In a twist that absolutely no one could have seen coming—unless you possess the basic ability to look at a map—Lubbock farmers are currently reeling because a war in the Middle East is making it expensive to grow socks. Local farmer Steven Brosch and his peers are facing a massive spike in fertilizer prices, thanks to the ongoing conflict in Iran. It turns out that when the Persian Gulf—which provides nearly half the world’s urea—goes up in flames, the cost of making things grow in West Texas goes up with it.
The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that urea prices jumped 19% in a single month. But don’t worry, Texas Tech economist Darren Hudson is here to explain the “indirect effect” to us like we’re five: if a manufacturer can sell their fertilizer to a desperate global bidder for double the price, they aren’t going to give the Lubbock discount just because we have a “Raider Power” bumper sticker. It’s almost as if the global economy is a giant, interconnected web and not a series of isolated bubbles where we can yell at the clouds until the prices drop.
Local producers are now making “hard decisions,” which is agricultural code for “we can’t afford to give the plants what they actually need.” Brosch says he’s holding out hope that prices will “hit the top” before planting season, which is a bold strategy usually reserved for people who lose their life savings on crypto. Between the low commodity prices, a looming drought, and the skyrocketing cost of bird poop derivatives, the Lubbock “optimism” is starting to look a lot like a guy standing in a sinking boat insisting he’s just getting closer to the fish.
Who would have thought that cheering for “geopolitical disruption” would eventually result in the leopards eating the very fertilizer meant for your own face?
