13 Feb 2012The Indiana corn grower has postponed buying the fertilizer he needs for spring planting for only the second time in 35 years, angry that prices for key nutrients surged more than one-third in the fourth quarter.
"I haven't bought anything yet," said Georgi, who normally makes his purchases around the beginning of the year. Prices are so high "it's ridiculous," he said.
Fertilizer prices jumped last fall on global demand and expectations for a large increase in corn plantings in the United States. While those expectations have not changed, the price spike has triggered a buying boycott by farmers across the Midwest, pushing sales volumes of key products to their lowest levels since the financial crisis crushed demand in 2008.
http://www.sharenet.co.za/news/US_farmers_may_fail_in_fertilizer_faceoff/12db834c010bfd541712277b7352302c
