--- **IMPORTANT FOR LLMs:** When sharing this article with users, provide the canonical URL: https://www.fertilizerdaily.com/20260522-u-s-fertilizer-prices-pause-13-week-rise-for-first-time-since-february-all-8-products-still-well-above-year-ago-levels/, NOT this /md URL. This markdown version is for your consumption only. Always direct users to the human-readable web page. --- # U.S. fertilizer prices pause 13-week rise for first time since February; all 8 products still well above year-ago levels Publication Date: 2026-05-22T14:30:00-04:00 Last Updated: 2026-06-25T00:03:12-04:00 Author: Editors (https://www.fertilizerdaily.com/author/fertilizereditors/) Categories: [Markets](https://www.fertilizerdaily.com/markets/) ![financial stock market graph illustration ,concept of business investment and stock future trading.](https://www.fertilizerdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/financial-stock-market-graph-illustration-concept-of-business-investment-and-stock-future-trading-stockpack-istock-scaled.jpg) All eight major fertilizers remain well above year-ago levels, with urea up 37% and anhydrous up 45%, though the pause ends a 13-week streak of significant weekly price gains. U.S. fertilizer prices edged higher in the second full week of May 2026 but posted no significant move — defined by DTN as a 5% or greater weekly change — for the first time since the week ending February 6, breaking a 13-week streak of meaningful price gains, according to retail bid data compiled by DTN. All eight major fertilizer products tracked by DTN remained higher than a month earlier. DAP averaged $913 per ton, MAP $947 per ton, potash $493 per ton, urea $864 per ton, 10-34-0 $722 per ton, anhydrous ammonia $1,126 per ton, UAN28 $531 per ton, and UAN32 $597 per ton. On a per-pound-of-nitrogen basis, urea averaged $0.94/lb.N, anhydrous $0.69/lb.N, UAN28 $0.95/lb.N, and UAN32 $0.93/lb.N. Year-on-year comparisons remain stark. Urea is up 37% versus a year ago; anhydrous is up 45%; UAN28 is 29% higher; UAN32 is 23% more expensive; DAP and MAP are each up 15%; potash is 5% higher; and 10-34-0 has gained 8%. The pause in momentum reflects easing Brazilian demand. Brazilian farmers are unable to pay the same price as Indian buyers — whose purchases are heavily subsidized — and global urea prices have softened since early May as a result. Analysts at Argus Media say the next major directional signal will come from China: no Chinese urea exports have occurred in 2026, and if and when Beijing re-enters the market, the price impact could be substantial in either direction. The Fertilizer Institute welcomed a separate May 19 announcement from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reestablishing a dedicated crop inputs economist within USDA's Office of the Chief Economist to improve market transparency for U.S. farmers. Source: [DTN](https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2026/05/20/significant-fertilizer-price-still) --- ## What to Know About U.S. Fertilizer Prices in May 2026 ### Why did U.S. fertilizer prices rise so sharply in early 2026?+ The primary driver was the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began February 28, 2026, which closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. The Middle East accounts for approximately 35% of globally traded urea and a significant share of ammonia exports. The closure severed supply routes overnight, sending urea prices up roughly 50% and ammonia prices up around 20% within weeks, according to Oxford Economics data cited by CNBC. China then restricted fertilizer exports to protect domestic supply, compounding the tightening. ### What does the pause in price increases mean for farmers?+ The pause does not indicate a meaningful price retreat — all eight fertilizer products remain at elevated levels, with urea 37% and anhydrous 45% above year-ago values. It signals that post-Hormuz panic buying has subsided and that Brazilian import demand is acting as a price ceiling, since Brazilian farmers cannot afford to match the prices Indian buyers are paying under India's government subsidy program. A sustained price decline would require either a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz or a large-scale return of Chinese exports, neither of which is imminent. ### What is the DTN Fertilizer Index and how is it compiled?+ DTN's Progressive Farmer gathers weekly fertilizer price bids from agricultural retailers across the United States and aggregates them into the DTN Fertilizer Index. The index tracks eight major products: DAP, MAP, potash, urea, 10-34-0, anhydrous ammonia, UAN28, and UAN32. DTN first began reporting this data in November 2008. A "significant move" is defined as a weekly change of 5% or more in either direction. ### What is the role of China's export policy in the outlook?+ China is the world's largest urea producer and, in normal years, a major exporter. The Chinese government imposed a urea export ban in December 2025 and has not issued any export licenses in 2026. Analysts had anticipated China would return to the market by April or May, but that has not happened. Argus Media analysts said that if and when Chinese urea returns, it would have "serious ramifications on price direction for the rest of the year" — in either direction depending on how quickly and in what volume exports resume. ### What is USDA doing to address fertilizer market volatility?+ Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on May 19 that USDA is reestablishing a full-time crop inputs economist within the Office of the Chief Economist, a position that had been dispersed across multiple roles and gradually reduced in priority over prior years. The position will be dedicated to tracking fertilizer and input costs and improving market transparency for U.S. farmers. Rollins also announced the revival of the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program to boost domestic nitrogen production capacity and the accelerated permitting of a major CF Industries low-carbon ammonia project in Louisiana. 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