Fertilizer prices have more than doubled over the past year, frustrating U.S. farmers, who now are adjusting spring planting plans and warning about the potential for higher food prices.
A global shortage of the chemical ingredients used to make fertilizer, widely applied to soil to boost corn and wheat yields, has sent fertilizer prices soaring. Escalating costs are leading some farmers to shift acres toward less fertilizer-intensive crops, like soybeans, while others said they plan to cut back on their overall fertilizer use, potentially reducing future harvests.
