How the war in Iran is altering planting plans for American farmers

Urea is a one of the most popular nitrogen fertilizers for 
corn crops in the U.S. (DTN graph)

For farmers, the war in Iran has meant changing crop rotations, using less fertilizer, investing in what is profitable, and praying costs go back down by 2027, reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. For his report, Thomas profiled three farmers who are responding to the challenges. 

In Iowa, farmer Dave Walton has opted to plant more soybeans than corn to avoid soaring fertilizer costs resulting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Thomas explains, "Soybeans require less fertilizer to grow than corn. . . . Walton typically splits his land for half to grow corn and half for soybeans. This year, he is shifting to a 60/40 split." Walton still plans to plant all of his 1,000 acres, but he figures his costs so far in 2026 are up 20%.

Timothy Jones also raises cattle.
(T. Jones photo via WSJ)

Timothy Jones typically grows corn and beans, alongside raising beef cattle on his Kentucky farm. "This year, he is planning to put about 20% of his corn crop into producing hay to help feed his growing cattle herd, which is making money, and an extra 15% into more soybeans to cut fertilizer costs," Thomas adds. Since corn needs far more urea fertilizer to provide nitrogen than soybeans, that switch will save Jones money. "Urea was about $520 a ton in January, he said; now it is more than $850 a ton."

Greg Amundson, a row-crop farmer with 3,000 acres in North Dakota, isn't changing his crop choices, but he does plan to use far less fertilizer. Thomas writes, "Because of rising crop-seed costs, he is cutting back on the number of seeds he plants per acre. He is hoping that improvements in how the seeds perform when planted will compensate for using less of them."

Live, virtual panel discussion on the link between agricultural sprays and cancer cases in the Midwest, May 7

Are chemical crop treatments causing cancer in the communities where they are used?

A live virtual panel event on May 7 from 11 a.m. to noon. will explore what current data and reporting reveal about potential links between agricultural sprays and cancer diagnoses. The conversation will cover what research indicates, clinical insights and lived experience. The event is free. You can register here.

The discussion panel includes journalists, researchers, a physician and a cancer survivor who will discuss the growing body of data examining the potential link between pesticide use and cancer outcomes.

The panel will flesh out what's known about the possible connection, present what remains unclear, and examine how chemical crop treatments and severe health conditions often play out in rural communities.

The conversation will connect data, policy and personal impact to better understand what’s driving cancer risks in farm belts across the U.S. Time for a Q&A with the audience also will be included.

Current panel lineup:

• Dr. Richard Deming, MercyOne Cancer Center
• Kerri Johannsen, Iowa Environmental Council
• Amanda Starbuck, Food & Water Watch
• Carey Gillam, The New Lede
• Lisa Lawler, Iowa cancer survivor
• Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest (moderator)

“We selected these panelists to help better understand what the latest data and reporting are showing and where we go next,” said Lauren Cross, assistant editor for the event's sponsor, Investigate Midwest.

Quick hits: USDA plans fertilizer production in U.S.; farmers' 'stops' that aren't seasonal; curiosity builds community

Brooke Rollins

The Department of Agriculture plans to use tariff dollars and trade renegotiation resources to help fertilizer production in the United States. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the "USDA is focused on helping move fertilizer supplies more quickly, but cautioned it will take time for crop nutrient prices to begin falling," reports Kim Chipman of AgriPulse. "Rollins said she hosted a meeting with executives of four top fertilizer companies and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett." The Trump administration hopes to roll out its full plan to move fertilizer production back to the U.S. sometime this week.

The University of Maine's Fort Kent campus will provide dorms,
 a lounge and a cafeteria for recovering teens. (UofM photo)

Just like some adults, preteens and adolescents can end up with severe drug and alcohol addictions that can end in an overdose or many failed recovery attempts. Recovery advocates in the tiny town of Fort Kent, Maine, will "use new funding to try a novel solution to the problem: a public boarding school for high schoolers in recovery," writes Lanan Cohen for The Hechinger Report. The new approach will "focus on abstinence and mental health to help students overcome their substance abuse problems." Educators hope the boarding school structure will allow students time to solidify new choices and coping strategies while remaining in school.

