Ohio Corn &amp; Wheat is putting the focus on the farm, examining the ongoing issues that skyrocketing fertilizer prices are having on farm operations in Ohio and across the country. In this special episode, OCW takes a look at what&#x27;s at stake and encourages farmers, retailers, and anyone with information that could help with the FTC&#x27;s investigation to come forward confidentially.

Episode 120 - Fertilizer Investigation Special

Kernels with Ohio Corn & Wheat

Fertilizer prices remain a major concern for farmers. President Trump's executive order suspending duties on phosphate may offer some relief, but it's short-lived. In this special episode of Kernels, we examine what's driving the skyrocketing cost of fertilizer and explore what it'll take to bring prices back down. Welcome to Kernels, I'm Tad Nicholson. Fertilizer prices remain a major concern for farmers, and finding solutions remains a top priority for Ohio corn and wheat.

In today's episode, we're putting the focus on the farm, hearing directly from farmers about the impact years of high fertilizer prices have had on their operations, and we'll take a closer look at what needs to happen to even the playing field for American farmers. Ohio Corn and Wheat's Gary Puckett has more. Every farmer knows the financial pain in buying fertilizer, but what has many growers' concerns is that the cost no longer seems to follow the normal rules of supply and demand.

There used to be predictability in the fertilizer markets. There were supply and demand principles that made sense, and today you can't say that. Prices spiked during the pandemic, but while many other costs eventually came back down, fertilizer stayed high. For farmers trying to pencil out a crop, that raised a bigger question. My concern started in February 2023, when I had ordered and purchased fertilizer from my co-op.

I got about halfway through the purchase order, and they'd run out of phosphate. And they said, well, we'll have to substitute MEZ, which is a 40% phosphate, for MAP, which is a 52% phosphate. I said, as long as the price per unit of phosphate is the same, it's fine with me, and they said no. So I checked with two other terminals on the Ohio River.

Episode 120 - Fertilizer Investigation Special

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

Episode 120 - Fertilizer Investigation Special

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.