Fertilizer isn’t just an input—it’s a globally traded commodity with price signals driven by geopolitics, energy markets, and overseas demand. In this episode, Aaron Harries sits down with Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute, to unpack why fertilizer markets can feel like “three-dimensional chess,” especially for wheat producers balancing tight margins.
Rosenbusch explains how global trade flows shift when conflict disrupts supply chains and when natural gas availability changes the economics of nitrogen production. The conversation dives into why the U.S. is relatively strong in nitrogen production yet still imports key products, why potash remains heavily import-dependent, and how global demand—especially major buyers—can set price direction. He also stresses that while producers can’t control what happens in Beijing or on the Black Sea, they can control efficiency: the 4R framework (right source, rate, time, place), variable-rate strategies, and emerging technologies that help fertilizer go further.
