GOTHENBURG, NE (RFD NEWS) — A proposed Nebraska fertilizer plant would place finished liquid nitrogen production closer to Western Corn Belt growers who depend on supply moved from distant plants and ports. Joshua Westling, founder and CEO of J Westling & Co., presented Project Meadowlark to the Senate Agriculture Committee this month.
Westling says the more than $1 billion complex would produce 365,000 tons of urea ammonium nitrate, or UAN, and 140,000 tons of ammonium thiosulfate annually. Operations are targeted for 2029.
Unlike facilities focused on merchant ammonia, Meadowlark would convert its on-site ammonia into UAN and sulfur-containing ATS fertilizers used by regional crop producers.
Westling says the project has raised more than $50 million in development capital, mostly from farmer-aligned partners and Nebraska agricultural interests. He identified financing timelines, permitting coordination, and predictable trade policy as barriers to additional domestic fertilizer capacity.
The project still requires final investment decisions and remaining capital. If completed, it could improve regional fertilizer reliability, but producers should not expect immediate price relief.
