The Mosaic Company, a Tampa-based agricultural firm, in a 60-day Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act letter to the Florida Department of Commerce, announced it will halt operations at its South Fort Meade plant temporarily, which will affect 199 employees.
The employee reductions are scheduled to begin December 8, 2026, according to the WARN filing.
The decision to idle the facility is due to a critical shortage of sulfur, the main component used by the company to produce fertilizer that it supplies all over the world.
The Mosaic Company produces phosphate and potash crop nutrients used by farmers worldwide. The company turns raw phosphate rock and potash ore into essential fertilizers for crops.
Uncertainty Moving Forward
Ron Yasurek, Vice President of Phosphate for North America at Mosaic, stated in the letter dated October 5 that the decision to temporarily idle operations came only after every possible alternative was exhausted. Mosaic has been monitoring the sulfur supply closely for the last several months. Still, current market conditions and lack of alternative sources forced the decision to close the South Fort Meade facility temporarily.
Mosaic expects the shutdown to be temporary but said it cannot predict how long the sulfur shortage will continue. Market projections are predicting the closure could exceed half a year.
“Our goal has been and continues to be, restarting our South Fort Meade operations as soon as conditions allow us to do so safely, reliably and sustainably. We will continue pursuing supply options, evaluating market conditions, and assessing opportunities to safely resume operations at the earliest possible opportunity. However, as of right now, we believe this idle will exceed six months,” the letter stated.
The facility will be maintained in the interim by a small group of employees who will be responsible for essential duties that will ensure the facility remains in compliance with environmental codes and able to restart operations when the time comes. The company said it was still finalizing which positions would be retained during the shutdown.
Employee Support
Affected employees are represented by Local 814C of the International Chemical Workers Union Council, part of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
Union contracts state that hourly workers who are affected by the closure have rights that allow them to bump into alternative positions. Mosaic stated that it is committed to assisting affected employees and plans to coordinate with the local government to offer support through this transition.
Anyone with questions, concerns or seeking assistance during the transition is asked to contact the Mosaic Human Resources Manager. Mosaic said the timing of a restart will depend on sulfur supply conditions.
