By Gordon Ebanks, CNN

(CNN) — The war in Iran is pushing up prices for already-strained farmers, with higher costs for fertilizer and energy on top of last year’s tariffs. And the increasing pressure on American agriculture could lead to even bigger price tags at the grocery store.

John Yeley, an Illinois farmer who grows corn and soybeans, said prices for nitrogen — a key fertilizer component — are going up so fast that he can’t even get suppliers to commit to a price ahead of purchases.

“When I call a retailer right now … I could not get a price on any nitrogen source out there,” he said.

The war has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a major chokepoint through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and one-third of the world’s fertilizer pass. It’s a shock to the global fertilizer supply as American farmers prepare for the spring planting season, which can start as early as March.

While most fertilizer used on US farms is made in North America, the rising cost of natural gas means American-made fertilizer will get more expensive as well. The price for imported urea, a crystallized form of nitrogen that powers much of the world’s farming, has risen by close to a third since the US and Israel attacked Iran, according to FactSet.

Yeley told CNN that since the war in Iran, only one supplier has given him a quote for nitrogen prices; he usually uses several suppliers based in various locations.

The strain on farmers could drive up grocery costs, which have been a significant source of stress for millions of Americans for months. Even before the war began, USDA economists projected that food prices this year would rise more than in 2024 or 2025.

“When farmers face supply shortages or major price increases, those impacts ripple through the entire food chain,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, at a press conference two weeks ago.

The lay of the land

The war with Iran adds to financial uncertainty for American farmers.

Even before the conflict, the cost of nitrogenous fertilizer shot up by 22% from February 2025 to February 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The writing was on the wall that there was probably going to be an increase in fertilizer prices heading into the spring,” said Josh Boxell, who grows corn and soybeans 50 miles north of Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, farmers aren’t making much of a profit — if at all. The US-China trade war closed off what had been one of the largest markets for American farmers, plunging the value of their crops.

Josh Manske, who grows corn and soybeans in southwest Iowa, noted the massive swings in the price of his crops following months of trade negotiations. He said the market is “just unsustainable” right now.

It’s not just a decline in crop prices. Farming equipment has gotten more expensive over the years, and the cost of diesel — which powers the machinery — has also increased with the war in Iran.

Chad Hart, a crop market specialist and economics professor at Iowa State University, told CNN that while the broader American economy is on solid footing, “the agricultural economy’s been in a recession.” Hart pointed to low c

By Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — As many travelers face long, winding security lines across the US during the partial government shutdown, many may not realize the complicated path money takes to reach Transportation Security Administration officers’ paychecks.

There are about 61,000 TSA employees currently caught in the middle as Congress remains locked in a stalemate over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA. Considered essential workers, they must remain on the job at the nation’s more than 430 commercial airports during the shutdown, even though they won’t get paid until the lapse ends.

President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will head to US airports Monday to help alleviate the strain on TSA workers if lawmakers don’t reach an agreement to fund DHS.

Many passengers don’t really know who pays TSA officers – whether it’s the federal government, airports or airlines – according to focus groups done by the US Travel Association, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that advocates for the US travel industry.

How the agency is funded

TSA’s budget is funded in part by a fee you pay when booking your plane ticket. That passenger fee, also known as the September 11 Security Fee, was established by Congress in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. It is currently $5.60 per one-way trip and capped at $11.20 per round trip.

The fee is collected by the airline you book with and is itemized with taxes and carrier-imposed fees on your receipt. The airlines then pass along the fee revenue to TSA.

“The idea for the aviation security fee, the 9/11 fee, was that it would cover most, if not all, of the pay benefits and all the other things associated with the TSA budget,” former TSA Administrator John Pistole said. It was intended “to have the users of the services – that being passengers – pay for those services, rather than just a freebie from the government,” Pistole said.

The fee is key to covering the costs of air travel passenger security, including benefits and salary for federal screeners, along with programs like the Federal Air Marshals Service, the US Travel Association says.

Of the $4 billion-plus collected from passenger security fees each year, nearly all the revenue is deposited into the Treasury Department’s general fund. Only $250 million can be used directly by TSA to spend on a limited number of security costs.

And in 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Act directed that a portion of the security fee revenue be diverted to lower the federal budget deficit, rather than fund TSA operations.

