Corn Growers Call Out Fertilizer Companies for Price Hikes

A coalition of corn organizations and commodity groups hosted a listening session in Texas today on competition issues in the fertilizer market. Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson delivered keynote remarks at the event.

In response to the issues raised at the event, Ohio farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower released the following statement.

"We commend FTC Chairman Ferguson for taking part in the discussion and pledging to launch an investigation into the fertilizer industry. This comes as a welcome development, particularly as corn growers are facing their fourth consecutive year of negative returns and struggling to pay for exorbitantly expensive fertilizer products.

"NCGA is committed to eliminating the factors that keep fertilizer prices at near-record highs. For example, we are working to address the lack of competition in the U.S. marketplace, and we are supporting efforts to insert transparency and new suppliers into the market through legislation like the Fertilizer Transparency Act, Fertilizer Research Act and the Homegrown Fertilizer Act.

"We are also calling on the administration to remove countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imported from Morocco, which have hampered supplies and raised costs for farmers who can't solely rely on domestic supply. A resumption of phosphate imports from Morocco would offer some relief to U.S. farmers while global fertilizer supplies are constrained.

"We appreciate the Trump administration's efforts to address constraints in the fertilizer supply chain and to push for free market competition in this critical industry."