Micronutrients face budget pressure in 2026 as retailers flag 3 key deficiencies

Micronutrients are struggling for a place in U.S. growers’ budgets as nitrogen, phosphate and potash bills absorb spending, ag retailers told CropLife in a feature published October 5.

The retailers gave no sales figures for the 2026 season. Keith Martus, vice president of agronomy at Star of the West Milling in Michigan, said micronutrient use was similar to other years. He added that product use fell across all nutrients except nitrogen.

Ben Hushon, a partner at The Mill in Maryland, said the category has to be resold every year, much like nitrogen stabilizers. “As soon as you stop bringing micronutrients up, the farmer stops ordering them,” he said.

Demand varies by geography and season. Zinc, boron and manganese were cited most often as in demand, because tissue sampling has documented widespread deficiencies of all three.

Brooke Pfarr, a marketing manager at WinField United, said some growers are delaying purchases or reevaluating programs. Many still invest when agronomic data supports it, she said.

The squeeze has a clear cause. Retail prices for all eight major U.S. fertilizers are above year-ago levels.

Those interviewed see micronutrients as a growth category for retailers that keep educating customers and can back recommendations with local data.

Source: CropLife