U.S.-Israel War with Iran Stalls Shipments of Fertilizer

Iranian threats in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway for exports, have halted shipments, causing transportation delays in key raw materials for fertilizer chemicals, including urea, nitrogen, and phosphate.

With the spring planting season already underway, continued disruption in the Middle East could cause fertilizer price surges.

$6 Billion Awarded of the Available $11 Billion Economic Aid Payments

Stephen Vaden, deputy secretary of agriculture, reported that more than $6 billion in economic aid payments have been awarded to row crop farmers, who were allotted $11 billion in the Trump administration’s farmer bridge program.

USDA is still determining payment rates for the $1 billion reserved for specialty crop and sugar farmers and anticipates releasing the rates late-March or early April.

USDA Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Departs

Audra Weeks has left the USDA after accepting the initial position in January 2025. Her departure comes shortly after that of Brooke Rollins’ chief of staff, Kailee Tkacz Buller. Weeks’ role is not anticipated to be filled.

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