By Ky Corn
The Kentucky Corn Growers Association (KYCGA) has joined a coalition of state corn farmer organizations in a formal letter to U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, requesting a status update and continued action on the Department of Justice’s investigation into fertilizer pricing and market concentration. The letter, representing corn grower organizations from 14 corn-producing states, underscores the depth and breadth of farmer concern over the current state of the input marketplace.
As KY farmers enter the heart of the 2026 planting season, the cost-income squeeze facing farm families has intensified. Crop prices remain depressed, while the cost of essential nutrients continues to climb. According to DTN market data, DAP fertilizer currently stands at $851 per ton — $108 higher than a year ago. MAP is $879 per ton, up $71, and potash is $488 per ton, up $52. Overall corn production costs are projected to climb another 4% in 2026, and net farm income is expected to decline sharply. This squeeze existed long before any escalated tension in the Middle East further escalated the situation in recent days.
“Kentucky farmers are making critical purchasing decisions right now under the weight of an input market that this Administration’s own officials have described as broken,” Micah Lester, President of KYCGA said. “This coalition letter represents a unified voice from corn farmers across America: we need transparency, we need accountability, and we need a fair and competitive marketplace for the inputs that keep this nation fed.”
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