F O O D S EC U R I T Y
‘Perfect Storm’ Hitting US Crops
Possible food shortages on horizon, with soaring fertilizer costs and protracted drought conditions By Autumn Spredemann
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38 I N S I G H T May 13–19, 2022
“For lack of a better pun, it’s the ‘perfect storm.’ We are having fertilizer shortages and also general chemicals related to agriculture,” Reb Wayne, of the Texas Department of Agriculture, told Insight. Wayne said smaller yields are a possibility from supply scarcity combined with the devastating effects of drought. “It is already having an impact from what we have seen,” he said. “People are talking about planting less, and farmers are concerned the yields will be lower regardless, which often happens as a function of drought. “It’s hard to measure at this stage what that full impact will be, [but] as far as the buzz in the industry is certain, this is going to have a smaller yield across the board. It’s not just one crop.” On March 11, the USDA announced a plan to invest $250 million in U.S.-based fertilizer production. The new grant program aims to ease inflated costs and shortages. Fertilizer supplies in the United States have suffered a series of setbacks that began with
Drought conditions will hit the 2022 growing season in at least 20 states, many of which are suffering historic water shortages.
A farmer harvests corn near Burlington, Iowa, on Oct. 22, 2015. Corn growers across 11 U.S. states revealed a planting forecast of 89.5 million acres this year, a 4 percent drop in production from last year.
FROM L: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES, JOHANNES EISELE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
hen farmers in the United States returned to their fields in April, officially kicking off the 2022 growing season, they implemented significant changes in their crop plantings. Because of soaring fertilizer costs, chemical shortages, and protracted drought conditions, farmers are now planting different and smaller quantities of certain crops. Some experts believe that forecasts for the 2022 growing season may outstrip existing production resources and may be overly ambitious. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted a survey of producers across the country that shows their intentions to plant a record-high 91 million acres of soybeans in 2022. That would be an increase of 4 percent from last year. However, corn growers surveyed across 11 states revealed a planting forecast of only 89.5 million acres this year. That represents a production drop of 4 percent. Record-low corn production is expected for 2022 in three states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Wheat planting is at its fifth-lowest level since 1919. Despite the challenges, U.S. farmers are soldiering on with strategic moves in an effort to “make do” with what’s available in terms of resources, both artificial and natural.
