American farmers rely on a fertilizer supply chain that stretches far beyond U.S. borders. Although the country produces most of its nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers domestically, it still imports millions of tons of fertilizer products and raw materials each year.

Nearly 39.4 million tons of fertilizer entered the country in 2025. Another 12.4 million tons arrived during the first three months of 2026, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Nowhere is that dependence more apparent than in the potassium market. According to the USDA Fertilizer Transportation Dashboard, the United States imported about 8.7 million tons of potassium fertilizer between April 2025 and March 2026, and nearly nine out of every 10 tons came from Canada. The nutrient is essential for improving crop yields and quality.

The United States relies less heavily on foreign suppliers for nitrogen fertilizer, but imports still play an important role. During the same period, the country imported about 6.1 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer, with Russia and Canada supplying more than half of the total. Nitrogen is the most widely used crop nutrient and is essential for crops such as corn and cotton.

Phosphorus imports were smaller in volume but also concentrated among a handful of suppliers. The United States imported nearly 850,000 tons of phosphorus fertilizer, with Saudi Arabia and Mexico accounting for nearly half of all imports. The nutrient plays a key role in root growth, flowering and seed production.

That dependence on foreign suppliers has become increasingly significant in recent years as global events have repeatedly disrupted fertilizer markets. The COVID-19 pandemic strained supply chains, while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a global energy and fertilizer crisis that sent prices soaring.

More recently, tensions involving Iran have renewed concerns about shipping routes that carry fertilizer products and the natural gas used to manufacture them. Although prices have retreated from their 2022 highs, fertilizer remains one of the largest expenses for U.S. farmers. USDA data show farmers spent $33.8 billion on fertilizer in 2024, accounting for about 7% of total farm expenditures.

As long as the United States depends on imports for key fertilizer products and ingredients, conflicts abroad, trade disputes and transportation disruptions will continue to influence costs on American farms.

Originally published by Investigate Midwest.

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. Visit us online at www.investigatemidwest.org

Mónica CorderoArticles

Foreign suppliers play a key role in US fertilizer markets

Mónica CorderoArticles

Foreign suppliers play a key role in US fertilizer markets