“…We really are fearful…” – NCFC CEO
Farmers are struggling this spring with sky-high production costs, but the bigger concern is whether there will be enough fertilizer and other inputs to go around for next season, according to Chuck Conner, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
“That’s where we really are fearful at this point,” Conner said in an interview for Agri-Pulse Newsmakers. Availability of fertilizer and other inputs hasn’t been an issue this spring. Farmers “may not like the price, but it is available,” said Conner.
Conner says NCFC is working with lawmakers and USDA to explore alternatives and remove obstacles around supply availability next year.
The co-ops welcomed the measures the Biden administration is taking to address input prices, including pledging $500 million to increase domestic fertilizer production. But “we have to acknowledge that they’re probably not going to reverse this inflationary course,” Conner said.