US farmers would bear the cost of tariffs on imported Canadian fertilizers should President Donald Trump’s levies take effect, according to top supplier Nutrien Ltd.
“The tariff costs and tariff impact will be passed on,” Chief Executive Officer Ken Seitz said in a conference call with analysts. “It is going to mean rising costs for the US grower.”
The US relies on Canada for more than 80% of the potash used to nourish its crops, leaving farmers particularly exposed to the impacts of a trade war. Fertilizer prices are already at the highest seasonal level since 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine disrupted supplies.
The impact of tariffs on US demand for fertilizers would largely depend on the timing of their implementation, according to Canada-based Nutrien.
Earlier this month, Trump agreed to delay 25% tariffs on Canada for a month after it agreed to take tougher measures to combat migration and drug trafficking at the border. The president also ordered his administration to consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on numerous trading partners, with studies expected to be completed by April 1.
“It could be — or maybe even likely is — the case that the US farmer will feel those impacts after the spring planting season,” Seitz said. “For our part, we have been filling the channel right through to our downstream network.”
Shares of Nutrien surged as much as 5.1% in New York, to the highest price since June, as the company projected higher fertilizer sales volumes for 2025.
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