Bismarck, N.D. (North Dakota Department of Agriculture) – North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has requested an hours-of-service exemption for fertilizer haulers as supplies are short, prices are high, and fertilizer must be hauled from further away.

“With the recent moisture, farmers are putting down fertilizer this fall to avoid any unknowns next spring. The recent hurricane impacted southern fertilizer plants, which went offline for weeks,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “Add in supply chain disruptions, high natural gas prices and worldwide shortages and this has created a perfect storm of volatility in the fertilizer market.”

“We’re monitoring the situation closely and have been in discussion with the fertilizer industry,” Goehring said. “It will take some time for the situation to work itself out and we’re hopeful the market will stabilize in the next few months.”