farmers can see that coming, Hedrick said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year, we just kind of got blindsided.\u201d<\/p>\n Corriher said he has been a supporter of Trump, but added of the war: \u201cIt didn\u2019t seem like we had really thought out all the consequences to the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like these things were kind of overlooked as part of collateral damage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The surge in gas and diesel prices have hit farmers and other American households: \u201cEverybody seems to be suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if the war has changed perceptions of Trump, Austin said: \u201cI\u2019m starting to question some of his reasoning.\u201d<\/p>\n But to him, the Trump administration \u201cstill beats some of the alternatives\u201d.<\/p>\n Hedrick said he has voted for Trump thrice: \u201cHe\u2019s human like the rest of us. I think he makes good calls, I think he makes mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n He said if the conflict\u2019s resolution brings \u201clong-term peace\u201d and a reopened Strait of Hormuz, \u201cthat\u2019s all I can hope for\u201d.<\/p>\n The US agriculture economy has \u201cbeen in a recession for the last couple of years\u201d, said Iowa State University professor Chad Hart.<\/p>\n Net farm income has declined while business costs remain high.<\/p>\n Although margins are squeezed this year, the hit may be less than anticipated as many farmers managed to apply fertiliser last fall or earlier this spring.<\/p>\n But the 2027 crop would be \u201ca big concern\u201d if fighting persists, Hart said.<\/p>\n![\"Andy](\"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/primary\/2026\/04\/14160425d51e9bd.webp\")
<\/div><\/a>\u2018Gut shot\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Co-Owner](\"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/primary\/2026\/04\/14151213f5a3324.webp\")
<\/div><\/a>\u2018Collateral damage\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Co-Owner](\"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/primary\/2026\/04\/14160653f45337a.webp\")
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