The United States is a world leader in the production of maize and other crops and the agricultural success of the country is directly linked to the intensive use of fertilizers and irrigation. However, even in advanced agricultural systems, soils can become degraded over time due to factors such as soil organic matter loss and erosion. Here, we use a series of scenario‐based model analyses to show that about one third of current annual U.S. N fertilizer use in maize agriculture is used to compensate for the long‐term loss of soil fertility through erosion and organic matter loss. This leads to over a half billion dollars per year in extra fertilizer supply costs to U.S. farmers. These results highlight the potential to reduce both the input costs and environmental impacts of agriculture through the restoration of soil organic matter in agricultural soils. Land degradation in U.S. maize agriculture leads to fertilization that costs U.S. farmers nearly a half billion dollars per year.