USDA seeks farmer input

The Agriculture Department is asking farmers to confidentially share what they are paying for fertilizer and other supplies as federal investigators examine possible price collusion. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu) Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said the information would help “investigations that are ongoing” when he spoke Monday at the North American Agricultural Journalists conference in Washington. Bloomberg first reported in early March that the Justice Department was investigating whether fertilizer producers colluded to raise prices. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu) The inquiry is not limited to fertilizer. The Agriculture Department said farmers can also provide information about machinery and other farm inputs, widening the focus to the broader cost structure of planting and harvesting crops. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu) Fertilizer is one of the biggest cash costs in row-crop farming, alongside seed, chemicals, fuel and equipment. When those prices jump, growers often cannot quickly cut usage without risking yields, which leaves them exposed when suppliers have pricing power. (justice.gov) Washington has been building this case for months. On September 29, 2025, the Justice Department and the Agriculture Department signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate on competition in feed, fertilizer, fuel, seed, equipment, pesticides and other essential goods. (justice.gov) That agreement framed high and volatile input costs as a competition issue, not just a farm-economy problem. The text said both agencies would work together to protect farmers from burdens tied to concentrated supply chains and essential-goods markets. (usda.gov) Vaden had already named companies in January. He accused Nutrien and Mosaic of working to limit United States fertilizer supply and control prices, and said the administration could take further action to increase competition if needed; the Farm Policy News summary said John Deere later provided a statement for that report. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu) No public antitrust case tied to this fertilizer inquiry appears in the Justice Department’s case-filing index so far, which suggests the matter remains at the investigation stage rather than in open court. (justice.gov) For farmers, the immediate ask is simple: send pricing and purchasing information to the government while the inquiry is still being built. What investigators learn from those submissions will help determine whether this stays a fact-gathering effort or turns into a formal antitrust case. (farmpolicynews.illinois.edu)