Fertilizer
As the Strait closure enters its tenth week, supply chain gridlock and policy hurdles suggest high input costs will persist through the 2027 planting season, according to Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer with StoneX.
Shrinking equity, rising nitrogen costs and continued global upheaval signal a reckoning for corn growers and a shift to soybeans — especially if higher biomass-based blending diesel mandates come through.
Dave Chatterton with Strategic Farm Marketing says the grain markets were supported by money flow and funds were buying adding risk premium tied to war, inflation fears with soaring energy prices and weather.
Grains were higher Wednesday with new contract highs in hard red winter wheat and December corn according to Mark Knight with Farmer’s Keeper Financial. Live cattle were also making new highs on record cash.
Former NFL player Cody White applies his athletic experience on the field to rising input costs and market volatility in DeWitt County, Illinois.
Randy Martinson with Martinson Ag says the wheat market is adding risk premium tied to weather and global production and geopolitical concerns and could continue to pull corn higher.
With one survey showing 48% of Midwest corn and soybean growers are unable to afford traditional fertilizer sources, Extension and industry are responding with nutrient options that can lend support.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says a multi-agency Trump administration effort will target fertilizer costs and boost U.S. production, with a major announcement expected yet this week.
Two Midwest growers say increased competition between corn and soybeans for acres could help rebalance supplies and provide a financial boost.
A Farmer’s Keeper survey of 4,000 farmers shows 20% are cutting corn acres as record fertilizer prices and supply gaps force last-minute shifts toward soybeans and other crops to protect profitability.