White House teases solutions to fertilizer crisis sparked by Iran war

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday that a bailout and other fixes under consideration for farmers struggling because of the fertilizer shortage sparked by the joint U.S.-Israel war against Iran.

Ms. Rollins said financial assistance to farmers was being discussed, but offered no specifics.

“The president is very aware of these challenges and these issues. We are very close to having an announcement on some solutions on what that looks like,” she told reporters at the White House. “We’re looking at every potential avenue to keep the fertilizer costs down as these farmers are going into planting season.”

“No big announcements yet, but it is coming. I have been in conversation with the Hill on that as they are looking at additional funds to assist our farmers,” she continued.

The war in Iran has disrupted fertilizer shipments through one of the world’s most critical trade routes, the Strait of Hormuz, which could also lead to higher food prices.

More than one-third of globally traded fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical pathway for agricultural supply chains. Commercial traffic through the Strait has been halted since the Iran war started last month, disrupting fertilizer shipments as farmers across the U.S. prepare fields for spring planting.

Fertilizers are applied earlier in the crop cycle to help determine yields later in the year.

Ms. Rollins said about a quarter of U.S. farmers have not yet purchased their fertilizer for planting season.

“Obviously, events around the world are impacting our farmers, but as the president has said, we expect that to resolve itself pretty quickly,” she said. “But make no mistake, all weekend, all day, we are talking to our farmers.”

Between Feb. 27 and March 6, which was roughly the first week of the war, the price per short ton of urea fertilizer imports to the U.S. increased by 30%, according to data collected by the Fertilizer Institute, which tracks fertilizer prices.

Urea fertilizer is a nitrogen-based fertilizer widely used to boost crop yields and is one of the most heavily traded fertilizers traded in the world. More than 20% of the fertilizer used in the U.S. is imported, though some of it comes from non-Gulf countries such as Canada and Trinidad and Tobago.