Montana
How the Middle East conflict might affect Montana ag producers
Farmers across Montana are heading into the spring planting season facing another potential challenge: rising fertilizer prices.
Suppliers and producers alike say global tensions involving Iran are beginning to ripple through fertilizer markets, pushing prices higher at a time when producers are already managing tight margins.
Madison Collier reports – watch the video here:
How the Middle East conflict might affect Montana Ag producers
Erik Somerfeld, vice president of the Montana Farmers’ Union, says the price increases are already being felt locally.
“Just this week, because of the war, fertilizer here locally is going to jump about fifty to fifty-five dollars a ton,” Somerfeld said. “So it’s going to be up over seven hundred dollars for urea.”
Urea is one of the most commonly used nitrogen fertilizers for crops such as wheat and barley, making it a key input for many farmers across Montana.
Somerfeld says the current price surge is building on pressures that were already developing before the conflict.
“That’s been a problem even before this started because of consolidation in the industry,” he said. “This is just making it worse.”
Part of the concern centers on global shipping routes. A large portion of the world’s fertilizer supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to international shipping.
According to UN Trade and Development, UNCTAD, roughly one-quarter to one-third of globally traded fertilizer, including key nitrogen products like urea and ammonia, passes through that corridor.
Because several major fertilizer-producing countries in the Middle East export through that route, any disruption to shipping can quickly tighten global supplies and drive prices higher.
The global nature of agriculture means events overseas can quickly influence costs for producers here in Montana.
“Any more, the U.S. is kind of a smaller player, even as big as we think we are in agriculture,” Somerfeld explained. “India, China, and Brazil are major players, so when things like this happen globally, they get top billing.”
For farmers, rising fertilizer costs can directly affect how they plan their crops and manage inputs during the growing season.
“With it being dry and fertilizer costs high, you’re probably going to see guys cut back on fertilizer use just because of the cost,” Somerfeld said.
Somerfeld explained that this new pressure on prices, due in part to the conflict involving Iran, just builds off of the inflation many farmers have faced in previous years. Meaning many producers have already taken measures to reduce costs late last year when making planting decisions.
“I already last fall decided to go with lower fertilizer use crops like barley versus spring wheat,” he said.
Along with higher prices, supply availability could also become a concern if global shipping disruptions continue.
“If you don’t speak for it early and pre-buy it, you may not get it,” Somerfeld explained.
Somerfeld says the biggest challenge for farmers right now is uncertainty, as global markets react to both geopolitical tensions and trade policies.
“The big thing right now is uncertainty,” he said. “Whether it’s tariffs or ships moving through the Gulf, that uncertainty is driving the costs higher.”
For many Montanans living in rural communities, accessing specialized healthcare isn’t as simple as booking an appointment. It can mean hours on the road to cities like Great Falls. But a growing outreach effort from health care like Benefis Health System is changing that reality by bringing providers directly to patients.
Brianna Juneau reports – watch the video here:
Providers travel to bring specialty care to Montana communities
Instead of requiring long-distance travel, Benefis doctors and advanced practice providers are hitting the road, delivering care in towns across North Central Montana. The goal: reduce barriers to access and ensure patients receive timely treatment closer to home.
“In this geographic area, sometimes some of the more medically complex children are seen by pediatricians,” said pediatrician Rachel Amthor. “It can be an opportunity to try to reach some children with medical complexity who do live in a rural area.”
That access can be especially impactful for young patients. In some communities, clinics are located near schools, allowing children to attend appointments without missing an entire day of class.
“There’s very much a community atmosphere with the clinic,” Amthor said. “I’ll have some patients walk from school during the day to come to their checkup and then walk back. They don’t have to miss a lot of school because everything is so close.”
But for many adults, particularly those working in agriculture, traveling for care can be a major obstacle.
“They either have to arrange transportation or they don’t drive at all—it’s an ordeal,” said Elizabeth O’Connor, a cardiothoracic nurse practitioner. “Some of our patients travel for a whole day to get here and back, or they have to spend the night. A lot of farmers and ranchers just can’t leave their property for that long.”
By bringing services into rural towns, providers can catch health issues earlier and make critical adjustments before conditions worsen.
“We’re able to make some simple adjustments in their medications that may prevent heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, admissions,” O’Connor said. “Providing access can certainly improve—if not longevity—the quality of their life.”
Benefis’ outreach clinics now serve a wide range of communities, offering specialty care that would otherwise require travel:
Choteau: Cardiology, OBGYN, Podiatry, Pediatrics
Fort Benton: Pediatrics, Cardiology, Podiatry, Dietician/Nutrition services, Diabetes Education, Functional Medicine and Hormone Replacement Therapy
Conrad: Cardiology
Cut Bank: Women’s Health
Havre: Nephrology and Neurology
Rocky Boy: Women’s Health and Nephrology
Shelby: Orthopedics
White Sulphur Springs: Women’s health
Lewistown: Orthopedics and Dermatology
Browning: Nephrology
Many of these services are critical for managing chronic conditions, ranging from heart disease to kidney disorders, where consistent follow-up care can significantly impact outcomes.
For providers like Amthor, the outreach effort is deeply personal.
“I became a pediatrician because I wanted to treat kids in underserved areas,” she said. “I was not expecting to be working in rural Montana, but that has been different and very good.”
As the program continues to grow, Benefis leaders say they hope to expand services even further, reaching more communities and reducing healthcare disparities across the state.
In places where distance has long defined access, these traveling clinics are helping ensure that quality care is no longer out of reach, but right down the road.
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