Iowa attorney general leads study of high fertilizer prices

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says dramatic increases in the price of farm fertilizers have prompted him to look into the causes and whether farmers have been subjected to unfair practices. Miller on Thursday said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other state attorneys general are committed to helping conduct market research to assess the soaring prices. For example, anhydrous ammonia, a corn fertilizer, is up more than 300% from last year. Miller says the market study findings could lead to further investigation. The Fertilizer Institute, an industry trade group, says prices farmers pay are subject to a complex web of global supply chain and demand factors.