The annual amount used for deficit reduction is typically about a third of the fees collected from passengers, Pistole said. In the 2023 fiscal year, for example, the total amount of security fee collections hi

CNN, POOL, WESH, SENATE TV, RYAN RICHTER, KARIM PINE, KYLE AUFFREY, TREY HOFFMAN, ATL.COM

By Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — As many travelers face long, winding security lines across the US during the partial government shutdown, many may not realize the complicated path money takes to reach Transportation Security Administration officers’ paychecks.

There are about 61,000 TSA employees currently caught in the middle as Congress remains locked in a stalemate over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA. Considered essential workers, they must remain on the job at the nation’s more than 430 commercial airports during the shutdown, even though they won’t get paid until the lapse ends.

President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will head to US airports Monday to help alleviate the strain on TSA workers if lawmakers don’t reach an agreement to fund DHS.

Many passengers don’t really know who pays TSA officers – whether it’s the federal government, airports or airlines – according to focus groups done by the US Travel Association, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that advocates for the US travel industry.

How the agency is funded

TSA’s budget is funded in part by a fee you pay when booking your plane ticket. That passenger fee, also known as the September 11 Security Fee, was established by Congress in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. It is currently $5.60 per one-way trip and capped at $11.20 per round trip.

The fee is collected by the airline you book with and is itemized with taxes and carrier-imposed fees on your receipt. The airlines then pass along the fee revenue to TSA.

“The idea for the aviation security fee, the 9/11 fee, was that it would cover most, if not all, of the pay benefits and all the other things associated with the TSA budget,” former TSA Administrator John Pistole said. It was intended “to have the users of the services – that being passengers – pay for those services, rather than just a freebie from the government,” Pistole said.

The fee is key to covering the costs of air travel passenger security, including benefits and salary for federal screeners, along with programs like the Federal Air Marshals Service, the US Travel Association says.

Of the $4 billion-plus collected from passenger security fees each year, nearly all the revenue is deposited into the Treasury Department’s general fund. Only $250 million can be used directly by TSA to spend on a limited number of security costs.

And in 2013, the Read more

CNN, POOL, WESH, SENATE TV, RYAN RICHTER, KARIM PINE, KYLE AUFFREY, TREY HOFFMAN, ATL.COM

By Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — As many travelers face long, winding security lines across the US during the partial government shutdown, many may not realize the complicated path money takes to reach Transportation Security Administration officers’ paychecks.

There are about 61,000 TSA employees currently caught in the middle as Congress remains locked in a stalemate over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA. Considered essential workers, they must remain on the job at the nation’s more than 430 commercial airports during the shutdown, even though they won’t get paid until the lapse ends.

President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will head to US airports Monday to help alleviate the strain on TSA workers if lawmakers don’t reach an agreement to fund DHS.

Many passengers don’t really know who pays TSA officers – whether it’s the federal government, airports or airlines – according to focus groups done by the US Travel Association, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that advocates for the US travel industry.

How the agency is funded

TSA’s budget is funded in part by a fee you pay when booking your plane ticket. That passenger fee, also known as the September 11 Security Fee, was established by Congress in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. It is currently $5.60 per one-way trip and capped at $11.20 per round trip.

The fee is collected by the airline you book with and is itemized with taxes and carrier-imposed fees on your receipt. The airlines then pass along the fee revenue to TSA.

“The idea for the aviation security fee, the 9/11 fee, was that it would cover most, if not all, of the pay benefits and all the other things associated with the TSA budget,” former TSA Administrator John Pistole said. It was intended “to have the users of the services – that being passengers – pay for those services, rather than just a freebie from the government,” Pistole said.

The fee is key to covering the costs of air travel passenger security, including benefits and salary for federal screeners, along with programs like the Federal Air Marshals Service, the

* WHAT…Temperatures between 96 and 94 expected.

* WHERE…San Luis Obispo County Beaches, San Luis Obispo County
Inland Central Coast, Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches,
Santa Barbara County Inland Central Coast, Santa Lucia Mountains,
and Santa Ynez Valley.

* WHEN…From 10 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT Tuesday.

* IMPACTS…There is a high risk for heat illness for sensitive
populations including the very young, the very old, those without
air conditioning, and those active outdoors.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in
shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat
should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an
emergency! Call 9 1 1.

The post Heat Advisory issued March 23 at 12:19AM PDT until March 24 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.