Retail fertilizer prices April 2026 data from DTN’s weekly index shows the most dramatic price surge of the current growing season. Urea led all eight major fertilizers tracked in the survey, averaging $858 per ton nationally for the week of April 13-17. That is 27 percent higher than last month and 49 percent above the same week in April 2025, when urea averaged $577 per ton. DTN defines a significant move as any week-over-week change of 5 percent or more. Six of the eight major fertilizers cleared that threshold. The DTN Fertilizer Index draws weekly price bids from agricultural retailers across the country and has tracked data since November 2008.
Anhydrous ammonia — the most concentrated nitrogen fertilizer and a critical pre-plant input for corn — averaged $1,114 per ton for the week of April 13-17. That is 20 percent higher than last month and 43 percent above a year ago, when anhydrous averaged $781 per ton. UAN32 came in at $579 per ton — 19 percent above the prior month and 29 percent higher year-over-year. UAN28 averaged $520 per ton, up 10 percent month-over-month and 37 percent above one year ago. On a per-pound-of-nitrogen basis, urea averaged $0.93 per pound, UAN28 also $0.93, UAN32 at $0.91, and anhydrous at $0.68 — the most efficient delivery cost per unit of actual nitrogen.
Retail fertilizer prices April 2026 show phosphate and potash joining the surge
The price pressure is not limited to nitrogen. Phosphate fertilizers have also moved sharply higher. DAP averaged $894 per ton for the week of April 13-17, up 5 percent from last month and 15 percent above the same week last year when it averaged $781. MAP reached $932 per ton — also up 5 percent month-over-month and 13 percent year-over-year versus $822 in April 2025. Potash was the only fertilizer showing relative stability, averaging $491 per ton — just 5 percent above last year’s $467. The starter fertilizer 10-34-0 averaged $717 per ton, up 7 percent from last month and 9 percent year-over-year. All eight fertilizers tracked by DTN are now priced above where they were one year ago. Six of the eight are in double-digit territory on a year-over-year basis.
The timing of these increases is particularly damaging for corn farmers, who are entering peak planting season. Pre-plant and side-dress nitrogen applications — the largest fertilizer cost center for most corn operations — are hitting at precisely the moment when supply disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz closure are compressing availability. For more on the farm-level impact of these prices, Agroinformacion covered the AFBF survey finding 70% of U.S. farmers cannot afford all the fertilizer they need for the 2026 season.
The full price history from April 2025 to April 2026 shows how fast the market moved
The DTN data table tells the story of the fertilizer market over the past year in concrete terms. Urea began April 2025 at $577 per ton, dipped to a low of $567 in December 2025, then rose steadily through early 2026 before accelerating sharply to $858 by mid-April 2026. Anhydrous was $781 in April 2025, climbed to $931 last March as pre-plant demand picked up, then jumped to $1,114 by mid-April 2026. DAP moved from $781 to $894 over the same 12 months. MAP moved from $822 to $932. UAN28 rose from $380 to $520. UAN32 from $448 to $579. The full state-level breakdown of DTN’s Fertilizer Index is available to MyDTN subscribers. The original data was published by DTN Progressive Farmer on April 22, 2026.