Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade passageway, has been effectively closed to most barge traffic since the start of the Iran war. As a result, global supplies of fertilizer and fuel are getting held up, causing prices to balloon. While many Minnesota farmers have already ordered their fuel and fertilizer ahead of planting season, not everyone has.
Megan Horsager, a third-generation farmer in Montevideo, Minn., is worried about the price of fuel, as she said diesel for her farm might run out halfway through the summer. And while she has adequate supplies of fertilizer, she said some of her neighboring farmers didn’t lock in fertilizer at a lower price and so could get stuck paying more.
Horsager moved back to her family farm after realizing the corporate lifestyle isn’t for her. She is hoping to continue her grandfather’s farming legacy and make the farm financially viable for her children, but it has been difficult.
“We just take each year as it comes, and we do what we can and we trust the Lord for the rest,” Horsager said.
Story and video by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval
Edited by Tony Xiao
A previous version of this video contained a misspelling. It has been deleted and re-uploaded with the new version.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade passageway, has been effectively closed to most barge traffic since the start of the Iran war. As a result, global supplies of fertilizer and fuel are getting held up, causing prices to balloon. While many Minnesota farmers have already ordered their fuel and fertilizer ahead of planting season, not everyone has.
Megan Horsager, a third-generation farmer in Montevideo, Minn., is worried about the price of fuel, as she said diesel for her farm might run out halfway through the summer. And while she has adequate supplies of fertilizer, she said some of her neighboring farmers didn’t lock in fertilizer at a lower price and so could get stuck paying more.
Horsager moved back to her family farm after realizing the corporate lifestyle isn’t for her. She is hoping to continue her grandfather’s farming legacy and make the farm financially viable for her children, but it has been difficult.
“We just take each year as it comes, and we do what we can and we trust the Lord for the rest,” Horsager said.
Story and video by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval
Edited by Tony Xiao
A previous version of this video contained a misspelling. It has been deleted and re-uploaded with the new version.
