USDA to direct funds to eight fertilizer projects

US Vice President J. D. Vance and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the selection of eight fertilizer production projects to receive support under the USDA program called Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS). The total estimated investment in these projects is over $1.34 billion, of which approximately $573 million comes from USDA funding. The initiative aims to strengthen domestic fertilizer production, reduce the country's dependence on foreign supplies, and ensure the long-term availability of fertilizer for American farmers.

As J. D. Vance noted at a rally in North Platte, Nebraska, as a result of the initiative, 32,000 farmers cultivating more than four million acres of land nationwide will be able to receive American-made fertilizer at a lower price. The list of selected participants included TalusAg, Peace Valley, PCI Nitrogen, Intrepid Potash, AdvanSix, SUL4R-PLUS Illinois, True Organic Products, and Agriculture Project Holdco, covering various US states.

According to USDA economic analysis, once the projects are commissioned, the additional production has the potential to lower nitrogen fertilizer prices by 4.4% and potash prices by 5.3%. Meanwhile, domestic nitrogen production is projected to increase by 3.7%, and potash by nearly 40%. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins explained at a briefing that it will take time for prices to drop significantly, noting the decline in the US's own fertilizer production share from over 80% to approximately 50%. According to her, this figure will be significantly increased by the end of their tenure through large plants, and a noticeable drop in fertilizer prices will occur after the conflict in Iran concludes.