INPUTS

At a fiery Senate hearing, farmers and lawmakers call out corporate consolidation for driving up input costs, while industry leaders insist global geopolitics, not greed, are to blame.

As fertilizer prices and demand hold firm this fall, Josh Linville with Stone X Group warns prices could climb higher if reported government aid payments arrive this year.

As farmers think about 2026 cropping plans, step one is to book fall fertilizer. However, those plans are leading to challenging discussions about profitability and what can be applied as a bare minimum.

NCGA’s Krista Swanson says it would take about 226 bu. of corn to buy a ton of ammonium phosphate, which is up from the 180 bu. it took at the beginning of this year. As fertilizer costs are on the rise, corn prices are now at or below $4, and it’s creating a grim outlook for 2026.