‘It’s a warning light’: Farmers panic as Trump’s war threatens America's food supply

As the U.S. war against Iran continues to disrupt trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a new survey of nearly 6,000 American farmers from every state revealed that an “overwhelming majority” would be unable to purchase enough fertilizer to “get them through the year,” sparking panic and open questions about food availability.

The Trump administration authorized attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Iran to immediately close the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial shipping channel through which 20% of the world’s oil trade flows, and more than 20% of the world’s fertilizer trade travels – to U.S.-aligned vessels.

Predictably, fertilizer has grown more scarce, and by extension, more expensive, leading thousands of farmers to tell the American Farm Bureau Federation in its national survey that they were unable to afford sufficient fertilizer for this year’s crops.

“The analysis reveals that almost 8 in 10 farmers in the southern U.S. say they can’t afford all needed supplies this year, followed by the Northeast and West at 69% and 66%, respectively, compared to 48% of the farmers in the Midwest,” reads a report published Tuesday from the AFBF, a major farming nonprofit and lobbying group. “Just 19% of farmers in the South prebooked fertilizer purchases in advance of planting season.”

Conducted between April 3-11, the survey revealed that “many” of the farmers planned to “forego applying fertilizer this spring in hopes that prices will return to an affordable level later in the growing season,” the report reads.

“There goes our food,” noted one concerned critic, Lizzi Cochrane, a small business owner and GOP critic, writing in a social media post to their nearly 20,000 followers on X.

Zippy Duvall, the president of AFBF, said it remained an open question as to whether food availability would be a problem later this year due to the impact on farmers.

“The skyrocketing cost of fuel and fertilizer is creating more economic hardships for farmers who have already endured years of losses. Without the necessary fertilizers, we’ll face lower yields and some farmers will reduce acres altogether, which will impact food and feed supplies,” Duvall said.

“It’s too early to know how this will affect food availability and prices in the long run, but it’s a warning light that we’ve shared with leaders in Washington. We look forward to working with them to find solutions so farmers can continue to feed families across America.”