War and Volatility, Fertilizer's Wild Ride

The conflict in Iran has added yet more uncertainty to fertilizer availability. This is concerning to many in agriculture, as significant input purchases still need to be made before peak planting season.

“ We still need to import about 25 percent of our spring need,” said Corey Rosenbusch, President and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute, which represents producers, wholesalers and retailers. “All it takes is one event like this to really mess things up. I’m very concerned.”

Rosenbusch said his four main watchouts from the situation in Iran involve the availability of natural gas, urea, nitrogen and sulfur.

On a more positive front, Rosenbusch said he’s encouraged about work to get a new farm bill in place, which he hopes will include a national definition of biostimulants. He said biostimulants offer great promise for growers and may be even more valuable in difficult times in agriculture like are currently being experienced.