Intrepid Potash, Inc. (IPI)

ITEM 2.MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this "Quarterly Report") contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this Quarterly Report other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements about, among other things, our future results of operations and financial position, our business strategy and plans, our expected capital investments and our objectives for future operations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words, such as "estimate," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "intend," "believe," "forecast," "foresee," "likely," "may," "should," "goal," "target," "might," "will," "could," "predict," and "continue." Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current knowledge, expectations, and projections about future events.

These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including the following:

•changes in the price, demand, or supply of our products and services;

•challenges and legal proceedings related to our water rights;

•our ability to successfully identify and implement any opportunities to grow our business whether through expanded sales of water, Trio®, byproducts, and other non-potassium related products or other revenue diversification activities;

•the costs of, and our ability to successfully execute, any strategic projects;

•declines or changes in agricultural production or fertilizer application rates;

•declines in the use of potassium-related products or water by oil and gas companies in their drilling operations;

•our ability to prevail in outstanding legal proceedings;

•our ability to comply with the terms of our revolving credit facility, including any underlying covenants;

•write-downs of the carrying value of assets, including inventories;

•circumstances that disrupt or limit production, including operational difficulties or variances, geological or geotechnical variances, equipment failures, environmental hazards, and other unexpected events or problems;

•changes in reserve estimates;

•currency fluctuations;

•adverse changes in economic conditions or credit markets;

•the impact of governmental regulations, including environmental and mining regulations, the enforcement of those regulations, and governmental policy changes;

•the impact of trade tariffs and any potential changes to them we are unable to mitigate;

•adverse weather events, including events affecting precipitation and evaporation rates at our solar solution mines;

•increased labor costs or difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified employees and contractors, including workers with mining, mineral processing, or construction expertise;

•changes in management and the board of directors, and our reliance on key personnel, including our ability to identify, recruit, and retain key personnel;

•changes in the prices of raw materials, including chemicals, natural gas, and power;

•our ability to obtain and maintain any necessary governmental permits or leases relating to current or future operations;

•interruptions in rail or truck transportation services, or fluctuations in the costs of these services;

•our ability to fund necessary capital investments;

•the impact of global conflicts including the conflict involving Iran and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz;

•the timing, amount and impact of any repurchases under our stock repurchase program;

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•the impact of global health issues, and other global disruptions on our business, operations, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations; and

•the other risks, uncertainties, and assumptions described in Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, this Quarterly Report and in other reports we file with the SEC.

In addition, new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make.

In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this Quarterly Report may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in these forward-looking statements. As a result, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to conform those statements to actual results or to reflect new information or future events.

Throughout this Quarterly Report, we refer to average net realized sales price per ton, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. More information about this measure, including a reconciliation of this measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, is below under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measure."

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Company Overview

We are a diversified mineral company that delivers potassium, magnesium, sulfur, salt, and water products essential for customer success in agriculture, animal feed and the oil and gas industry. We are the only U.S. producer of muriate of potash (sometimes referred to as potassium chloride, KCl or potash), which is applied as an essential nutrient for healthy crop development, utilized in several industrial applications, and used as an ingredient in animal feed. In addition, we produce a specialty fertilizer, Trio®, which delivers three key nutrients, potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, in a single particle. We also provide water, magnesium chloride, brine, and various oilfield products and services.

Our extraction and production operations are conducted entirely in the continental U.S. We produce potash from three solution mining facilities: our HB solution mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico, our solution mine in Moab, Utah, and our brine recovery mine in Wendover, Utah. We also operate our North compaction facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which compacts and granulates product from the HB mine. We produce Trio® from our conventional underground East mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

We owned certain land, water rights, federal grazing leases, and other related assets in southeast New Mexico, which we collectively referred to as "Intrepid South." Intrepid South generated revenue primarily from sales of various oilfield-related products and services, including water, brine, surface use and right-of-way agreements, a produced water royalty agreement, and caliche.

