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Tariff confusion impacting already high fertilizer prices

The vice president of fertilizer with Stone X Group says the Trump administration’s tariffs are impacting fertilizer markets.

Josh Linville tells Brownfield, “A lot of confusion.”  He says, “Are they going to be in place? Are they not going to be in place? What’s the tariff rate going to be? Is it going to include fertilizer? Is it just this fertilizer, or that fertilizer?  We have so many more questions than we have answers, it’s almost embarrassing.”

He says that confusion and other global factors, like China drastically reducing phosphate exports, are impacting summer price outlooks.

“Phosphate, if it doesn’t correct lower at all, and grain prices stay where they are, the DAP to corn price ratio right now it’s the second worst we’ve seen.”  He says, “Only behind that 2008 super spike that we saw. So, there’s gonna be some tough times ahead, hard conversations, hard decisions that need to be made.”

Linville says farmers should be having conversations with their retailers regarding fall fertilizer needs sooner rather than later.

AUDIO: Josh Linville – Stone X