A new study is putting fertilizers under the microscope, literally.
USDA found fertilizers have gone through significant changes over the years, making them more efficient. However, that makes it hard to calculate the productivity of the ag sector.
They found when unadjusted for quality, farmers use around two times as much fertilizer than they did in 1948. When taking quality into account, fertilizer use is up around two and a half percent.
USDA says the numbers show farmers are increasing fertilizer use to offset their costs.
