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Corn farmers face rising fertilizer costs ahead of spring planting

Corn farmers are feeling the pressure from higher fertilizer prices ahead of the growing season.

Wes Beck, a farmer in southern Minnesota, says he’s been proactive securing fertilizer.

“We locked in our spring anhydrous back in December and when things started warming up or got more interesting, we priced in our UAN needs about 30 days ago.”

Beck says phosphorus prices have doubled and nitrogen costs are up 15 percent compared to this time last year.

Trent Kubik, a farmer in South Dakota, says he’s nervous that he doesn’t have all his fertilizer locked in, and looking at ways to reduce the amount of fertilizer used.

“We’re already planning on using less. We’re applying fertilizer more accurately, everything farmers can do to use less. But as of right now, we can’t cut fertilizer off that significantly to try and remain profitable. That’s going to be our only choice.”

Beck says he cut phosphorus rates in half last fall, which shouldn’t impact crop performance. But reducing nitrogen can be less forgiving for corn, and that could be a deciding factor for acreage.

“It would make some sense to plant more soybeans if you would need to purchase high priced nitrogen at this point in time.”

Kubik says he doesn’t plan on making major changes in planting this spring, but there could be more wheat planted in South Dakota, because of its low cost.

Fertilizer prices were already high before the conflict with Iran that started at the end of February.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Trent Kubik, president, South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Wes Beck, president, Minnesota Corn Growers Association.