Recent increases in fertilizer prices, especially for nitrogen-based inputs, are raising production costs. This article summarizes recent price trends in our region and provides a simple worksheet for you to calculate your own cost of production.
1. Increase in recent fertilizer prices
March 30 vs. Mid-February
- Urea: +40%
- Liquid nitrogen 32%: +29%
- DAP (18-46-0): +5%
- MAP (11-52-0): +5%
- Potash: +3%
March 2026 vs. March 2025
- Urea: +38%
- Liquid nitrogen 32%: +53%
- DAP (18-46-0): +4%
- MAP (11-52-0): +8%
- Potash: +4%
2. Translating fertilizer prices into production costs
Fertilizer prices are typically reported in dollars per ton, but farmers apply fertilizer in pounds per acre. To translate market prices into on-farm costs, the price per ton is first converted to a price per pound by dividing by 2,000 (the number of pounds in a ton). This per-pound price is then multiplied by the application rate (in pounds per acre) to calculate fertilizer cost per acre.
- Fertilizer cost per acre = fertilizer price per ton / 2000 * application rate.
You can find a worksheet to calculate your total fertilizer costs on the Rutgers Farm Management website (Link here).
