USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky heard directly from farmers this week about mounting frustrations with the fertilizer market, according to a report from Grain Journal, as growers press the department for answers on input costs that continue to weigh on planting budgets.

The listening session put a senior USDA official face to face with producers who have watched fertilizer prices climb over the past two seasons, squeezing operating margins even as grain prices have retreated from their recent highs.

What did farmers tell USDA?

Growers raised concerns centered on the fertilizer marketplace, a topic that has moved from background noise to a front-burner budget issue on farms across the country. Fertilizer typically ranks among the largest variable input costs for row-crop operations, and sharp swings in nitrogen, phosphate and potash prices translate directly into per-acre cost structures and, ultimately, planting decisions.

The complaint farmers brought to the Deputy Secretary reflects a broader anxiety in farm country: that consolidation among input suppliers and global supply disruptions have left producers with less pricing power and less predictability in planning their input purchases.

USDA has faced repeated questioning on these points. Deputy Secretary Censky, who previously led the American Soybean Association before returning to USDA, has been a key point of contact for producer groups on trade and input issues.

Why fertilizer matters to farm margins

For corn producers in particular, nitrogen fertilizer can account for a significant share of cash operating costs per acre. When fertilizer prices rise faster than commodity prices, the squeeze lands on the farmer's bottom line — a dynamic that shaped planting economics in each of the last two cropping seasons.

The concerns raised in the session echo what farm groups and agricultural economists have flagged nationally:

• Elevated and volatile fertilizer prices have raised per-acre production costs for major row crops.
• Limited domestic fertilizer production capacity leaves the U.S. dependent on imports for key nutrients.
• Growers report reduced transparency in how retail fertilizer prices track wholesale markets.

What could come next?

Farmers walked away from the session with their concerns on the record at the highest levels of USDA. Whether the department responds with policy action — such as support for domestic fertilizer production capacity, supply chain monitoring, or antitrust scrutiny — remains the open question for producers heading into the next input purchasing cycle.

With planting decisions ahead and fertilizer purchasing windows approaching, growers will be watching to see whether the Deputy Secretary's listening session translates into concrete steps on input costs, or stands as another venue where complaints were heard but the market dynamics remain unchanged.