HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The war hasn’t only halted the oil tankers, but it’s also stopped shipments of fertilizer.
Fertilizer Georgia farmers depend on.
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Gilbert Barret says for farmers, the weather isn’t the only thing that’s out of their control.
“When we have a world event happening miles from where we are here in the United States, there’s going to be consequences,” Barret said.
The war in and around Iran has cut off the supply of fertilizer. Georgia growers have already seen the price soar by 30%. They go through 1.6 million tons every year.
Much of the supply is controlled by a very few, and Georgia state lawmakers are concerned.
“One of the things I hope our government keeps an eye on is if any of those companies are using what’s going on in Iran as an excuse to profiteer,” Sen. Russ Goodman said.
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State Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper says the U.S. has farmed out too much of the production of plant food to foreign countries.
“America needs to invest in and work toward addressing those issues to bring that back home,” Harper said.
However, that won’t help in the here and now.
Experts say prices for produce might rise because of the cost of fertilizer. But grower Gilbert Barret, who also runs the White County Farmers Exchange, says Georgia farmers won’t see a nickel of it.
“The farmer gets anywhere from 15 to 18 cents of every food dollar. As farmers, we unfortunately don’t dictate that market and our price,” Barret said.
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