Mosaic layoffs hit 199 at South Fort Meade as critical sulfur shortage idles phosphate operations

Mosaic layoffs will affect 199 employees at the company’s South Fort Meade phosphate operations in Polk County, Florida, after the Tampa-based producer decided to temporarily idle the site because of constrained sulfur supply, according to a notice filed with the Florida Department of Commerce.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act letter, dated October 5, 2026, and signed by Ron Yasurek, Mosaic’s vice president of phosphate operations for North America, says the job cuts are scheduled to start on December 8, 2026. Local reports citing the filing said operations are expected to stay idle for more than six months, with some employees remaining on site for maintenance and safety work. Mosaic said it plans to restart once market conditions and sulfur availability allow a safe, reliable restart.

Sulfur is converted into the sulfuric acid used to turn phosphate rock into phosphoric acid for diammonium phosphate (DAP) and monoammonium phosphate (MAP). Supply has tightened since shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted in late February, a squeeze that has also cut China’s phosphate exports to near zero this year.

The South Fort Meade idling extends a series of Mosaic curtailments. The company has already reduced output at its Bartow and Riverview plants in Florida and its Faustina and Uncle Sam plants in Louisiana, and scaled back phosphate operations in Brazil. Its phosphate segment’s operating loss widened from $48 million in the first quarter of 2026 to $104 million in the second quarter, WTSP reported. The Mosaic layoffs add to evidence that U.S. phosphate supply is unlikely to recover before sulfur flows normalize.

Source: WTSP 10 Tampa Bay