Farmers Face Fertilizer Crisis Amid Middle East War

0:00It's April 15th. This is Toronto Blue Jays News today, AI-powered stories from inside your team. US farmers are getting hit hard right now with fertilizer prices spiking over 40 percent. All thanks to the war in the Middle East blocking the. Straight of Hormuz? That's the key shipping route for most of these supplies, and with corn and soybean planting in full swing, folks like those in North Carolina are. Scramble, orders placed weeks ago are delayed, and costs for stuff like nitrogen and urea have jumped 50 percent at major ports. On top of that, diesel prices are soaring too, squeezing budgets even more during this critical spring season. President Trump called their price gouging by a fertilizer monopoly and promised farmers he's got their back, especially since he dominated the vote in. Farm country last year. Workers are reacting by slashing usage to the bare minimum. Sometimes by a third, worried it'll cut their yields come harvest. Many didn't stock up early because they lack storage or cash, and even before the war,

1:04they were mixing nutrients like mad scientists to stretch every dollar. Experts say about 80 percent bought ahead of the conflict, but that's no help for everyone and past shortages like in 2021 from China showed these hits can blind side the industry. The ag economies are already in a rough spot with falling incomes and high costs. If the straight stays closed, next year's crops could face real trouble, but farmers are holding out hope for a quick fix in long-term peace to get, back on track.