Graphic by A. Dixon, Offrange

It's not a farmers market. It's a farmers "stop," and it's open all year long. Farming advocates hope the concept continues to catch on. "The Argus Farm Stop model is built on a consignment basis with a 70/30 split: Farmers set their own prices and keep 70% of every sale, while Argus retains 30% to cover operating costs," reports Heidi Roth for Offrange. "A café inside each location accounts for roughly a third of sales but about half the profit, effectively subsidizing higher farmer payouts while creating a community hub where farmers can gather, and customers can meet producers." Not all farmer stops have the same elements, but all aim to support local farmers while fostering community spirit.

Musical talent from far-flung places often took center stage at the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. "The festival is rich with rural tradition, pulling in rural musicians from across the states and every continent except Antarctica (as far as I know)," reports Phillip Norman of The Daily Yonder. "I caught an ambient country jam by Setting in the backroom of Boyd’s Jig and Reel Scottish Pub, and hit the Knoxville Art Museum to witness the electric saxophone wizardry of Sam Gendel. . . . Big Ears is a festival for music nerds who are interested not only in how a concert sounds, but also how it reflects the lived experiences of the people making the music."

Beth Howard (Illustration by N. Nichols)

As an activist and community organizer for Appalachia and the broader South, Beth Howard hopes her memoir, Song for a Hard-Hit People: A Memoir of Anti-Racist Solidarity From a Coal Miner’s Daughter, helps readers see Southern differences through a lens of curiosity that they can apply to their daily interactions with other people, writes Nhatt Nichols of Rural Assembly. Howard said, "I think one of the biggest lessons for me when I was learning to organize is the importance of listening and asking really good, open-ended questions." Nichols adds, "Howard advocates for getting out into your community and finding other people who are doing organizing work that resonates with you, and offering to lend a hand, to learn more about your community without centering your own ideas."

Ag round-up: Nearly 70% of farmers can't afford fertilizer; union and JBS reach deal; real help for stressed farmers

Share of farmers unable to afford all required fertilizer. (American Farm Bureau Federation graph)

Nearly 70% of American farmers report they can't afford all the fertilizer they need this season because of increased input prices due to the war in Iran and an already stressed farm economy, according to an April survey of 5,700 farmers by the American Farm Bureau Federation. "Farmers in the Southern region reported the greatest difficulty securing fertilizer, with 78% unable to afford all needed inputs this season," reports Faith Parum of AFBF. "Producers in the Northeast and West also reported significant challenges, with 69% and 66%, respectively, unable to afford all required fertilizer, compared to 48% in the Midwest.”

In an effort to drill down into why fertilizer prices have increased so dramatically since 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is "working with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on ongoing investigations into fertilizer and other agricultural input costs," reports Chris Clayton of Progressive Farmer. USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden has "continued his criticisms about concentration in the fertilizer industry, calling out The Mosaic Company for announcing it will close phosphorus mines in Brazil. . . . Vaden argued the global market is signaling a need for more supply -- not less. He questioned why a major producer would scale back output under those conditions."

The Greeley plant can process roughly 6,000
cattle per day. (Photo by L. Angharad) 

The local union representing roughly 3,800 beef plant workers in Greeley, Colorado, and meatpacking giant JBS announced a new labor contract agreement early this week, reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. Beef plant workers went on strike on March 16, "seeking higher wages and other workplace changes. . . . The Colorado plant can slaughter about 6,000 cattle a day, representing roughly 5% of U.S. beef-processing capacity." The new agreement includes worker wage increases through 2027 and protects employees from having to pay for their own required protective equipment. The last slaughterhouse strike happened at a Minnesota Hormel plant in 1985. 

Despite the multiple pain points for American soybean farmers in 2026, some of the rising input costs and sinking soybean prices have evolved over the past several years -- only to be exacerbated by tariff levies and the war with Iran, report Eric Ferkenhoff of Lee Enterprises and Josh Kelety of The Associated Press. "Costs, such as equipment, have crept up over time while soybean prices have stayed low." Doug Bartek, a fifth-generation farmer, told reporters, "Our biggest struggles are our inputs, be it fertilizer, seed, chemical or parts. There has been so much drastic markup in all of these. And I just kind of feel like the farmer’s kind of painted in the corner." Many Midwest soybean producers share Bartek’s worries.