In March 2026, our Board of Directors ("Board") approved the sale of Intrepid South, and we determined that the business met the criteria for classification as held for sale and discontinued operations. We received aggregate consideration of $70.0 million related to the transaction, consisting of an $8.0 million deposit received in December 2025 and a $62.0 million payment received at closing on April 1, 2026. Following customary adjustments and the satisfaction of closing conditions, the final sales price was $68.9 million. As a result of the transaction, we recorded a gain on sale in discontinued operations, net of taxes, of $13.2 million during the three months ended June 30, 2026.

We currently have two reportable segments: potash and Trio®. Through December 31, 2025, our oilfield solutions segment was also a reportable segment. Following the sale of Intrepid South, the oilfield solutions segment is no longer reported as a reportable segment, and all prior-period segment disclosures presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q have been recast to conform to the current presentation.

We account for the sale of byproducts as revenue in the potash or Trio® segment based on which segment generated the byproduct. Intersegment sales are recorded at market-based prices and eliminated in consolidation.

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Significant Business Trends and Activities

Our financial results have been, or are expected to be, impacted by several significant trends and activities, which are described below. We expect that the trends described below may continue to impact our results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

• Sale of Intrepid South. In March 2026, our Board of Directors approved the sale of Intrepid South, a component of our business. Intrepid South's assets and liabilities were classified as held for sale, and its results of operations are presented as discontinued operations. On April 1, 2026, we completed the sale of Intrepid South and received gross proceeds of $70.0 million. Following customary adjustments and the satisfaction of closing conditions, the final sales price was $68.9 million. We recorded a gain on sale in discontinued operations, net of tax, of $13.2 million during the three months ended June 30, 2026.

• Tariffs and tensions in the Middle East. The operating environment continues to be affected by evolving trade policies, including tariffs, together with heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. These developments have contributed to higher input costs, increased freight and logistics expenses, volatility in energy markets, supply chain disruptions and broader macroeconomic uncertainty.

• Potash pricing and demand. Our average net realized potash sales price per ton(1) increased to $391 for the three months ended June 30, 2026, from $361 for the same period in 2025, primarily reflecting a higher percentage of sales into feed markets. Potash sales volumes declined 14% compared to the corresponding period in 2025 as demand weakened during the latter half of the quarter amid economic uncertainty resulting from global geopolitical events.

Our average net realized sales price per ton increased to $365 for the six months ended June 30, 2026, from $332 for the corresponding period in 2025. Winter fill program pricing for 2026 was $355 per ton, compared to $315 per ton for the 2025 program. Following the successful completion of the winter fill program, list prices increased by $20 per ton in late January 2026 and by an additional $10 per ton in late April. In June 2026, we launched a summer fill program at $385 per ton, with list prices increasing to $395 per ton upon completion of the program. Customer participation in the summer fill program was good, with customers placing orders covering a considerable portion of their third quarter needs. Potash pricing continues to be supported by healthy agricultural demand, balanced global supply fundamentals, and the recent India contract settlement, which is supportive of U.S. market prices.

As a small producer, domestic pricing of our potash is influenced principally by the price established by our competitors. The interaction of global potash supply and demand, ocean, land, and barge freight rates, currency fluctuations, and crop commodity values and outlook, also influence pricing. Our price expectations could be affected by, among other things, tariffs, weather, planting decisions, rail car availability, commodity price decreases and the price and availability of other potassium products.

Various factors affect potash sales and shipments, which increases the volatility of sales volumes from quarter to quarter and season to season. We experience seasonality in potash demand, with more purchases historically occurring in February through May and September through November when purchasers are looking to have product on hand for the spring and fall application seasons in the U.S. The specific timing of when farmers apply potash remains

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ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

This Management's Discussion and Analysis should be read in conjunction with the accompanying consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplemental Data" of this Annual Report.

This Management's Discussion and Analysis contains forward‑looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as described under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward‑Looking Statements," in Part I of this Annual Report. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by these forward‑looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

A discussion of the changes in our results of operations between the years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023, has been omitted from this Annual Report on Form 10-K but may be found in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025, which is available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and our corporate website (www.intrepidpotash.com).

