BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Kern County farmers are bracing for a potential fertilizer shortage and rising prices that could ripple through local agriculture and related businesses, as the conflict involving Iran disrupts global supply lines.
Pat Klingler, a sales manager for fertilizer supplier Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness, told CBS News that Central Valley farmers have been calling him with concerns about possible shortages tied to the conflict in the Middle East. “This whole Iran conflict has changed the whole fertilizer dynamics,” Klingler said.
Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness has an office in Bakersfield. The company referred questions to its corporate office.
Farmers may soon face sharply higher fertilizer costs. The price of urea has risen 30% in the past month, according to the American Farm Bureau. With the Strait of Hormuz shut down, shipments have been left stuck in the Persian Gulf, tightening supply and fueling market uncertainty.
“If you hit a point where it’s not showing up, it puts a scare into the whole market,” Klingler said…