Real Farmer Care wants to give farmers the means to
care for themselves. (Graphic by A. Dixon, Offrange)

Are you a farmer in need of some downtime? Do you know a stressed-out farmer who might be forgetting to care for themselves because they're tending to everything else? If either answer is yes, consider nominating yourself or another farmer-in-need-of-care for one of Real Farmer Care's $200 microgrants, writes Nicole Caruth for Offrange. "Think a stress-relieving massage, a pair of sturdy work boots, or just a dinner outing with friends. The grants are small, but can potentially have a big impact." From squeezing tariffs to eye-popping fertilizer costs, U.S. farmers are having a rough year. The brief nomination form is here. 

Why the closed Strait of Hormuz will increase grocery prices and add to world hunger

Goods and fuel normally flow out of the Persian Gulf and through the Strait of Hormuz. (Wikimedia map)

As the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues through the spring planting season, Americans and the world at large are likely to see food costs increase as farmers who would normally be fertilizing their soils for corn seed may change their planting choices, writes Aya S. Chacar, an expert on how institutions affect businesses and supply chains, for The Conversation.

Part of the increased expenses will come from fertilizer costs or from reduced crop productivity due to reduced fertilizer supplies during planting season. "Three staple crops – corn, wheat and rice – supply more than half of the world’s dietary calories. To maximize production, those crops need three main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphate and potassium," Chacar explains. "The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has reduced the supply and increased the cost of all three."

Faced with soaring fertilizer prices, farmers will have to choose how much nitrogen-hungry seeds like corn to plant and when. "Reducing nitrogen application by 10% to 15% or delaying application by 2 to 4 weeks can reduce corn yields by 10% to 25," Chacar writes. Less food for people also changes what foods are available for livestock and its cost. Higher grain costs to feed cattle, for instance, will increase the price of beef. In the end, consumers will see prices increase.

While Americans have seen gas prices increase in real time as the war continues, more expensive food prices will take longer to emerge, but they will come all the same. Chacar adds, "In March 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture used data from before the Iran war to project a 3.1% average increase for all food prices."

Beyond fuel costs, corn prices are likely to be a primary driver of grocery price increases. "Corn tortillas and other relatively lightly processed corn foods are more likely to show price responses within a few months after corn prices increase," according to Chacar. Cereal and meat price increases will take a bit longer to reach consumer pocketbooks.

Should the Strait of Hormuz remain closed, the resulting fertilizer shortage will be a global problem, as it will affect American crop choices and yields. Chacar writes, "More than 300 million people worldwide already do not have enough food. The U.N. World Food Program predicts an additional 45 million could join them by the end of 2026 if the conflict in the Middle East continues into the middle of the year."

U.S. seeks backup fertilizer suppliers to reduce damage to American farmers facing soaring costs and shortages

Farmers apply fertilizers just before or during spring 
planting. (Photo by Brandon Griggs, Unsplash)

With many crop fertilizers and fertilizer materials trapped by Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration has sought out countries that can produce or supply backup fertilizers for American farmers facing soaring fertilizer costs as they ramp up for spring plantings, reports Skylar Woodhouse of Farm Progress. American farmers already face economic headwinds from slowed trade with China, high fertilizer and fuel prices, high labor costs, and farm worker shortages.

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters earlier this week that the Trump administration was looking for ways to minimize U.S. fertilizer shortages. "Hassett said the U.S. has 'established licenses for Venezuela to produce more fertilizer,' and has held discussions with Morocco," Woodhouse writes.

Reuters reported that roughly 30% of the world's nitrogen fertilizer supply would normally go through the Strait of Hormuz. Woodhouse reports, "One facility in Qatar had produced so much fertilizer that it supplied 'maybe about 20%' of the U.S. market, according to Hassett. The Iran conflict has mostly shut the key Strait of Hormuz passage for ships."

A March 13 letter from the American Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association, and other organizations asked fertilizer manufacturers Mosaic and Simplot to rescind their support for countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco and Russia, which contributed to spiking fertilizer costs even before the Iranian conflict.

