Sledge Taylor, 73, walks his corn fields just outside Como, Miss. on Friday, April 17, 2026. The corn stalks are currently between vegetative stages known as V3 and V5, normally when Taylor would be applying nitrogen fertilizer. But he said he may not do it this year because of the cost of fertilizer.Jay Marcano for NPRhide caption

COMO, Miss.– On a bright, dry Friday morning in Panola County in the Mississippi Delta, Sledge Taylor did the same thing he's done every morning for the last 53 years — the same thing his father did every morning, and his father before him. He walked his fields.

The little green stalks of corn he grows on about 4,000 acres are between vegetative stages known as V3 and V5, tallied by the number of visible leaf collars on the stems. It's a critical stage for determining future yields, when the plant's roots claw deeper into the dark alluvial soil.

The Mississippi River built the Delta over thousands of years, depositing layer upon layer of topsoil as it shifted and wandered across the floodplain.

Today, the river runs just over 30 miles to the west, leaving behind some of the most fertile farmland in the country, adding to Mississippi's$9.5 billion in total estimated agricultural productionin 2025.

Normally, this is when Taylor would use a 20-inch diameter steel disk to slice the soil open beside the plants and add nitrogen fertilizer.

"But I may not do it this year," he said, "because of the price of nitrogen and the low price of corn."

Corn stalks in Sledge Taylor's fields just outside Como, Miss. on Friday, April 17, 2026. The corn is ready to be fertilized, which can help increase their future yields. But fertilizer prices have spiked because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Taylor says he may not use nitrogen fertilizer this year.Jay Marcano for NPRhide caption

Nitrogen is a critical fertilizer for farmers. About one-third of the world's supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently closed amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. It's the same with roughly 20% of global fuel.

Taylor has resorted to buying diesel fuel in small batches — "hand to mouth" as he calls it. He has storage capacity for more than 20,000 gallons on the farm. Right now, he's sitting on about 1,000.

Source: Drudge Report