By Ed White, May Angel and Oliver Griffin WINNIPEG, Manitoba/LONDON/SAO PAULO (Reuters) June 8 – Brazil’s cheap, abundant land has long helped the country’s farmers create vast, low-cost farms, allowing them to wrest export markets from U.S. farmers hurt when China began switching suppliers during President Donald Trump’s tariff wars. While U.S. farm acreage has not grown this century, Brazil’s has soared about 50%, making it an agricultural powerhouse. But the South American country’s edge is being tested as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran sends fertilizer prices soaring. About a third of the world’s fertilizer flows have been bottled up inside the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. The U.S. produces much of its own fertilizers, but Brazil relies heavily on imports, so many of its farmers have cut back on fertilizer purchases. Even if the conflict ends tomorrow, industry experts say Brazil’s farmers are in trouble. Already, they are saddled with thousands of acres of farmland producing diminishing returns or even losses. Many are starting to accumulate significant debt. In addition, many U.S. farmers have land rich enough to produce decent yields, even if they skip some fertilizer applications for a year. Few Brazilian farmers can do that. Varying growing seasons are also an issue. Brazil’s spring planting starts in September so i …
