New Antitrust Lawsuit Targets Artificially Inflated Fertilizer Prices Paid by U.S. Farmers
NEW YORK — DiCello Levitt, along with co-counsel Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC, has filed an antitrust class action lawsuit alleging that the nation’s largest fertilizer producers conspired to fix, raise, and maintain prices for critical agricultural fertilizers, forcing U.S. farmers to pay artificially inflated prices.
Filed in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the complaint alleges a coordinated scheme to restrain competition in the markets for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (potash) fertilizers—collectively known as NPK fertilizers.
The lawsuit names the following defendants: The Mosaic Company; Nutrien Ltd.; Nutrien Ag Solutions, Inc.; CF Industries Holdings, Inc.; CF Industries, Inc.; CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC; Koch Agronomic Services, LLC; Yara International ASA; Yara North America, Inc.; and Canpotex LTD.
“Most people will never think about the cost of fertilizer, but American farmers live with it every day,” said Greg Asciolla, Partner and Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Antitrust and Competition Litigation Practice. “When prices for an essential input are artificially inflated, the impact falls squarely on farmers and ripples across the food system. This case is about restoring competition in a market that is foundational to American agriculture.”
According to the complaint, beginning no later than January 2021, defendants exploited their dominant market positions to restrict output, maintain “capacity discipline,” and manage supply in ways that drove fertilizer prices to unprecedented levels. During the 2021–2022 price spike, U.S. farmers paid more than 60 percent higher prices for fertilizer inputs—an increase that added an estimated $128,000 in costs per farm in 2022—while defendants reported record profits.
The lawsuit alleges that fertilizer prices soared far beyond historical norms and remained elevated even after defendants’ claimed justifications—such as global supply disruptions and increased input costs—had subsided. The complaint further notes that federal officials have publicly raised concerns about competition in the fertilizer industry and that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has reportedly recently opened an investigation into potential collusion among major fertilizer producers.
The action is brought on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of all persons and entities that purchased NPK fertilizers directly from defendants since January 1, 2021. The lawsuit asserts claims under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act and seeks treble damages, injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, attorneys’ fees, and costs.
The case is Union Line Farms, Inc. v. The Mosaic Company, et al., filed in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. A copy of the complaint is available here.
The DiCello Levitt team on the matter includes Adam Levitt, Greg Asciolla, Jonathan Crevier, and Theo Salem‑Mackall.
DiCello Levitt brings extensive experience litigating complex agricultural and biotechnology matters on behalf of farmers, growers, and other stakeholders nationwide. The firm has led landmark class actions on behalf of agricultural producers and landowners, helping to secure billions of dollars in recoveries. In doing so, DiCello Levitt attorneys have pioneered innovative legal strategies in the agriculture and biotech space, including a now‑industry‑standard model for measuring crop contamination damages.
About DiCello Levitt
At DiCello Levitt, we’re dedicated to achieving justice for our clients through antitrust, class action, civil and human rights, environmental, mass tort, securities, financial services, business-to-business, public client, whistleblower, and personal injury litigation. Our lawyers are highly respected for their ability to litigate and win cases—whether by trial, settlement, or otherwise—for people who have suffered harm, global corporations that have sustained significant economic losses, and public clients seeking to protect their citizens’ rights and interests. Every day, we put our reputations—and our capital—on the line for our clients.
DiCello Levitt has achieved top recognition as Plaintiffs Firm of the Year and Trial Innovation Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal, in addition to its top-tier Chambers and Benchmark ratings. For more information about the firm, including recent trial victories and case resolutions, please visit www.dicellolevitt.com.
Media Contact
Caitlin Whitehurst, Director of Communications, cwhitehurst@dicellolevitt.com
