"The net earnings of North America’s top fertilizer producers raise questions about who benefits most from fertilizer use, an advocacy group says."
"As farmers balk at skyrocketing fertilizer costs and runoff threatens drinking water sources in Iowa, North American manufacturers are raking in cash.
Illinois-based CF Industries and Canadian company Nutrien dominate the domestic market for nitrogen-based fertilizers. Together, the two corporations are responsible for 55 percent of U.S. fertilizer production. In recent years, they have seen massive increases in their profits, an analysis of their annual reports by environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch notes.
“Industrial agriculture polluters are ruining Iowa’s water, driving our cancer crisis, and bleeding farmers dry—and they’re making billions doing it,” said Jennifer Breon, a senior organizer with Food & Water Watch, in a statement issued by the organization. “No one should be in the business of pollution.”"
Anika Jane Beamer reports for Inside Climate News August 27, 2026.
