"We have had a couple of record losses the last couple of years, so everyone's kinda grabbing at straws anyway, and then to have input prices increase yet again, it just really couldn't happen at a worse time." The latest factors worsened those existing supply issues, which means that even if the Iran war were resolved, fertiliser prices likely won't quickly fall, said Jacqui Fatka, a farm supply economist for creditor CoBank. Some fertiliser is already stored in the US and can meet demand amid the shortage of Middle East imports, but at some point, that supply will run short. However, the increased fertiliser prices shouldn't significantly lead to grocery store increases even as they put a crimp in farmers' profits. Still, farm bankruptcies remain rare, with only 315 last year - a tiny percentage of the nearly 1.9 million farms nationally.

Source: The Telegraph March 18, 2026 08:12 UTC