Agricultural Chemical Manufacturers NAICS 3253

Nov 18, 2025 - Chemical Leak

• A transport tanker leak spewed dangerous amounts of anhydrous ammonia, a key ingredient in fertilizer, in a small Oklahoma town in November, forcing mass evacuations and hospitalizations, ABC News reports. The cause appeared to be a mechanical failure on a valve or a faulty seal, officals said. For manufacturers of agricultural chemicals, the accident surfaced concerns around supply-chain risk, regulatory liability, and public safety. It demonstrated how failure in handling or transportation of inputs like anhydrous ammonia can lead to costly emergencies, reputational damage, incur regulatory costs, and disrupt delivery to farms. It’s a warning to firms to review and reinforce safety protocols, invest in reliable transport networks, and stay ahead of compliance standards to maintain product flow and public trust. Chemical manufacturers in the ag-input space must prioritize operational resilience and risk mitigation given how one accident can ripple across logistics, regulatory exposure, and end-customer supply reliability.
• The proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads has raised alarm among major industrial users, particularly chemical manufacturers, according to the American Chemistry Council. The ACC warns that combining the two rail giants could significantly reduce competition, raising freight costs and undermining service reliability across critical supply chains. Rail is a key mode of transport for chemical makers. With fewer railroads, companies could be stuck with limited shipping options and higher rates, putting US production at a competitive disadvantage globally. The ACC is advocating for stricter regulatory review and calling for policy interventions to preserve rail-to-rail competition rather than enabling greater railroad consolidation. The proposed $85 billion deal was approved by the companies’ shareholders in November but faces opposition from several state attorneys general.

• Industry pushback regarding the impact of pesticides on children’s health in the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s first report released in May, resulted in the removal of one of the only mentions of reducing pesticide use in the final draft issued in September, Civil Eats reports. In the months between the two reports, agriculture industry groups criticized the mention of pesticide use as harmful and lobbied the White House for changes. Rather than restricting pesticide and toxic chemical use or taking a more precautionary approach to safety evaluations, the second report merely tasks the Environmental Protection Agency with working to reform the approval process for chemical and biologic products to protect against weeds, pests and disease. Critics of the final report argue it abandons major reforms and the policy recommendations amount to a public relations campaign with few effectual changes, according to CE.
• Producer prices for pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical manufacturers rose 9.2% in August compared to a year ago, after inching up 0.5% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices are rebounding after falling sharply from their highs in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine triggered global disruptions in the fertilizer market. Employment by makers of agricultural chemicals shrank 0.3% year over year in July, while the average industry wage increased 2.4% YoY in August to $31.49 per hour, down $0.40 from its high in July, BLS data show.