Fertilizer Transparency Fades as World Competition Grows

Strategic Trading Advisors Founder Jody Lawrence says farmers face a far different fertilizer landscape today than they did a decade ago, with reduced transparency and more supply controls shaping nitrogen and input markets. Speaking at a newsmaker session at the NAFB convention in Kansas City, Lawrence cited explosive global demand as a major factor. “Thirty years ago, the United States farmer used 28 percent of all agricultural inputs produced in the world. What do you think that number was in 2025? It was eight percent. Brazil’s expansion during that time has been exponential. They are using more and more of the worldwide supply.” Lawrence said farmer leverage has also eroded as companies tighten allocations and timelines. “The entire dynamic of the market and the transparency has shifted so much in the last decade, producers are hostage to that relationship as rising costs force them to chase higher yields.”