ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Supply chain issues and a national shortage are contributing to the rising cost of fertilizer for farmers.

What You Need To Know

The fire at a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem has been burning since Monday night

That continues as farmers are already dealing with rising fertilizer prices nationwide

A farmer in Mebane says he's paying two to three times the cost for fertilizer this year versus last

Michael McPherson owns McPherson Farms in Mebane. He uses a combination of dry and wet fertilizer before he lays down seed for his soy, corn, wheat and hay crops.

McPherson says he is paying double to triple the cost of what he paid for fertilizer last year. He says it's not that there's not enough fertilizer, rather a slow movement to get it.

"We will figure out how to get that paid for. My biggest concern was the supply, getting it here and the truck to get it here and everything," McPherson said.

McPherson says his supplier has assured him he will have what he needs this year and if prices continue to rise, he will find a way to make it work.

"Farmers are real resilient people, things are constantly changing and we are pretty good at figuring out ways to change with it," McPherson said.

His family used to buy fertilizer from the Weaver fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, where a fire is still burning. But McPherson says they have since switched to buying in bulk.

He thinks where you might see the fire's impact on fertilizer is on a smaller scale, like in a box store.