HILLSBORO, Texas (KWTX) - Texas row crop farmers say surging fertilizer and diesel costs - driven in part by conflict near the Strait of Hormuz - have pushed many operations to a loss heading into this year's harvest season.

Hillsboro farmer Rodney Schronk, who has grown row crops for decades, said he was not prepared for the price spike that hit in early March.

He said fertilizer costs jumped more than $100 per ton, and his nitrogen fertilizer expenses rose nearly 50% - while the price he receives for his corn crop increased only 0 to 5%."Recently we've seen those prices tumble and come back to more reasonable levels, but on our farm the expense is there now," Schronk said.