Overview

We are a diversified mineral company that delivers potassium, magnesium, sulfur, salt, and water products essential for customer success in agriculture, animal feed and the oil and gas industry. We are the only U.S. producer of muriate of potash (sometimes referred to as potassium chloride or potash), which is applied as an essential nutrient for healthy crop development, utilized in several industrial applications, and used as an ingredient in animal feed. In addition, we produce a specialty fertilizer, Trio®, which delivers three key nutrients, potassium, magnesium, and sulfur, in a single particle. We also provide water, magnesium chloride, brine and various oilfield products and services.

Our extraction and production operations are conducted entirely in the continental U.S. We produce potash from three solution mining facilities: our HB solution mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico, our solution mine in Moab, Utah, and our brine recovery mine in Wendover, Utah. We also operate our North compaction facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which compacts and granulates product from the HB mine. We produce Trio® from our conventional underground East mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

We also have certain land, water rights, federal grazing leases, and other related assets in southeast New Mexico. We refer to these assets and operations as "Intrepid South." Intrepid South generates revenue from sales of various oilfield-related products and services, including but not limited to, water, brine, surface use and right-of-way agreements, a produced water royalty agreement, and caliche sales.

We have three segments: potash, Trio®, and oilfield solutions. We account for the sale of byproducts as revenue in the potash or Trio® segment based on which segment generated the byproduct. For each of the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, a majority of our byproduct sales were accounted for in the potash segment.

Significant Business Trends and Activities

Our financial results have been, or are expected to be, impacted by several significant trends and activities, including impacts from global disruptions. Given the dynamic nature of such disruptions, we cannot reasonably estimate the impacts of such disruptions, if any, on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, or cash flows in the future. We expect that any such disruptions may have a material effect on revenue growth, financial condition, liquidity, and overall profitability in future reporting periods. Please see further discussion under "Item 1A. Risk Factors."

We expect that the trends described below may continue to impact our results of operations, cash flows, and financial position.

•Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs. Since February 2025, the U.S. government has announced, implemented, modified, paused, and/or terminated various tariff measures, including tariffs pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) (which were held unlawful in February 2026 by the U.S. Supreme Court and terminated), and a number of new or modified tariffs on imports of specific classes of products (including, but not limited to, steel, aluminum, and copper) under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (“Section 232”), and most recently a temporary tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“Section 122”). In addition, the U.S. government has indicated that it will initiate investigations with the intention of imposing additional tariffs under Section 232 and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

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Imports from Canada and Mexico that meet the origin rules of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ("USMCA"), were exempt from the IEEPA tariffs, and are currently exempt from the Section 122 tariffs, but not Section 232 tariffs. The status of the Section 122 exemption is uncertain, as is whether the USMCA-qualifying goods would be exempt from future tariffs, and the USMCA itself may be subject to renegotiation. Other countries and customs unions, including the United Kingdom, European Union, Japan and Korea, have negotiated separate trade agreements with the U.S. resulting in lower tariffs than would have otherwise applied. However, the status of these agreements is uncertain in light of the termination of IEEPA tariffs, and such agreements are subject to further negotiation.

The U.S. also continues to negotiate with additional trade partners on potential agreements, the outcome of which remains uncertain. These tariffs have also at time led, and may continue to lead, to retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries. This volatility of tariffs creates uncertainty regarding the extent and impact of tariffs on our business and the economy in general. Tariffs, or the potential for tariffs, may affect the costs and availability of raw materials, affect our customers' purchasing decisions, contribute to increases in operating costs through increases in product and equipment costs, wages, and energy, or have other related impacts on our business and the markets in which we operate.

