Fertilizer is primarily produced outside the U.S. (Akos Stiller/Bloomberg)
March 20, 2026 9:06 AM, EDT
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill that would require mandatory price reporting of fertilizer — a bid for more market information after the war in Iran prompted the biggest surge in crop nutrient costs in years.
“At a time when rising fertilizer costs and low commodity prices are continuing to erode farmers’ profitability, we should be increasing price transparency for farmers in the current market and increasing domestic fertilizer production and storage here at home,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in a statement.
Farmers across the world are scrambling to secure enough fertilizer ahead of the spring planting season in the Northern Hemisphere. Politicians and trade groups are looking for ways to help growers, who have been struggling for years against relatively low crop prices and high costs for equipment, seeds and fertilizer.
The Fertilizer Transparency Act would “offer market participants of all sizes with comparable levels of market information on fertilizer components.” The bill is also sponsored by senators including Republicans John Thune of South Dakota and Roger Marshall of Kansas.
Because fertilizer is produced primarily outside the U.S., pricing can be seen as opaque, according to some critics of the sector.
