US Farmers to Plant Less Corn as Iran War Spikes Fertilizer Prices

Soaring fertilizer costs make corn less attractive for growers compared to soybeans

Apr. 1, 2026 at 8:47pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

U.S. farmers plan to plant less corn and more soybeans in 2026 than last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, as the Iran war drives up fertilizer and fuel prices in the latest blow to the struggling agricultural sector. Corn and wheat require more costly fertilizer, making them less attractive for growers to plant than soybeans with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran cutting off critical nitrogen supplies from the Gulf to the world's farmers.

Why it matters

Spiking fertilizer costs are the latest hurdle for farmers grappling with weak grain prices, rising bills for other inputs and uncertainty over China's demand for U.S. crops. A trade war launched by the Trump administration last year dramatically disrupted U.S. soybean export sales to China, the world's largest importer.

The details

Farmers intend to plant 95.338 million acres of corn this year, down from 98.788 million acres in 2025, and 84.7 million acres of soybeans, up from 81.215 million acres last year, USDA said. Analysts expected disruptions from the Iran conflict to curb corn acreage even further, pegging corn plantings at 94.371 million acres and soybean plantings at 85.549 million acres.

  • The USDA published its first survey-based crop acreage estimate of the year on March 31, 2026.
  • The agency's March agricultural survey had a response rate of 37.6%, down from 44.3% last year and the lowest for that survey.

The players

USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which published the crop acreage estimates and grain stocks data.

Jake Hanley

Managing director and senior portfolio specialist at Teucrium Trading.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Because of what's happening in the fertilizer market, and the timing of when the survey went out, this is probably the highest number in planted acreage we'll see in corn this year.”

— Jake Hanley, Managing director and senior portfolio specialist

What’s next

Analysts cautioned that the USDA's plantings estimates could not fully account for disruptions and price impacts caused by the war, and the agency may further reduce its estimate for corn acreage.

The takeaway

The shift away from corn and toward soybeans reflects the growing challenges facing U.S. farmers, who are grappling with rising input costs, trade disruptions, and uncertain demand, all of which are exacerbated by the ongoing conflict with Iran.