As NPR reported, the war coincided with spring planting season for U.S. farmers who are already hurting from Trump’s tariffs and “other countries' retaliatory measures that followed." Local news and trade publications have reported that the price of diesel is up 45-50%, 78% of farmers in the South are unable to afford the total fertilizer needed for the 2026 growing season, and some farmers are reluctantly raising the prices of their products, among other impacts. (In addition to impacts on farmers, other food industries are also starting to pass on the costs of war to consumers — including cattle ranchers whose packing costs, which also rely on petrochemical supplies, are now rising.)

Local media and ag trade publications report on how the high cost of diesel and fertilizer from Trump’s war in Iran is hurting farmers this spring

• One Farm Journal reporter noted: “As the Iran war and the closure of the Strait reaches its tenth week, fertilizer supplies aren’t moving. That means any fix for fertilizer supplies or high prices are off the table for the spring.” [YouTube, Farm Journal, 5/5/26] 

• In an interview with Minnesota-based KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, one local farmer lamented the need to raise the cost of their produce: “As much as we don't want to up our prices, we have to because of everything that's going up.” [KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, 5/3/26] 

• Michigan's WZZM station reported that diesel prices are “up 45-50% over the past two months,” while one local farmer noted that this additional cost will “probably take a hit on our bottom line.” [WZZM, 4/29/26] 

• One North Carolina farmer told The News & Observer that it costs “$500 just to fill up one tractor,” while another local farmer said they need to raise prices of the produce they sell in response to the higher input cost caused by the war in Iran. [The News & Observer, 4/27/26] 

• Delta Farm Press, which focuses on the agricultural sector in the South, covered the disproportionate impact of rising diesel and fertilizer prices on Southern farms, noting, “The same data showing 67% of Midwesterners prepaying for fertilizer in the fall showed only 19% of Southerners spent at the same time, leaving 78% saying they’re unable to afford the total necessary fertilizer for the 2026 growing season.” [Farm Progress, Delta Farm Press, 4/27/26]  

• The Farm and Dairy newsletter reported on comments from American Farm Bureau Federation economist Faith Parum that “the majority of America’s farmers who responded to the organization’s recent nationwide survey — over 5,700 in all — say they cannot afford to purchase enough fertilizer to get them through the year, underscoring just how grim the outlook has become.” From the article: “Parum said high input costs, exacerbated by the conflict in Iran, have driven sharp increases in the price of anhydrous ammonia, urea, liquid nitrogen and diesel, with urea and farm diesel seeing the largest month‑over‑month jumps. The survey found that 70% of farmers nationwide cannot afford all of the fertilizer they need this year, a figure that jumps to 78% in the South, where pre‑booking rates were lowest. Even in the Midwest, about half of farmers don’t believe they’ll be able to purchase their full fertilizer needs.” [Farm and Dairy, 4/22/26]

• A report by Idaho station KMTV 11 on how high diesel and fertilizer costs are hurting state farmers interviewed University of Idaho agriculture economics professor Xiaoli Etienne, who noted that over 30% of operating costs go to fertilizer and the prices have jumped 30-40% since the war began, which is having “a very big impact on the farmers.” [YouTube, KMTV 11, 4/10/26]

•  Seattle NPR station KUOW spoke with a fourth generation farmer from southern Washington who told the reporter, “We’re seeing fertilizer priced beyond what crops can pay for.” He went on to say, “Every day that this conflict continues, the situation probably gets worse.” [NPR, KUOW, 4/7/26]

• The Wisconsin State Farmer: “In recent months, rising fuel prices have become a major concern for farmers across the nation. The surge in diesel prices, in particular, is significantly impacting the bottom line of agricultural producers. For many, the increase in fuel costs is yet another challenge in an already difficult financial environment, as input costs for items such as fertilizer and labor have risen.” [Wisconsin State Farmer, 4/7/26]  

• Reporter Brock Owens for NBC affiliate WJAC in west-central Pennsylvania noted that impacts of “diesel price spikes” and “fertilizer cost jumping” are hitting farmers “as they are already struggling.” He continued, “About a month ago, farmers told me the hope is market prices would come down soon but they still haven't, which is now causing them to worry as the season of planting crops is in full swing.” [YouTube, WJACTV, 4/3/26]

• CBS affiliate KWCH in Kansas reported on the ways the war has “been putting a strain on farmers” as the prices of the products they need for the growing season “skyrocket in recent weeks.” One local farmer said, “All of our yearly needs are pretty much consumed in February, March, and April, May. It’s going to make it a lot tougher for farmers to make it through this year.” [YouTube, 12 News, 3/6/26]