Tidal Grow® AgriScience (TGA), a Washington-based producer of bioactive carbon-based fertilizers, has been awarded a $2.3 million Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPED) grant by the USDA.
TGA said it will use the grant to break ground on a new facility in Orange, Texas, and expand production capacity of its seafood hydrolysate liquid fertilizers Oceanic® and SeaPhos® at its Raymond, Wash., plant.
“Amidst continued global conflict and disrupted supply chains, American growers need novel regenerative solutions that improve soil and plant health to achieve higher yields,” said Norm Davy, Chief Commercial Officer at TGA. “Made by up-cycling waste from the seafood industry, our plant nutrition and crop protection products offer agronomists and growers creative solutions to solve some of agriculture’s greatest challenges.”
The FPED program is part of a government-wide effort to promote competition in agricultural markets and support fertilizer production that is independent, made-in-America, innovative, sustainable, and farmer-focused. USDA officials on July 26 toured TGA’s expansion project in Washington.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are committed to lowering costs for America’s farmers by supporting competition in the fertilizer market,” said Cindy Axne, USDA Senior Advisor for Rural Delivery, Engagement and Prosperity. “These investments, including the project I am visiting today, made possible through the Commodity Credit Corporation, will increase domestic fertilizer production and create good-paying jobs right here in Washington.”
Tidal Vision Products Inc., TGA’s parent company headquartered in Bellingham, Wash., said it plans to invest more than $10 million in capital growth to “scale manufacturing for the entire portfolio of advanced agricultural products and introduce novel technologies to the market” within 3-5 years.
“This grant enables us to triple supply for growers nationwide and supports domestic production with next-generation technologies,” said Tom Robeson, TGA Vice President of Manufacturing. “Our proprietary carbon-based fertilizers improve nutrient uptake and build soil health with marine-based omega lipids, amino-acid nitrogen, and critical soluble nutrients like phosphorus and calcium.”