U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the launch of the $500 million Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program, a new initiative administered through USDA Rural Development to expand domestic fertilizer manufacturing, strengthen America’s fertilizer supply chain, and improve long-term affordability for American farmers.
Utilizing the authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), USDA will make $500 million available through the FIELDS Program to support construction and expansion of domestic fertilizer production facilities. The program prioritizes shovelready, financially viable projects capable of increasing production of critical crop nutrients.
'For decades, American farmers were forced to rely on unstable foreign suppliers for one of the most important inputs needed to feed our nation. Today we are announcing a plan to end this consolidation and bring competition back to the American fertilizer industry,' said Secretary Brooke L. Rollins.' USDA is rebuilding America's fertilizer manufacturing base, strengthening supply chains, and ensuring our producers have reliable and affordable access to the fertilizer they need to remain competitive.
The FIELDS program is solely focused on producing fertilizer leading to lower costs for American farmers and consumers, as well as restoring a critical supply chain for our country. Farm security is national security.” FIELDS builds upon USDA’s review of more than 120 fertilizer projects inherited from the previous administration.
The department worked alongside project developers, lenders, farmers, and federal partners to identify barriers to construction and financing, using those lessons to develop a program focused on implementationready projects capable of delivering measurable production increases.
Administered by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business- Cooperative Service, the program will support projects that expand domestic production of nitrogen, phosphate, potash, sulfur, and other critical crop nutrients, strengthen competition, improve supply chain resilience, and increase fertilizer availability for American farmers. Unlike previous fertilizer funding efforts, FIELDS emphasizes project readiness, financial strength, realistic construction timelines, and measurable production outcomes.
“Food security is national security,” Rollins added. “A strong domestic fertilizer industry is essential to a strong agricultural economy. This investment will help ensure American farmers have access to a secure, reliable, and domestically produced fertilizer supply for generations to come.”
Individual awards will range from $15 million to $150 million, with funding focused on projects that strengthen domestic fertilizer manufacturing and deliver meaningful benefits to American agriculture.
Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. on Aug.15. Additional information, including eligibility requirements and application materials, is available through USDA Rural Development at www.rd.usda.gov and on Grants.gov.