PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – Many farmers in the United States, including those in Mississippi, are getting ready for the spring planting season.<\/p>\n
But those plans could be on hold as the war with Iran continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re price-takers, not price-makers,\u201d said Jeff Easterling, a long-time farmer and president of the South Mississippi Farmers Bureau. \u201cWe can\u2019t just say we\u2019re going to move our costs up to match our input costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The war has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for not only oil and gas, but also fertilizers.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, a lot of this stuff is drawn from overseas, and we\u2019re not competing on a localized market,\u201d Easterling said. \u201cIt\u2019s a global market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Easterling shared that many local farmers utilize nitrogen-based fertilizers, like urea, for their crops.<\/p>\n
Over the past month, the price per ton for that fertilizer has increased by around $100 at the Port of New Orleans.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few people have had the ability to book fertilizer early, and a few of them have,\u201d Easterling said. \u201cMyself, I booked a little early.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mississippi\u2019s Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson said state leaders are aware of the closure\u2019s potential global implications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are workarounds, but it is going to take time to get those workarounds to help,\u201d Gipson said.<\/p>\n
Gipson said they\u2019re working with the Trump administration to enhance Mississippi\u2019s domestic output.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only been a year or so that these fertilizer domestic production efforts have been ramped up,\u201d said Gipson.<\/p>\n
As tensions continue, Easterling said some local farmers are now having to decide which crops are worth the investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hear some talk of people swapping over from corn to soybeans just because soybeans take less nitrogen to grow,\u201d Easterling said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still unclear what the long-term impact of the closure will be.<\/p>\n
But Easterling said he doesn\u2019t see a reason for consumers to get worried any time soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to stay on the forefront and do what we do,\u201d Easterling said. \u201cThey have been through tougher times than this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gipson said he\u2019s heard from the Trump administration that the closure could be over within the next few weeks.<\/p>\n
Gipson said Mississippi is on board with the country seeing the war through to the end.<\/p>\n