Trump push for U.S. fertilizer won’t be enough to replace imports

President Donald Trump has included potash among the minerals that need an immediately ramp up in U.S. production. That’s unlikely to significantly break America’s reliance on fertilizer imports.

The U.S. gets roughly 90% of its potash – used in the production of corn and soybeans, the nation’s two biggest crops – from other countries. Most of that comes from neighboring Canada, the top producer. U.S. potash production accounts for less than 1% of the country’s total demand, according to Corey Rosenbusch, chief executive officer of the Fertilizer Institute.

“Increased production helps, but we still would be very reliant on Canadian potash,” Rosenbusch said in an interview Friday.

Farmers and fertilizer companies are bracing for possible new U.S. tariffs this week, just as planting season gets under way. The potential for 10% to 25% duties on potash and Canadian fertilizers coming into the U.S. poses the risk of higher costs for growers that in turn are passed along to consumers.

Rosenbusch said he’s hopeful Canadian fertilizer might be spared levies. The Fertilizer Institute, the U.S. lobby for the industry, has been pushing for the federal government to add potash to its permanent list of critical minerals, which are considered essential to U.S. national security and the economy.

While noting there are no guarantees, “we would feel a lot better about our ability to make the case for specific exemptions if it were on the list,” Rosenbusch said.

Michigan Potash & Salt Co. is among companies seeking to ramp up domestic output of potash. The closely held firm has identified a huge potash deposit in Michigan with an estimated value of “up to $65 billion” that can be accessed, according to founder and CEO Theodore Pagano.

The company aims to produce about 10% of the U.S.’s potash needs by 2028, and could ultimately reach as much as 40% with the one reserve, said Chief Operating Officer Aric Glasser.