As the war with Iran continues, farming fertilizer isn't the only pivotal import that relies on transport through the Middle East. Alexander Osipovich of The Wall Street Journal reports, "A protracted conflict with Iran could curtail exports of many inputs into the global supply chain. . . ranging from agriculture to chemicals and pharmaceuticals."

Osipovich includes a list from Barclays analysts on "some key non-energy products exported from nine Middle Eastern countries affected by the conflict." It's shared below.

62% of limestone flux, which is used in construction and is primarily sent to India
47% of sulfur, used for fertilizers and chemicals
28% of acyclic alcohols and derivatives, used as industrial chemicals and as fuel additives, and mostly exported to China
23% of polymers of ethylene, used in plastics manufacturing
23% of nitrogenous fertilizers, used in agriculture
20% of diamonds, with key processing hubs in Israel and the United Arab Emirates, though they are mined elsewhere
18% of unwrought aluminum

Farming fertilizer stuck in the Strait of Hormuz leaves U.S. farmers roughly 25% short of needed supply

The U.S. fertilizer supply system doesn't have fertilizer 
reserves. China's does. (Photo by L. King, Unsplash)

As the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran continues into its third week, fertilizer supplies needed by U.S. and Canadian farmers remain strangled in the Straight of Hormuz. 

The loss of fertilizer imports in March catches farmers at a time when they are planning their spring planting rotations, reports Ed White of Reuters. "More than 30% of world nitrogen fertilizer exports, as well as fertilizer components like sulfur, pass through the now effectively closed Strait of Hormuz."

Besides delaying fertilizer supplies, the war has caused existing fertilizer prices to surge. White writes, "Any available [fertilizer] supplies have spiked more than a third since the war in Iran paralyzed global trade."

Farmers in both countries can scarcely afford the disruptions, since high input, labor and fuel costs already have many farms operating with razor-thin profits or at a loss. Unlike China, U.S. fertilizer suppliers "do not hold strategic reserves of fertilizer," White adds. The lack of reserves leaves American planters vulnerable to global supply chain shortages and price volatility.

Corn and wheat crops require liberal doses of synthetic urea to grow healthy yields. White reports, "The U.S., which in some years imports half of its urea fertilizer, is about 25% short of the usual supplies that farmers buy for spring planting, according to The Fertilizer Institute, which represents the U.S. fertilizer supply chain."

Even if the Strait of Hormuz opened today, some of the fertilizer bottle-necked there might be rerouted to countries willing to pay more. Josh Linville, a fertilizer market analyst at StoneX, told Reuters, "Not only am I worried about incoming vessels being turned around to other, better-paying destinations, there's ⁠an argument to be made, if somebody was willing to go and buy up (supply on) barges, to load them onto a vessel and export it."

"The American Farm Bureau Federation warned that fertilizer supply shortages could hit the ⁠U.S. food ​supply," White adds. "Most fertilizer needs to be applied before the crop starts growing, so any supplies arriving ​too late cannot be used ⁠for the 2026 crop."

As energy and fertilizer prices climb, American farmers feel the impact of the county's conflict with Iran

Synthetic urea-based fertilizers are commonly used to provide nitrogen to U.S. crops. American farmers
worry that an extended war with Iran could make supplies scant. (Global Trade Tracker graph)

Whether it's citrus crops in Florida, corn in the American heartland or wheat grown in the Dakotas, U.S. farms, which are thousands of miles from the Straits of Hormuz, are already feeling strained by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The length and intensity of the conflict will determine how deeply American farms and the businesses and consumers that rely on them will be affected. 

"Farmers are now feeling the impact in Iran with not only higher fertilizer prices, but the concern that farmers may not even be able to find enough fertilizer for spring," reports Tyne Morgan of Farm Journal. "As the situation unfolded over the past week, analysts say the reaction across commodity markets illustrated just how closely agriculture is tied to global energy and political dynamics."

The war has already led some U.S. farmers to shift the amount of corn they plan to grow. "Corn is far more fertilizer-intensive than soybeans, particularly when it comes to nitrogen," Morgan explains. "When fertilizer prices rise sharply, the relative profitability of soybeans often improves quickly." Most U.S. farmers use synthetic urea fertilizer or anhydrous ammonia to provide their crops with sufficient nitrogen for high-yield, healthy growth.

