UAN price falls 7% as key nutrients lead fifth week of declines

The UAN price led U.S. retail fertilizer markets lower again in the first full week of July 2026, extending a run of mostly falling prices to five straight weeks, according to sellers surveyed by DTN.

UAN28 and UAN32 fell furthest, both down 7% against the prior month. UAN28 averaged $493 per ton and UAN32 $529 per ton. For the fourth consecutive week, six of the eight tracked fertilizers were cheaper than a month earlier, with the remaining two slightly higher. Four of the six declines cleared DTN’s 5% threshold for a significant move.

Urea averaged $714 per ton, down 6% on the month. It remains 9% more expensive than a year ago, a reminder that the current retreat is unwinding the Strait of Hormuz spike rather than returning the market to pre-crisis levels.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, urea worked out at $0.78/lb.N, anhydrous at $0.63/lb.N, UAN28 at $0.88/lb.N and UAN32 at $0.83/lb.N. Anhydrous remains the cheapest nitrogen source by some distance, and the spread between it and UAN28 has widened to $0.25/lb.N, a gap that will shape sidedress economics for growers with the equipment to apply it.

The UAN price decline follows the pattern Fertilizer Daily reported on July 10, when retail fertilizer prices fell for a third straight week led by urea. The retail market continues to lag the wholesale correction, and the year-on-year premium is the figure to watch as fall fill negotiations approach.

Source: DTN Progressive Farmer