Iowa Farmers Could Benefit As USDA Is Putting 500 Million Dollars Into Homegrown Fertilizer Production

Americans continue to eat.  And at times, to continue growing enough food, farmers need more than just sun and water.

This is why the government launched the $500 million Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program.  It's a new initiative to expand domestic fertilizer manufacturing, strengthen America’s fertilizer supply chain, and improve long-term affordability for American farmers.

Domestic Fertilizer Production Can Lower Our Food Costs

R-J-Seymour

The USDA will make $500 million available through the FIELDS Program to support construction and expansion of domestic fertilizer production facilities.

US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said, “Food security is national security. 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.”

"For decades, American farmers were forced to rely on unstable foreign suppliers for one of the most important inputs needed to feed our nation," said Secretary Brooke L. Rollins.

“American natural resource extraction is the safest and most environmentally friendly in the world. It makes zero sense to import fertilizer from foreign competitors when we can make it right here while fueling our economy and protecting human health and the environment,” said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.

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What is the FIELDS Initiative?

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.

The FIELDS Program is designed to support projects that are:

• Made in America
• Independent and Competitive
• Farmer Focused
• Innovative
• Energy Dominant and Secure
• Capable of Delivering Measurable Production Increases

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 August 15^th, 2026. Additional information, including eligibility requirements and application materials, is available through USDA Rural Development at www.rd.usda.gov and on Grants.gov.