War-induced fertilizer shortage may be reducing US soil and water pollution

Decades of farmers using more fertilizer than they needed have quietly built up large reserves of nutrients in the soil.

By: Kimberly Van Meter, Penn State and Nandita Basu, University of Waterloo, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 24, 2026

Words: 802

Last Updated: 4 weeks, 1 day ago

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By Kimberly Van Meter, Penn State and Nandita Basu, University of Waterloo

American farmers are expected to plant several million fewer acres of corn in 2026 than they did in 2025, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz throttles a key fertilizer trading corridor, along with the energy and raw materials needed to produce and transport fertilizer.

The closure is disrupting deliveries of about one-third of the world’s traded agricultural fertilizers. Fertilizer

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