War With Iran Puts Further Strain on Americas Pessimistic Farmers
Even before the war in Iran raised fertilizer and diesel costs, a majority of American farmers said they were “much worse off” or “somewhat worse off” than one year ago, and their biggest concern was the high cost of the essentials needed to plant their crops.Those findings are based on a January survey by Farm Journal, the agricultural publisher.The war in Iran has added to those pressures.
With input prices already high, the attacks have sent prices soaring, as ships carrying materials to make fertilizer are largely unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz and exit the Persian Gulf.The cost of a gallon of diesel fuel, which powers tractors that plant crops and the trucks that deliver farming supplies and haul away the harvest, is up almost $1 in just the last week.A ton of urea, a key nitrogen-based fertilizer, is now selling for $585 at the port in New Orleans, up from $470 before the war.The American agricultural economy has been stressed for years, especially for crop growers.
Pandemic disruptions, the war in Ukraine and rising inflation sent the cost of inputs soaring, while the prices farmers receive for their crops have remained stagnant.Farm debt and bankruptcies are rising, and for most farmers, 2026 projects to be their third or fourth year of losses.The war in Iran is not the sole cause of farmers’ problems, then, but one more thing added to their list.
“Even before any of this happened, we were already at a break-even or lose proposition on most row crops in South Carolina,” said Harry Ott, the president of the South Carolina Farm Bureau.Some farmers are already out tilling and preparing their fields for spring planting.But the difference between a small profit or loss for the year could depend on whether they locked in the price of fertilizer and fuel before the war.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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