Fertilizer Tyranny Threatens America’s Food Future
By Eric Tipton
Fayette County farmer & president, Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association
As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, we should be asking a simple question: How independent are we if a handful of corporations can make it harder for America to feed and fuel itself?
That question starts on the farm, but it does not end there. It reaches every Ohio family standing in the grocery store wondering why the same cart of food costs more than it used to.
What many people may not experience is the pressure that begins long before food reaches the store. It begins with the cost of growing it.
I farm in Fayette County, and like thousands of Ohio farmers, I understand agriculture has never been an easy business. But what has been happening with one of the most important tools we rely on to grow a crop — fertilizer — is downright frightening.
Fertilizer is not optional. For corn and wheat farmers, it’s plant food — a basic building block for growing a healthy crop. Without it, yields fall, production declines, and our food supply becomes less reliable. Yet fertilizer has become one of the fastest-rising costs on the farm. Prices have surged to the point that some Ohio farmers may spend more to produce a crop this year than they will receive when they sell it.
What is often misunderstood is that when the cost of fuel, seed, and fertilizer increases, farmers cannot simply raise the price of their grain to cover the difference. That is not how the system works. We sell into a market where prices are set for us, not by us, leaving growers to absorb those higher costs out of already narrow margins.
That is why the challenges in the fertilizer market cannot be ignored. Farmers are not the reason families are paying more at the checkout, but they are often the first to feel the pressure when input costs rise. A fertilizer market with limited competition, rising prices, and few alternatives puts strain on farms first — and over time, that strain reaches everyone who depends on a reliable food supply.
At the end of May, I joined farmers from across the country in Texas for an event called “Fed Up.” The name was not chosen for effect. It reflected a reality that farmers across America have been warning about for years: the math behind growing food no longer adds up.
At that event, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced that the commission had launched a major industry-wide investigation into fertilizer prices. He gave federal weight to what farmers have been warning about for years: the fertilizer market deserves serious scrutiny.
The names Nutrien, Mosaic and CF Industries may not mean much to the average consumer. But to farmers, those companies are as familiar as Kroger, AEP or McDonald’s are to most Ohio families. They are major players in a market farmers depend on every year.
Competition is supposed to keep markets honest. Farmers know that better than anyone. We compete every day in global markets, manage risk, and accept prices set far beyond our own farm gates. Fertilizer companies should be willing to compete in a market that is fair, transparent, and accountable. What farmers cannot survive is a system in which some companies control the cost of producing food while family farms are left with no real bargaining power.
America was built on the idea that concentrated power should be questioned, not ignored. As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, that principle should still matter.
The FTC investigation into fertilizer pricing must be thorough, serious, and transparent. If the fertilizer market is working fairly, then the companies at the center of this investigation should cooperate fully and help provide the answers farmers and consumers deserve. But if there has been price manipulation, collusion, or abuse of market power, then there must be real accountability.
Food security is national security. A country that cannot afford to grow its own food is not truly independent. Ohio farmers are not asking for sympathy. We are asking for fairness. And every family buying groceries should be asking for the same thing.
About Eric Tipton:
Eric Tipton is a Fayette County farmer and president of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association. He grows corn, wheat and soybeans and owns Progressive Edge Ag Service, a precision agriculture business that works with farmers to improve efficiency and manage rising costs.