Beyond corn, wheat crop farmers generally use hefty amounts of urea-based fertilizer, so those farmers may change how many acres of spring wheat they decide to plant this April. Chip Nellinger, founder of Blue Reef Agri-Marketing, told Farm Journal, "There’s a lot of nitrogen that needs applied on U.S. wheat acres here over the coming three or four months ahead of us.”

U.S. farmers want to see the situation with Iran de-escalate and shipping lanes reopen. Morgan reports, "Much of the global focus right now remains on reopening critical energy shipping lanes and restoring stability to oil markets. . . . If that happens quickly, the agricultural ripple effects may prove temporary."

USDA can remediate 'forever chemical' pollution on U.S. farmlands, new study shows

The new report found that the USDA can respond to
PFAS contamination on U.S. farmland. (TNL photo)

The Department of Agriculture has the resources to address PFAS contamination on U.S. farmland, a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report finds.

The study, which was partially sponsored by the USDA, lists the various tools and remediation planning that can be used to reduce contamination caused by "human-made chemicals that accumulate in the environment and the bodies of humans and animals," which are collectively called "PFAS" or "forever chemicals," reports Shannon Kelleher for The New Lede.

Fertilizer use is one way farmers have unintentionally polluted their soil with forever chemicals. Kelleher explains, "PFAS end up on agricultural lands when farmers apply tainted sewage sludge as a fertilizer, contaminating crops and soil with chemicals linked to certain cancers and other health harms." Forever chemicals can also be added to soil through PFAS-laced pesticides.

The report included a remediation outline and noted that the USDA could leverage its considerable resources to address the farmland PFAS crisis. Researchers suggested the USDA use predictive models, on-site testing and "develop PFAS screening levels for different types of agriculture facilities, soil types and climates," Kelleher reports.

The report also recommends the USDA analyze how forever chemicals interact with different soils and climates to "develop better mechanisms to trap or sequester PFAS, and research ways to minimize the uptake of PFAS in plants and animals," Kelleher writes.

The February Farm Bill draft includes "language that would permit research grants on the agricultural impacts of PFAS in land exposed to firefighting foams, sewage sludge or compost containing the chemicals," Kelleher adds.

Analysis: Growing up in the Corn Belt may contribute to higher cancer rates in younger adults

Skin and kidney cancer rates are higher in big corn-growing
states than the rest of the country. (Adobe Stock photo)

The alarming rate of cancer among younger adults in the U.S. has led to questions and research aimed at addressing the "shift in cancer diagnoses in America, with rates for young adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s trending up even as overall cancer rates decline," report Ariana Eunjung Cha, Dan Keating, Jahi Chikwendiu and Luis Melgar of The Washington Post.

When groups of younger cancer victims were analyzed, growing up in the Midwest emerged as a key risk factor, according to the article. "Cancer rates among young adults in the Corn Belt are rising more rapidly than in the country as a whole." The Corn Belt includes Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Kansas.

When states began tracking their cancer rates in 1999, Corn Belt states reported cancer rates that fell in line with the rest of the country. But in 2015, an unsettling shift began as corn-growing states recorded "a significantly higher cancer rate among those ages 15 to 49," the Post reports. "In the latest data from 2022, those states have a rate 5% higher for young adults and 5% higher for the overall population."

Young adults raised in Corn Belt states "have significantly higher rates of several cancers, especially kidney and skin cancers," Cha writes. "The skin cancer risk for young adults in the corn-producing states is 35% higher for men and 66% higher for women than their peers in other states."

As younger Midwesterners grapple with cancer diagnoses, many are starting to look at the agriculture around them and wonder about its health impacts. The Post reports, "They are raising questions about the role of agribusiness and the water that runs through their communities, and pushing politicians to act in a region where such questions have long been taboo."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently "announced a $1 million investment to establish a research team dedicated to investigating the underlying causes of the state’s growing cancer rates," Cha adds. "Researchers are still working to disentangle national trends from regional anomalies, and the data doesn’t yet offer a satisfying explanation for why cancer rates among the young have shot up here."