Texas Farmers Face Fertilizer, Diesel Crisis

0:00It's March 25. This is Dallas News today, your AI-powered local news. Texas farmers are facing tough times with fertilizer prices of 30 percent and diesel averaging $5 a gallon all tied to the ongoing war. In Iran, disrupting global supplies. The spring planting window is closing fast, putting pressure on the state's massive agriculture industry that covers nearly 130 million acres of farmland and ranches. The main issue stems from the strait of Hormuz closure, which cut off a key source of natural gas used to make fertilizer, especially the nitrogen. Kind needed for corn and hay fields. Texas produces some of its own, but not enough to meet the spring rush. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, an eighth-generation farmer, remains optimistic in recent comments. He points to the strait reopening for friendly ships, plus recently lifted sanctions on Venezuela, that could ramp up fertilizer production there and ease shortages. Diesel costs have also spiked from around $3.50 last year to pandemic highs, hitting

1:05tractors, pumps, and other equipment, hard about 5 gallons per acre for a typical field. A temporary waiver of the Jones Act should help by allowing foreign ships to move goods between US ports and lower prices. Farmers like Miller are holding off on buys, eyeing cheaper organic options such as poultry litter or manure from dairies and feedlots, even if they take more work. Texas agriculture folks have faced challenges before and always find a way through.