•Potash pricing and demand. Our average net realized sales price for potash decreased to $353 per ton in 2025 compared to $377 per ton in 2024. After peaking in mid-2022, potash prices steadily declined, reaching a floor in January 2025 at $315 per ton during the winter-fill agricultural potash program. Supportive crop prices and strong demand during the first half of 2025 led to multiple price increases with summer-fill potash pricing increasing to $390 per ton in June 2025, followed by a $20 per ton increase that was largely untested in the third and fourth quarters. Fourth quarter pricing was unchanged from post summer-fill levels, but demand was slow as reduced farmer profitability due to commodity price declines and sufficient inventory from the summer-fill program limited buying. A winter-fill agricultural potash program was announced in January 2026 at $355 per ton, a $40 per ton increase compared to the 2025 winter-fill program, and we have seen good subscription under the program with customers placing orders for the majority of their first quarter needs. Our price expectations could be affected by, among other things, weather, planting decisions, rail car availability, commodity price decreases and the price and availability of other potassium products. As a smaller producer relative to the overall market, domestic pricing of our potash is influenced principally by the price established by our competitors. The interaction of global potash supply and demand, ocean, land, and barge freight rates, currency fluctuations, tariffs, and crop commodity values and outlook, also influence pricing.

•Trio® pricing and demand. Our average net realized sales price for Trio® increased to $367 per ton in 2025, compared to $311 per ton in 2024. Similar to potash, after prices peaked in mid-2022, Trio® pricing steadily declined until reaching a floor in the second half of 2023. Trio® prices were relatively flat in the first half of 2024 with summer-fill pricing of $320 per ton, after which rising sulfate values and increased demand led to multiple prices increases in both the second half of 2024 and first half of 2025, with prices peaking in June 2025 at $415 per ton, a $95 per ton increase over the summer-fill levels of the prior year. We announced a fall-fill program in October 2025, reducing price $35 per ton to $380 per ton, during a one-week order window and saw record subscription with 87,000 tons sold in the fourth quarter of 2025. Pricing increased to $405 per ton after the order window and we continue to see good demand to date in 2026. Our ability to realize the increased prices may be affected by, among other things, weather, planting decisions, rail car availability, commodity price decreases, and the price and availability of other potassium products.

Overall average net realized sales price per ton for Trio® will continue to be impacted by the percentage of international sales, particularly to offshore markets. Competition from lower cost alternatives and freight costs continues to negatively impact our average net realized sales price per ton to offshore markets. We plan to continue a price-over-volume strategy internationally by focusing on those international markets where we obtain the highest average net realized sales price per ton and thus the highest margin.

We experience seasonality in domestic Trio® demand, with more purchases coming in the first and second quarters in advance of the spring application season in the U.S. In turn, we generally have increased inventory levels in the third and fourth quarters in anticipation of expected demand for the following year. We continue to operate our facilities at reduced production levels that approximate expected demand and allow us to manage inventory levels.

•Strategic Focus on our Solar Solution Mining Facilities. Key current and future projects include:

◦Wendover Primary Ponds - Similar to our caverns at the Moab and HB mines, the primary ponds at Wendover serve as the brine storage area, and are necessary to achieve our goals of maximizing brine availability, increasing brine grade, and improving production. We completed the construction of a new primary pond in June 2024 and are seeing the production benefits from this pond in our 2025 - 2026 production year. We plan to begin construction of another primary pond in mid-2026 to further increase our

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brine storage capacity and we expect production will continue to improve towards our productive capacity over the next couple of years.

◦HB AMAX Cavern - After further evaluation of our AMAX Cavern project, we have deferred additional capital investment in our AMAX Cavern project until at least 2027. While the AMAX Cavern remains a key part of our HB mine and we remain confident in the potash reserve in place, we believe we have adequate brine sources to maintain production at our HB facility for the next few years. Before committing additional capital, we are looking to ensure we have adequate brine injection volumes to flood the AMAX Cavern, which will be the largest cavern in the HB system, and the necessary bitterns management system in place to maximize the full potential of this additional cavern.

•Lithium Development Project. In 2025, we entered into a Joint Development Agreement ("JDA") with Aquatech International, LLC and Adionics (together, the "Lithium Partners") to pursue the potential development of a 5,000 metric tonne lithium extraction facility using the post-process brine at our Wendover facility. Initial demon

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