# Natural gas shortage shuts down fertilizer plants - High Plains Journal

> Fertilizer plants in the US shut down in late February because of a natural gas shortage caused by the historic cold snap. Ammonia and urea production depends on natural gas, and the shutdowns left some farmers unable to obtain fertilizer during a short spring application window. Farmers in the southern Plains were already behind schedule.

- Date: 2021-03-05 · published 2021-03-05T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/48437-natural-gas-shortage-shuts-down-fertilizer-plants-high-plains-journal
- Commodities: [Urea](https://feedsoft.ai/c/UREA.md), [Natural Gas](https://feedsoft.ai/c/NATGAS.md)

## Why it matters

Lost nitrogen output tightens supply just as spring application peaks, supporting urea prices and raising feed grain input costs. Natural gas price strength adds to the cost pressure on nitrogen producers.

## Read by commodity

- UREA: bullish ▲
- NATGAS: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UREA | 2026-01-26 | [Natural gas prices hit $6 as Winter Storm Fern brings extreme cold](https://feedsoft.ai/events/4410-natural-gas-prices-hit-6-as-winter-storm-fern-brings-extreme-cold.md) | +1.6% | +12.9% |
| UREA | 2021-04-13 | [DTN Fertilizer Outlook](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47544-dtn-fertilizer-outlook.md) | +0.7% | -0.3% |
| UREA | 2021-07-02 | [Farmer Fertilizer Focus - Potash](https://feedsoft.ai/events/11011-farmer-fertilizer-focus-potash.md) | -1.4% | -4.1% |
| UREA | 2024-01-14 | [Frigid temps cut US natural gas supply as demand soars, Texas faces possible shortfall By Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5287-frigid-temps-cut-us-natural-gas-supply-as-demand-soars-texas-faces-possible.md) | -0.3% | +12.6% |
| UREA | 2026-01-22 | [Natural gas prices suffer historic spike as extreme winter storm looms \| CNN Business](https://feedsoft.ai/events/4411-natural-gas-prices-suffer-historic-spike-as-extreme-winter-storm-looms-cnn.md) | +1.4% | +13.2% |
| NATGAS | 2026-10-27 | [U.S. Natural Gas Futures Settle Higher - WSJ](https://feedsoft.ai/events/623-u-s-natural-gas-futures-settle-higher-wsj.md) | +8.5% | — |
| NATGAS | 2022-01-26 | [U.S. Natural Gas Prices Jump On High Demand \| OilPrice.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6916-u-s-natural-gas-prices-jump-on-high-demand-oilprice-com.md) | +22.7% | +11.1% |
| NATGAS | 2025-10-21 | [Chilly Fronts Goose Heating Demand, Sending Natural Gas Futures Higher](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7790-chilly-fronts-goose-heating-demand-sending-natural-gas-futures-higher.md) | +5.7% | +26.2% |

## Sources

- hpj.com: https://hpj.com/2021/03/05/natural-gas-shortage-shuts-down-fertilizer-plants/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.