America's food supply is a national security asset. Foreign adversaries shouldn't control it. Fighting for domestic energy and farm independence.
Joined May 2026
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Gulf Coast refiners produce more than half of America’s sulfur. Yet a share of it ships overseas to state-run competitors who restrict their own exports.
Former House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway explains what that means for Texas farms and your grocery bill.
Tell your lawmakers to keep American sulfur working for American producers: phosphateinnovation.com/cont…
Honorable Mike Conaway (@ConawayTX11), former chairman of the House #Agriculture Committee: "Sulfur is a byproduct of oil refining, and #Texas has more operating refineries than any other state...this should be a win for #Americanagriculture. Instead, a foreign adversary has found a way to use our own output against us..."
txbusinessbrief.com/article/…
#TexasBusiness #TexasEconomy #TXLege #farming #USAfarming #China #TexasEnergy #oilandgas
Your grocery bill traces back to a raw material most Americans never think about: sulfur.
In The Washington Times, former Illinois Rep. Randy Hultgren explains how Beijing subsidizes state-owned buyers to bid up American sulfur and pull it overseas. Meanwhile China restricts exports of its own fertilizer and sulfuric acid. American sulfur should work for American producers first.
Read it here: washingtontimes.com/news/202…
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
.@RepFranklin is right and more people need to take notice…
@SecRollins and @HowardLutnick can solve some major farm production issues and keep grocery prices down if they act to protect sulfur supplies for our farmers.
🚨 I just sent a letter to @USDA and @CommerceGov demanding immediate action as sulfur shortages and rising costs force American fertilizer plants to cut production.
Last month, I led Florida's congressional delegation in raising the alarm. Now, jobs, local businesses and farmers are paying the price.
The Administration must move beyond reviewing this crisis and deliver a coordinated plan to secure sulfur supplies, remove costly barriers and get production back on track.
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
Let me see if I got this mess straight.
Sulfur prices have gone through the damn roof. Florida phosphate plants are cutting production and idling facilities because they can’t get the sulfur they need at a price that works.
70% of farmers surveyed said they already couldn’t afford all the fertilizer they needed. And Washington is still “reviewing” the problem.
No sulfur means no phosphate fertilizer.
No fertilizer means American farmers grow less food or get squeezed until they can’t stay in business. Either way, grocery bills go higher and we get more dependent on foreign fertilizer.
Rep. Scott Franklin just told USDA and Commerce to stop reviewing and start fixing it. Secure the supplies. Cut the costly barriers. Get domestic production back on track.
Jobs in Central Florida, equipment suppliers, truckers, and farm communities are already feeling this.
Food security is national security.
American farmers and workers shouldn’t keep paying the price while the bureaucracy drags its feet. DO SOMETHING!!!!
🚨 I just sent a letter to @USDA and @CommerceGov demanding immediate action as sulfur shortages and rising costs force American fertilizer plants to cut production.
Last month, I led Florida's congressional delegation in raising the alarm. Now, jobs, local businesses and farmers are paying the price.
The Administration must move beyond reviewing this crisis and deliver a coordinated plan to secure sulfur supplies, remove costly barriers and get production back on track.
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
American fertilizer production is at risk.
Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-18) is demanding URGENT federal action as sulfur shortages and soaring costs force American fertilizer plants to cut production.
We can’t strengthen American industry while allowing domestic fertilizer manufacturers to struggle to access an essential raw material at competitive prices.
Rep. Franklin is calling for:
1Clear federal leadership and deadlines
2Increased sulfur supplies for domestic producers
3Removal of federal regulatory barriers
4Faster domestic capacity improvements
5Use of emergency authorities
He’s also developing the SULFUR Act to strengthen long-term supply security, including a Strategic Agricultural Sulfur Reserve.
Protecting American fertilizer production means protecting our farmers, food supply, and national security.
The sulfur shortage is reaching Florida families. Since the Strait of Hormuz closed, global sulfur supply has tightened and prices have climbed to over $1,000 per ton. One Florida phosphate worker shared what that means for him and his coworkers as their mine prepares to shut down before the holidays.
Read his story: sonar21.com/the-human-cost-o…
Fertilizer producers are cutting output because sulfur costs too much. 70% of farmers say they already can’t afford what they need. @RepFranklin is demanding a federal action plan with named leadership and real deadlines, not another review. Food security is national security.
Read more: franklin.house.gov/news/docu…
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
An estimated $44,200 for a tanker load of diesel.
About $1,000 for a day’s tractor fuel.
And that’s before fertilizer.
You can’t make groceries affordable while ignoring what it costs to grow the food.
Former Ambassador Kip Tom makes the case: blaming American fertilizer producers won’t fix global supply disruptions or rising raw material costs.
Bring farmers and producers to the table and help President Trump address what’s driving those bills.
agweb.com/news/op-ed-stop-bl…
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
Without sulfur, there is no domestic phosphate fertilizer production. Without American fertilizer, our farmers, food supply, and supply chains are directly at risk.
China is outbidding domestic suppliers, driving sulfur prices up 600% since May and contributing to historic layoffs all while putting additional pressure on American farmers and our food supply.
Protecting domestic manufacturing isn’t just about jobs. It’s about protecting American food security and national security. If we can’t control a critical part of our own food supply chain, we’re vulnerable.
