Farmers allege fertilizer giants inflating prices nationwide

Named as defendants are Nutrien Ltd. and Nutrien AG Solutions; The Mosaic Company and Mosaic Fertilizer LLC; Canpotex Ltd.; CF Industries Holdings Inc. and CF Industries Inc.; Koch Inc., Koch Ag & Energy Solutions LLC, Koch Fertilizer LLC and Koch Agronomic Services LLC; and Yara International ASA and Yara North America Inc.

According to the complaint, the companies collectively control approximately 82% of the U.S. nitrogen fertilizer market, 90% to 95% of the potash market and about 91% of the phosphate fertilizer market.

The plaintiffs allege the companies entered into an agreement beginning around Jan. 1, 2020, to limit supply and “fix, raise, maintain, or stabilize” fertilizer prices at what the suit describes as supracompetitive levels.

The complaint alleges fertilizer manufacturers dramatically increased profits while farmers faced soaring input costs and declining farm income.

The lawsuit states that while U.S. net farm income fell nearly 30% between 2022 and 2024, defendants’ profits increased nearly 300% and fertilizer prices rose about 100%.

The suit claims fertilizer prices reached record highs beginning in late 2021 and remained elevated even after other market pressures eased.

According to the filing, nitrogen fertilizer prices increased sharply during the last quarter of 2021, with anhydrous ammonia prices rising 210%, urea increasing 155%, and liquid nitrogen climbing 159%.

The complaint also alleges phosphate fertilizer prices rose between 100% and 125%, while potash prices increased more than 134% during the same period.

The plaintiffs allege that the price increases imposed major financial burdens on farmers.

The filing cites estimates that feed-grain farms experienced an additional $128,000 in fertilizer-related costs during 2022 and says Iowa corn farmers reported production cost increases of $238 per acre since 2020.

The lawsuit contends the price increases cannot be fully explained by external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, China’s fertilizer export restrictions or Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Instead, the plaintiffs argue the companies leveraged those events as opportunities to coordinate price increases while maintaining elevated profit margins.

The complaint also references ongoing federal scrutiny of the fertilizer industry.

According to the filing, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing in October 2025 titled “Pressure Cooker: Competition Issues in the Seed & Fertilizer Industries,” during which lawmakers, farmers and industry experts discussed rising agricultural input costs and market concentration within the fertilizer sector.

The plaintiffs further cite comments allegedly made by USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden during a January 2026 webinar, in which he reportedly warned that antitrust concerns may exist within American agriculture and specifically referenced Mosaic and Nutrien’s influence over fertilizer supply and pricing.

The lawsuit also states the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating the fertilizer market earlier this year for possible price-fixing activity involving several defendants.

In addition to accusing the companies of coordinating pricing, the complaint alleges trade associations facilitated the exchange of confidential and competitively sensitive information among fertilizer producers.

The lawsuit names The Fertilizer Institute and the International Fertilizer Association as alleged co-conspirators, claiming both organizations provided members with access to market intelligence data, supply reports, pricing information and industry meetings that enabled coordination among competitors.

The filing alleges the fertilizer market is particularly susceptible to collusion because of high barriers to entry, inelastic demand and market concentration among a small number of producers.

The lawsuit states that constructing a new nitrogen fertilizer facility can cost approximately $5 billion, limiting the ability of new competitors to enter the market.

According to the complaint, plaintiffs and proposed class members suffered antitrust injury by paying artificially inflated prices for fertilizer products they purchased directly from defendants.

The proposed class would include all individuals and entities who purchased NPK fertilizers directly from any manufacturer defendant in the United States from Jan. 1, 2020, to the present.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages, injunctive relief, court costs and a jury trial.

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri case number: 4:26-cv-00418