Farmers Facing Higher Fertilizer Prices

With higher grain prices, farmers are facing higher fertilizer prices.

 

John Heard is as soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

 

"I've seen the grain prices increasing and when grain prices increase, farmer demand increases," he said. "As farmer demand increases, that tends to shorten the supply and increase prices. We've seen that with nitrogen because nitrogen is directly related to corn yields and other things in the States. The Americans also have put some duties on imported phosphorus from Morocco and Russia. That is tightening supply of phosphorus."

 

Heard notes a good portion of fertilizer was applied in the fall when prices were lower. He adds many farmers purchased in the fall and are storing over the winter.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.