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Vilsack says domestic fertilizer production will boost competition

The USDA is taking steps to address farmers’ concerns with the price and availability of fertilizer.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the new Fertilizer Production Expansion Program will boost competition in the market and reduce reliance on foreign sources.

“It’s a concerted effort on our part to begin the process of trying to figure out how we can be more self-reliant when it comes to inputs than we have been in the past,” Vilsack said Monday at the 2023 American Farm Bureau Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

He says the department is considering 21 fertilizer projects that total up to $88 million. “Innovative, creative projects that have requested resources to try to deal with the issue of fertilizer in the crop year 2023 and 2024,” Vilsack said.

Proposals have come from several states including Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Vilsack says the department will accept public comments on the environmental aspects of the projects through February 8th.