WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD News) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching a new program aimed at expanding domestic fertilizer production as the agency works to address high input costs for farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the Fertilizer Expansion and Large-Scale Domestic Supply (FIELDS) program during a news conference updating the administration’s efforts to address fertilizer costs.
The program will make $500 million available through USDA Rural Development to fast-track projects that produce fertilizer in the United States. Applications will remain open for 45 days.
Rollins says fertilizer costs rose 55 percent during the Biden administration and, while prices have started to ease, they remain elevated. She says the goal of the FIELDS program is to strengthen U.S. fertilizer production.
USDA says the temporary pause on Moroccan phosphate duties is a first step toward improving fertilizer supplies and lowering costs.
The new USDA program, Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR), targets small and medium-sized beef processors during historically tight cattle supplies.
Researchers say transportation and distribution improvements could strengthen rural food access and local supply chains
USDA says the move could lower phosphate fertilizer prices by about 22 percent and benefit more than 100,000 farms.
USDA Undersecretary Luke Lindberg discusses America 250 events in Washington and efforts to highlight farmers and improve market access on Rural Evening News.
StoneX’s Arlan Suderman joins us to break down today’s USDA Acreage and Grain Stocks Reports, which show mixed signals for corn, soybeans, and wheat.
