USDA is awarding over $120 million to fund six fertilizer production projects through its Fertilizer Production and Expansion Program (FPEP). FPEP is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation and is intended to help recipients modernize equipment, adopt new technologies, build production plants, etc.
“When we invest in domestic supply chains, we drive down input costs and increase options for farmers,” Deputy Secretary Torres Small said.
The projects include:
- A $77 million grant to LSB Industries in Arkansas to expand its urea and ammonium nitrate facility to 580,000 tons per year. This project will allow product to be available to roughly 450,000 producers within a four-state region and is expected to create 20 full-time positions.
- A $3.5 million grant to Betley Farms in Wisconsin will allow the third-generation farm to install and operate a nutrient concentration system. The system is expected to yield 39 million gallons of liquid product per year and create nine new jobs.
- A $3 million grant to Agtegra Cooperative in South Dakota to build a new fertilizer manufacturing building, install two storage tanks, and also install a 500,000-gallon storage tank at each of its facilities in McLauglin and Kimball. The project is expected to increase fertilizer production from 26,175 tons to 53,270 tons per year.
The remaining three projects will be located in California, Illinois and Washington.
To date, USDA has invested over $368 million in 67 projects through FPEP, creating new jobs and increasing domestic fertilizer production across the country. The Biden Administration has dedicated up to $900 million for the program.
