Fertilizer makers net major earnings
Fertilizer prices have been one of, if not the, most critical issue of concern to farmers this year.
Comparing the prices of the three most commonly used fertilizers from 2019 to November 2022 to the consumer price index shows a startling fact: The price of fertilizer has soared past inflation.
A handful of companies dominate the fertilizer market, and their financial statements show the prices significantly bolstered their net earnings. That's despite the fact that farmers have been buying less fertilizer.
— Mónica Cordero, reporter and Report for America corps member
Farmers endured a rough year, but fertilizer companies cashed in | Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest
This year, giant fertilizer companies hauled in hundreds of millions in net earnings. The rise in profits represents massive percentage increases since last year. One major producer made more than 1,000% in the first nine months of 2022 than the same time period last year, reports Cordero, who is also a Report for America corps member.
Read more.
Year-end campaign update: Going for $25K!
BIG NEWS: This week your generosity led us to pass the $20,000 mark in our year-end giving campaign!
Just like with our reporting, we are setting the bar higher and striving for $25,000 before the end of the year. This is a time of year when a gift can make the difference between our goals for 2023 remaining an idea or becoming a story that creates understanding and change in agriculture. Please consider giving to support our work.
Happy holidays to you!
Mary Ungs-Sogaard, Donor Relations Manager
More news
Minnesota tries new technologies to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Minnesota has spent millions filtering the drinking water in communities where forever chemicals linger in the groundwater. A new effort is meant to remove the industrial chemicals from the environment. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, were pioneered by Minnesota-based 3M in the 1950s. But the same carbon-fluorine bonds that make the compounds useful also make them extremely difficult to destroy, earning them the name “forever chemicals.” This story is by Chloe Johnson of the Star Tribune.
‘Immense sense of pride’: Iowa farm owned by Black family for 158 years
The Western family still owns that farm in Mahaska County, Iowa, making it one of only about 1,700 Heritage Farms — 150 years or more — in Iowa, and likely the only one owned by a Black family. This story is by Erin Jordan of The Gazette.
New FCC broadband map of the U.S. is ‘a step in the right direction’
The Federal Communications Commission has released an updated map detailing broadband availability across the U.S. The new map improves on its past iterations, experts say, but there are still questions about the accuracy of some of the information included. This story is by Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder.
