Save Our Farms: Why the Iran War Is Making Groceries Too Expensive

As your constituent, I am writing to urge immediate congressional action on a critical consequence of the conflict with Iran: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is threatening the American food supply, driving up grocery prices, and devastating farmers in the agricultural heartland. The closure of this narrow waterway—which handles roughly one-third of globally traded fertilizer—has triggered an agricultural crisis working its way directly to American dinner tables. The domestic crisis is already unfolding: - Production Frozen & Energy Shocks: The Gulf region produces nearly half of the world's urea and 30% of its ammonia. Meanwhile, natural gas price increases of up to 70% have sent manufacturing costs skyrocketing. - Global Hoarding: Russia and China have restricted fertilizer exports, removing 25% of the global supply from the market. - The Domestic Hit: By mid-March, US fertilizer supply dropped to 75% of normal levels right at the start of the Corn Belt planting season, with some prices rising over 40% in a single month. - The Meat & Dairy Cascade: Farmers are shifting away from corn to crops requiring less fertilizer. This will inevitably shrink the corn supply, driving up the cost of livestock feed, meat, poultry, and dairy. This is a structural policy failure. The US maintains a Strategic Petroleum Reserve for oil, yet there is no equivalent defense for agriculture. Congress has known our fertilizer supply chains are vulnerable since 2022, yet failed to build domestic resilience. I am not asking you to relitigate the war. I am asking you to manage its economic aftermath. I urge you to take four concrete actions: 1. Establish a National Strategic Fertilizer Reserve: Direct the USDA and DOE to fund a strategic reserve of key fertilizer inputs sufficient to buffer American agriculture through a 90-day supply disruption. 2. Pass Emergency Relief for American Farmers: Provide emergency loan guarantees and crop insurance adjustments to help farmers absorb recent cost spikes before the fall harvest. 3. Require Food Security Impact Analyses: Future military actions must require mandatory supply chain and food security impact analyses before operations begin. 4. Pursue Diplomatic Resolution: Use intense diplomatic pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, specifically fertilizer. American farmers did not start this war. American consumers did not vote for higher grocery bills. Congress owes both a plan, and I expect you to produce one.