Hyde-Smith accepted $14,000 from Nutrien and Koch Industries who were accused of colluding to keep the price of fertilizer high.
HEADLINE: Hyde-Smith Took Fertilizer Money As Farmers Struggled With Soaring Costs [American Journal News, 5/13/26]
¶ Hyde-Smith Accepted $14,000 From The Fertilizer Industry, Including Nutrien And Koch Industries, Since 2018
Hyde-Smith Accepted $14,000 From The Fertilizer Industry, Including Nutrien And Koch Industries, Since 2018. According to American Journal News, “Campaign finance disclosures indicate that Hyde-Smith and her affiliated PACs have accepted at least $14,000 from the fertilizer industry since 2018. This includes $3,000 from Nutrien and $11,000 from Koch Industries.” [American Journal News, 5/13/26]
¶ Nutrien And Koch Industries Were Accused Of Of Collusion To Raise Fertilizer Prices
The Justice Department Launched An Investigation And Accused Nutrien And Koch Industries Of Collusion To Raise Fertilizer Prices. According to American Journal News, “In March, the Justice Department launched an investigation into both companies ,alleging that they had colluded with one another to raise prices, increasing costs for U.S. farmers. Around the same time, an antitrust civil suit was filed against Nutrien, Koch Industries, and other fertilizer producers.” [American Journal News, 5/13/26]
- January 2026: USDA Accused Nutrien Of Colluding With Mosaic To Limit U.S. Fertilizer Supply And Control Prices. According to Successful Farming, “ Agri-Pulse’s Oliver Ward reported that ‘Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden (last week) accused Nutrien and Mosaic of working to ‘collude’ to limit U.S. fertilizer supply and control prices, suggesting that the administration could take future action to inject more competition into markets, if necessary.’ ‘This administration is going to do everything it can to ensure that farmers have the fertilizer [they] need, at a price that they can pay,’ Vaden said during a webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center,’ according to Ward’s reporting. ‘We’re not going to allow these two companies to do anything to undermine this.’ ‘Canada’s Nutrien and Florida-based Mosaic were responsible for more than 90% of North American phosphate fertilizer and potash production in 2024, according to Farm Action — an ag industry accountability group. On the distribution side, Farm Action notes that just seven companies control 70% of crop input sales, including Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail business of Nutrien,’ Ward reported. ‘During the webinar on Wednesday, Vaden described Nutrien’s and Mosaic’s grip on the market as a ‘duopoly’ that is constraining ‘fertilizer supply in this country’ and driving ‘up the cost that farmers are paying.’” [Successful Farming, 1/26/26]
- March 2026: The Department Of Justice Launched An Investigation In Nutrien And Koch Over Fertilizer Price Collusion. According to Bloomberg, “The Justice Department has been investigating whether several leading producers of commercial fertilizers colluded to raise prices, according to people familiar with the matter. The companies whose conduct is under scrutiny include phosphate and potash suppliers Nutrien Ltd. and Mosaic Co., as well as CF Industries Holdings Inc., Koch Inc. and Norway’s Yara International ASA, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential investigation. CF Industries, Koch, Yara and Nutrien control most of the nitrogen-based fertilizer sold in the US.” [Bloomberg, 3/4/26]
While The DOJ Launched An Investigation, An Antitrust Civil Suit Was Filed Against Nutrien, Koch And Other Fertilizer Companies. According to American Journal News, “In March, the Justice Department launched an investigation into both companies ,alleging that they had colluded with one another to raise prices, increasing costs for U.S. farmers. Around the same time, an antitrust civil suit was filed against Nutrien, Koch Industries, and other fertilizer producers.” [American Journal News, 5/13/26]
- The Attorney Spearheading The Civil Suit Claimed That Fertilizer Was An Essential Input And That The Impact Of Artificially Inflated Prices Fell On Farmers. According to American Journal News, “‘Most people will never think about the cost of fertilizer, but American farmers live with it every day,’ said Greg Asciolla, the attorney spearheading the suit. ‘When prices for an essential input are artificially inflated, the impact falls squarely on farmers and ripples across the food system.’” [American Journal News, 5/13/26]
- March 2026: Class Action Lawsuit Alleged That Koch Agronomic Services Conspired To Keep Fertilizer Prices High. According to AgProud, “ DiCello Levitt, along with co-counsel Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC, has filed an antitrust class action lawsuit alleging that the nation’s largest fertilizer producers conspired to fix, raise and maintain prices for critical agricultural fertilizers, forcing U.S. farmers to pay artificially inflated prices. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the complaint alleges a coordinated scheme to restrain competition in the markets for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (potash) fertilizers – collectively known as NPK fertilizers. The lawsuit names the following defendants: The Mosaic Company, Nutrien Ltd., Nutrien Ag Solutions Inc., CF Industries Holdings Inc., CF Industries Inc., CF Industries Nitrogen LLC, Koch Agronomic Services LLC, Yara International ASA, Yara North America Inc. and Canpotex LTD.” [AgProud, 3/16/26]
Hyde-Smith Supported Trump’s War In Iran Which Caused Fertilizer Prices To Skyrocket. According to American journal News, “ Fertilizer costs have also been driven up by President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and the war in Iran, both of which Hyde-Smith supported. NPR reports that about one-third of the world’s nitrogen supply, a primary component in fertilizers, passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade waterway that has been intermittently blocked since the war began. Anthony Bland, a soybean farmer in the Mississippi Delta, told NPR that he spent $10,000 more on fertilizer this spring than he did last year.” [American Journal News, 5/13/26]
- Farmers In Mississippi Were Dealing With High Fertilizer Prices, Including An Increase Of $100 At The Port Of New Orleans. According to WDAM, “Many farmers in the United States, including those in Mississippi, are getting ready for the spring planting season. But those plans could be on hold as the war with Iran continues. ‘We’re price-takers, not price-makers,” said Jeff Easterling, a long-time farmer and president of the South Mississippi Farmers Bureau. ‘We can’t just say we’re going to move our costs up to match our input costs.’ The war has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for not only oil and gas, but also fertilizers. ‘Now, a lot of this stuff is drawn from overseas, and we’re not competing on a localized market,’ Easterling said. ‘It’s a global market.’ Easterling shared that many local farmers utilize nitrogen-based fertilizers, like urea, for their crops. Over the past month, the price per ton for that fertilizer has increased by around $100 at the Port of New Orleans. ‘A few people have had the ability to book fertilizer early, and a few of them have,’ Easterling said. ‘Myself, I booked a little early.’” [WDAM, 3/18/26]
Hyde-Smith Voted To Confirm Jamieson Greer As Us Trade Representative Despite His Record Pushing For Fertilizer Tariffs As A Lobbyist. According to American Journal News, “ On April 29, Hyde-Smith tried to offer relief by introducing a bill that would eliminate tariffs on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco. This came one year after Hyde-Smith voted to confirm Jamieson Greer as United States Trade Representative, despite his record of pushing for fertilizer tariffs in his previous career as a lobbyist.” [American Journal News, 5/13/26]