The analysis reveals that almost 8 in 10 farmers in the southern U.S. say they can't afford all needed supplies this year, followed by the Northeast and West at 69% and 66%, respectively, compared to 48% of the farmers in the Midwest," reads a report published Tuesday from the AFBF, a major farming nonprofit and lobbying group. "Just 19% of farmers in the South prebooked fertilizer purchases in advance of planting season." Conducted between April 3-11, the survey revealed that "many" of the farmers planned to "forego applying fertilizer this spring in hopes that prices will return to an affordable level later in the growing season," the report reads.