BrownfieldAgNews reports:
A new bill in the U.S. House seeks greater price transparency and stability in the fertilizer market.
U.S. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson tells Brownfield her bill is a companion to the Senate’s Fertilizer Research Act. The legislation would require the USDA to conduct a study on the competition and trends in the fertilizer market and their subsequent impact on price.
“America’s farmers are being squeezed by high fertilizer costs and low commodity prices, making it incredibly difficult to afford the inputs needed to maintain strong yields,” Hinson told Brownfield Thursday morning.
Hinson says if the bill is passed, within one year the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture would be required to issue a report on USDA’s website regarding the U.S. fertilizer industry.
The report would specifically include a description of impacts on the fertilizer market that influence price, market trends in the past 25 years, a description of the imported fertilizer and market impacts, impacts of anti-dumping and countervailing duties, a study of fertilizer industry concentration, a study of emerging fertilizer technologies, and a description of whether current public price reporting is sufficient for market transparency.
“Family farmers in Iowa tell me they need greater price transparency and stability,” Hinson said, “and my bipartisan bill delivers just that by increasing visibility into the factors that drive costs and supply. I will continue fighting for our rural communities to ensure they have a fair shot to do what they do best: feed and fuel the world.”
Co-sponsors of the House bill include Republican Randy Feenstra of Iowa, and Democrats Nikki Budzinski of Illinois and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
