Farmers in the American Midwest entered the 2026 planting season somewhat better positioned than peers elsewhere in the U.S. to manage the recent surge in fertilizer costs, but a new survey suggests many are still feeling significant strain as volatility tied to the Middle East conflict ripples through agricultural input markets.
An American Farm Bureau Federation market intel article on Tuesday said the bureau’s Fertilizer Availability Survey - conducted from April 4 to April 11 and drawing responses from more than 5,700 farmers and ranchers - found the Midwest had the highest fertilizer pre-booking rate in the country. About 67% of Midwestern producers reported securing fertilizer earlier in the season, reflecting the region’s heavy reliance on corn and soybean rotations, where nutrient needs are large and purchases are often made well ahead of planting.
That early buying helped shield many Midwest growers from the sharpest recent price increases. Even so, nearly one in three Midwestern farmers said they still entered the season without locking in all their fertilizer needs. The survey also found that 48% of Midwest producers were unable to afford all the fertilizer they required this season, a lower share than in other regions but still a substantial burden in an already difficult farm economy.
The Midwest’s advantage was even more pronounced among larger farms. In the region, 49% of farms with 1 to 499 acres pre-booked fertilizer, compared with 77% of farms between 500 and 2,499 acres and 76% of farms with 2,500 acres or more. That gap suggests smaller operations remain especially vulnerable to sudden spring price swings, even in a region where advance purchasing is relatively common.
Elsewhere, farmers were generally more exposed. Only 19% of southern growers pre-booked fertilizer, while the rates were 30% in the Northeast and 31% in the West. Southern farmers reported the greatest difficulty affording fertilizer, with 78% saying they could not afford all required inputs, compared with 69% in the Northeast and 66% in the West.
The survey comes as fertilizer and fuel markets post their most volatile stretch since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since tensions escalated in the Middle East, nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen more than 30%, urea prices have jumped 47% since the end of February, and combined fuel and fertilizer costs have climbed about 20% to 40%. Farm diesel prices have also risen 46% over the same period.
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