🤖 Made with AI
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
Food security is national security.
NO Sulfur = NO American fertilizer!
That’s the crisis. Prices exploded from $172 to $1,100–$1,200 a ton. Almost 600%. Plants are cutting production. Workers losing jobs. Farmers get squeezed. Families pay more.
@VernBuchanan's letter is is right. We MUST ACT NOW!
Use the Defense Production Act. Keep U.S. sulfur HERE, not sold to China.
buchanan.house.gov/wp-conten…
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
🚨 Sulfur prices are up nearly 600% since May, from $172 to over $1,100+ a ton.
Sulfur is a critical raw material for fertilizer. If we don't have enough fertilizers for our farmers, then food production will decline.
China is intentionally disrupting our sulfer supply in the USA. Rep. Vern Buchanan is urging President Trump and Secretary Lutnick to use the DPA and block Chinese state buyers now. Food security is national security.
@howardlutnick
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
🚨 Sulfur prices are up nearly 600% since May, from $172 to $1,100+ a ton. No sulfur means no American phosphate fertilizer.
Rep. Vern Buchanan is urging President Trump and Secretary Lutnick to use the DPA and block Chinese state buyers now.
Food security is national security
buchanan.house.gov/wp-conten…
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
I want to make sure I’m understanding this right.
-We need sulfur for fertilizer for food production.
-Chinese state firms are buying up our sulfur while Beijing restricts its own fertilizer exports to keep prices high.
-So sulfur has jumped from $172 a ton to $1,100–$1,200.
-Plants are already cutting production and laying people off, and once that capacity is gone it doesn’t come back before the next crop.
We need to keep the sulfur here or we start importing the ability to grow food.
Food Security & Affordability Initiative retweeted
Fertilizer is only one facet of the supply chain; it cannot be to blame for all prices:
Fertilizer is the end product of connected markets for sulfur, natural gas, energy, mining and transportation.
Prices can change rapidly when global demand rises or supplies are disrupted.
The below op-ed points to sulfur as an example, citing a rise from about $145 per ton to nearly $1,200.
What contributes to the rising cost? China, Morocco, Indonesia, India and Brazil are vying for a global sulfur supply that had shrunk 75% in just weeks.
Other industries with more purchasing power are also competing for the same input. That kind of global supply shock can reverberate through fertilizer markets.
agweb.com/news/op-ed-stop-bl…
Fertilizer isn't one industry. It's a dozen industries colliding across continents: sulfur, natural gas, shipping, mining and energy. Kip Tom, a seventh-generation Indiana farmer and former U.S. ambassador to the UN's food and agriculture agencies, argues the anger over input costs is aimed at the wrong target. Sulfur went from about $145 a ton to a peak near $1,200 as global supply shrank and buyers around the world competed for what was left. His case: dialogue between farmers and producers will do more for costs than litigation ever will.
Read more here: agweb.com/news/op-ed-stop-bl…
Sulfur prices have surged to historic levels since May, and American phosphate producers can't afford the raw material their operations depend on. @VernBuchanan is urging President Trump and Commerce Secretary Lutnick to act now, warning that more than 200 workers have already lost their jobs and that lost production capacity can't be quickly restored. As Rep. Buchanan puts it, what hurts American phosphate hurts the American farmer and costs American families.
Read more here: buchanan.house.gov/2026/09/2…
Tom Vilsack, former U.S. Agriculture Secretary, put it plainly: sulfur, urea and potash aren't abstractions.
They're the reason food costs what it does. Global conflicts and tariffs are choking fertilizer supply chains, and 733 million people worldwide are already food-insecure. When foreign rivals control the inputs American farmers depend on, the price gets passed straight to the dinner table.
Read more here:
capitalpress.com/2026/09/09/…
Sulfur prices are still near record highs, and Washington is taking notice.
Rep. Scott Franklin is leading Florida's delegation in urging the President to act, protecting American farmers, food security, and the domestic industry behind them.
Worth the read 👇
(1/2) Florida is home to a major part of America’s phosphate industry, and farmers across our state depend on a reliable supply of American-made fertilizer.
With sulfur prices now seven times higher than normal and domestic producers already cutting production, I’m leading members of Florida’s congressional delegation in working with the Trump Administration to increase supply, address transportation and logistics challenges, and keep American fertilizer production strong. ⬇️
Sulfur prices have jumped from roughly $100 a ton to more than $1,000 a ton since 2024, and phosphate fertilizer costs are following the same curve.
Much of the spike traces back to disruptions from the conflict in Iran, compounded by China and Russia locking down their own sulfur exports to protect domestic supply. American farmers are left absorbing the fallout of a global squeeze they had no hand in creating, right as they plan inputs for the 2027 crop.
Read more here: agriculture.com/partners-sul…
China, Russia and Iran control the global fertilizer market, and Jeff Stier warns that's a direct threat to what Americans pay at the grocery store. Between China's export restrictions, the war's ripple effects and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the fertilizer supply chain is under real strain. Stier's answer: strengthen domestic fertilizer production and boost American oil and gas output, since natural gas feeds nitrogen fertilizer and refining supplies the sulfur phosphate fertilizer needs.
Read more here: wsj.com/opinion/a-food-crisi…
