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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe United States depends especially heavily on imports for potash: it imports about 97% of the potash fertilizer it uses, and Canada supplies about 85% of U.S. potash imports by quantity, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). But fertilizer does not have one tariff rate. The 2025 U.S. guidance on Canadian potash distinguished products qualifying for USMCA treatment from those that did not, while a 2026 action temporarily suspended countervailing duties on certain phosphate imports. Those are dated, product-specific measures—not evidence of a single tariff applying to all fertilizer.
How much fertilizer does the United States import?
The clearest import-dependence figure in the available evidence is for potash, one of the three primary plant nutrients alongside nitrogen and phosphate. CRS reported in 2025, citing USDA data, that the United States imports about 97% of the potash fertilizer it uses each year. Canada accounts for about 85% of U.S. potash imports by quantity. These figures describe potash, not the share of all fertilizer imported or the shares for nitrogen and phosphate. CRS, 2025
USDA’s fertilizer trade dataset describes yearly import volumes by nutrient and origin shares since 2010. The cited dataset page does not establish a current annual tonnage or supplier share for every nutrient, so it would be misleading to turn the potash figures into a total-fertilizer estimate. USDA Open Ag Transport Data
Which nutrients have the clearest documented import exposure?
The evidence supports a strong conclusion about potash dependence, a dated policy development for certain phosphate imports, and no comparable import-dependence figure here for nitrogen. Supply exposure and tariff treatment are separate questions: an import share does not tell you which duty applies to a particular shipment.
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| Nutrient | Import dependence and supplier detail established here | Tariff or duty detail established here |
|---|---|---|
| Potash | About 97% of U.S. potash fertilizer use is imported; Canada supplies about 85% of U.S. potash imports by quantity. CRS, 2025, citing USDA data. Source | CBP’s March 6, 2025 guidance exempted qualifying Canadian goods from the additional duties described in that notice; nonqualifying Canadian potash faced an additional 10% duty rather than the general 25% rate. CBP guidance |
| Phosphate | A comparable U.S. import share or supplier concentration is not stated in the cited sources. | USDA said a June 29, 2026 proclamation temporarily suspended countervailing duties on certain phosphate fertilizer imports. It did not establish identical treatment for every phosphate product or origin. USDA, June 29, 2026 |
| Nitrogen | A comparable U.S. import share, supplier concentration, or domestic-production figure is not stated in the cited sources. | A nutrient-wide tariff rate or product-specific measure is not stated in the cited sources. |
What did the 2025 guidance say about Canadian potash and USMCA?
CRS said U.S. fertilizer tariff rates were generally duty-free under the ordinary tariff schedule it described, including under the USMCA tariff schedule. That statement concerns ordinary tariffs; it should not be read as excluding later additional duties, countervailing duties, or other product-specific measures. CRS, 2025
CBP’s March 6, 2025 operational guidance addressed additional duties on Canadian goods under the February 2025 executive orders. It said goods qualifying for USMCA treatment were exempt from the additional rates implemented March 4. For Canadian potash that did not qualify for USMCA treatment, the notice specified an additional 10% duty rather than the general 25% rate and listed relevant HTSUS subheadings. CBP, March 6, 2025
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This was a dated instruction, not confirmation of the tariff schedule in force on October 8, 2026. Classification, origin, USMCA qualification, and the rules applicable to the entry matter. Importers should check current CBP and HTS materials for a shipment rather than applying the 2025 notice as a current blanket rate.
What changed for certain phosphate imports in 2026?
On June 29, 2026, USDA reported that a presidential proclamation temporarily suspended countervailing duties on certain phosphate fertilizer imports. The announcement was limited to “certain” imports; it does not establish that every phosphate product or country of origin received the same treatment. USDA, June 29, 2026
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USDA estimated that the action would reduce phosphate fertilizer prices by about 22% and save farmers approximately $1.82 billion annually. These are USDA estimates, not measured results. Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins described them as an “estimated 22 percent reduction in phosphate fertilizer prices, and $1.82 billion in annual savings for producers” in the agency’s announcement. The estimate concerns the phosphate-duty action, not Canadian potash tariffs. USDA release
Could tariffs make fertilizer more expensive for farmers?
A duty can raise the cost of an affected import, but the effect on a farmer’s price depends on the specific product and origin, the measure that applies, and how costs move through suppliers and markets. The available evidence does not establish one fertilizer-wide tariff rate or quantify how a particular tariff threat would change farm input costs. The 2026 USDA price and savings figures are projections for a specific phosphate-duty action, not a general forecast for all fertilizer.
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Import volumes also changed during the tariff period, but the cited testimony does not prove that tariffs caused those changes. In October 2025 Senate testimony, American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland relayed The Fertilizer Institute’s figures for Q2 2025 year-over-year import-volume declines: MAP fell 70%, DAP fell 23%, and potash fell 18% versus Q2 2024. Ragland noted that multiple factors affect input costs; the figures should not be treated as evidence isolating tariff effects. Senate testimony, October 28, 2025
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can be concluded about tariff exposure as of October 8, 2026?
The documented picture is selective rather than comprehensive: U.S. potash use is highly import-dependent, with Canada the dominant supplier; CBP’s 2025 Canadian-duty guidance made USMCA qualification consequential; and USDA reported a temporary suspension for countervailing duties on certain phosphate imports in 2026. The available sources do not establish a complete fertilizer tariff schedule in force on October 8, 2026 across all products and origins. No single rate should be assumed to cover nitrogen, phosphate, and potash alike.
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