Farmers across the country could face rising costs and potential supply shortages if global fertilizer shipments continue to be disrupted, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

In a letter sent to the White House, AFBF President Zippy Duvall urged federal leaders to take steps to stabilize fertilizer supply chains and ensure shipments move safely through major global shipping routes.

The request comes as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East threaten traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for fertilizer and energy supplies.

Farm Bureau warns the disruptions could create ripple effects for farmers already facing tight margins.

“Like oil, global fertilizer markets are highly vulnerable to disruptions in maritime transit routes, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor for key fertilizer materials and finished fertilizer,” Duvall wrote in the letter. “Further, the recent energy production halts in the Middle East will affect the price and availability of many downstream products farmers depend upon. These supply chain shocks are expected to drive already record-high input prices even higher at a time when farm margins are already extremely tight and many farmers are underwater.”

An analysis by AFBF economists notes that large volumes of urea, ammonia, phosphates, sulfur and petroleum produced in Gulf countries move through the Strait of Hormuz.

Fertilizer markets are especially vulnerable to disruptions in the Persian Gulf region. Countries exposed to shipping interruptions there account for nearly 49% of global urea exports and about 30% of global ammonia exports, both of which are main components used in crop production.

Fertilizer prices have already climbed sharply in recent weeks, with some retailers reporting multiple price updates in a single day as markets react to global uncertainty.

In the letter, AFBF outlined seven recommendations aimed at minimizing disruptions.

Among them are using federal resources to help ensure safe shipping routes for fertilizer cargo and leveraging government financing tools to address insurance or lending barriers for vessels transporting fertilizer.

“Without strategically prioritizing the delivery of critical farm inputs such as urea, ammonia, nitrogen, phosphate and sulfur-based products, the U.S. risks a shortfall in crops. Not only is this a threat to our food security—and by extension our national security—such a production shock could contribute to inflationary pressures across the U.S. economy.”

Read the letter to President Trump here.

Read the Market Intel here.