April 22, 2026
www.gfb.org
Vol. 8 No. 8
SOUTHERN FARMERS HIT HARD BY RISING FUEL & FERTILIZER COSTS
By Dr. Faith Parum, AFBF Economist GFB News Editor Jennifer Whittaker contributed Georgia-specific information to this article. Results of a nationwide survey American Farm Bureau Federation conducted April 3-11 show high fertilizer costs are hitting Southern farmers hard, with 78% of farmers in the organization’s Southern Region (Georgia, Virginia, North & South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas & Oklahoma) saying they can’t afford all of the fertilizer they need to grow their crops this year. Of the 121 survey responses from Georgia, 88 farmers said they can't afford all the fertilizer they need to grow their crops this year. According to the survey, 94% of the 5,700 respondents from all 50 states & Puerto Rico reported their overall financial situation has worsened or remained the same since 2025: only 6% reported improvement. In Georgia, 95.5% of the responses reported their financial situation has worsened or remained the same. Only 5% of the Georgia responses reported improvement. Of the 121 survey responses from Georgia, 88 farmers said they can't afford all the fertilizer they need to grow their crops this year. Key Takeaways • Fertilizer pre-booking rates varied significantly by region, with just 19% of Southern producers reporting fertilizer purchases secured ahead of the season, compared to 30% in the Northeast, 31% in the West and 67% in the Midwest, reflecting differences in planting decision timelines and exposure to recent price increases. Only 9.1% of Georgia responses reported prebooking fertilizer. Reasons Georgia farmers gave for not pre-booking were: uncertainty about 2026 crop acreage plans; prices too high/waiting for prices to decrease; farmers cannot prebook without accepting delivery, and farmers don't have infrastructure to store fertilizers; and not having the cash or operating loans to prebook. • Fertilizer affordability challenges are most acute in the South and Northeast but remain a concern for farmers across all regions. Around 70% of respondents report being unable to afford all the fertilizer they need. In Georgia, 74.4% of respondents said they will not be able to afford all the fertilizer they need.