# High nitrogen fertilizer prices push Australian farmers to shift from wheat to barley

> High nitrogen fertilizer prices linked to Middle East developments are pushing Australian farmers to shift acreage from wheat to barley. Analysts forecast a record Australian barley crop of 17.7 million tons and exports of 13 million tons, while Australian wheat output is estimated at 32 million tons and Argentina's at 21.6 million tons.

- Date: 2026-11-02 · published 2026-11-02T09:06:29.658Z
- Category: trade · region Australia · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/75199-high-nitrogen-fertilizer-prices-push-australian-farmers-to-shift-from-wheat-to
- Commodities: [Barley](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARLEY.md), [Urea](https://feedsoft.ai/c/UREA.md), [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md)

## Why it matters

Larger Southern Hemisphere barley and wheat export supplies add competition in the global feed grain market, which is bearish for feed barley and wheat prices. Lower wheat output in Australia partly offsets this, but the combined export supply from Australia and Argentina weighs on values.

## Read by commodity

- UREA: bullish ▲
- WHEAT: bearish ▼
- BARLEY: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UREA | 2021-10-05 | [Farmers face fertiliser shortages, higher prices after China export ban \| VIC](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5913-farmers-face-fertiliser-shortages-higher-prices-after-china-export-ban-vic.md) | +6.2% | +11.5% |
| UREA | 2021-02-13 | [High fertilizer prices likely to climb more - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12875-high-fertilizer-prices-likely-to-climb-more-grainews.md) | +1.2% | +13.6% |
| UREA | 2022-02-23 | [With fertilizer costs high and seeds scarce, U.S. farmers turn to soy \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42759-with-fertilizer-costs-high-and-seeds-scarce-u-s-farmers-turn-to-soy-reuters.md) | +17.4% | +41.3% |
| UREA | 2025-08-28 | [Tariffs Squeeze Trump-Loving Farmers as Fertilizer Prices Soar - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23254-tariffs-squeeze-trump-loving-farmers-as-fertilizer-prices-soar-bloomberg.md) | -7.5% | -8.9% |
| UREA | 2025-04-30 | [US Urea Prices Surge to Highest Level Since 2022 - Genesis Fertilizers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/4273-us-urea-prices-surge-to-highest-level-since-2022-genesis-fertilizers.md) | +17.4% | +7.7% |
| WHEAT | 2024-08-21 | [Australia, Argentina wheat harvest have high potential to impact U.S. wheat prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28851-australia-argentina-wheat-harvest-have-high-potential-to-impact-u-s-wheat-prices.md) | -1.4% | +2.3% |
| WHEAT | 2025-06-09 | [Tariffs on canola seen supercharging Canadian farmers' shift to spring wheat](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24193-tariffs-on-canola-seen-supercharging-canadian-farmers-shift-to-spring-wheat.md) | -1.5% | -3.9% |
| WHEAT | 2022-08-22 | [Australian wheat under pressure from Ukraine, South America competition \| S&P Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/40017-australian-wheat-under-pressure-from-ukraine-south-america-competition-s-and-p.md) | -9.3% | -9.7% |

## Sources

- ukragroconsult.com: https://ukragroconsult.com/en/news/high-nitrogen-fertilizer-prices-push-australian-farmers-to-shift-from-wheat-to-barley/
- ukragroconsult.com: https://ukragroconsult.com/ru/news/dorogie-azotnye-udobreniya-stimuliruyut-avstralijskih-fermerov-perehodit-s-psheniczy-na-yachmen/

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