Higher fertilizer prices pressure Trump-loyal US farmers [View all]

Source: Roll Call

Posted May 11, 2026 at 5:00am


Fertilizer costs have increased during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, putting pressure on American farmers who have been politically loyal to Donald Trump, as Democrats draw a direct connection between the president’s actions and suffering farms. In his successful 2024 White House bid, 77.7 percent of the country’s farm-dependent counties went to Trump, according to one analysis based on U.S. Department of Agriculture data and elections results.

Already hit hard by Trump’s tariff and trade war with the rest of the world, farmers now are facing increased costs of the materials that make their crops grow. And the midterm elections that will determine control of the House and Senate are just six months away.

Faith Parum, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist, in a summary of a survey of more than 5,700 American farmers conducted in April, wrote that rising input costs tied to the conflict in the Middle East “are adding strain to an already challenging farm economy.”. “Fertilizer affordability challenges are most acute in the South and Northeast but remain a concern for farmers across all regions,” Parum wrote. “Around 70 percent of respondents report being unable to afford all the fertilizer they need.”

Farm diesel prices have increased 46 percent since the end of February, raising costs for fieldwork, fertilizer transport and irrigation during both planting and growing seasons. And more than half of respondents reported “worsening finances, reflecting rising fertilizer and fuel costs during spring planting and underscoring the urgent need for immediate economic assistance to keep farms’ gates open,” Parum wrote.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/05/11/higher-fertilizer-prices-pressure-trump-loyal-us-farmers/