The Fertilizer Institute

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is the principal trade association representing the US fertiliser industry, covering producers, retailers, and distributors. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington DC, TFI lobbies Congress, sets safety standards, and publishes supply and demand data that regulators and commodity markets rely on for policy decisions.

Since the Iran-Israel-US war disrupted Strait of Hormuz shipping routes, TFI has become a central voice on domestic supply stress. The institute projects US farmers will be short 2 million tonnes of urea this spring, with urea prices up 30% since the conflict began; some farmers cannot obtain supply at any price.

The tension is structural: the US imports roughly half its urea from producers whose logistics pass through or depend on Gulf shipping. A prolonged conflict leaves TFI in the uncomfortable position of being the messenger for a supply crisis it cannot resolve, while American food production costs escalate and spring planting windows narrow.