Landus, Iowa’s largest farmer-owned cooperative, announced on June 29 that it will break ground on a nearly $16 million greenfield fertilizer manufacturing and repackaging facility in Boone County, Iowa.
The facility will be constructed on 35.8 acres adjacent to the current Landus 33-acre grain facility in Boone County, and will include a 66,000-square-foot building that will be used for chemical and seed storage, as well as the production of 100,000 gallons of foliar slow release nitrogen (SRN) in the first operational year, and 250,000 gallons in subsequent years.
Landus said the new facility will integrate new targeted foliar nitrogen application technology while decreasing distribution expenses and environmental impact by allowing Landus to provide direct ship distribution options for farmers and suppliers across the Midwest, aided by the company’s unique position as the only Iowa agribusiness with access to all seven railroads.
“At Landus, we keep the farmer at the center of everything we do, and this new facility in Boone delivers the sustainability, advanced logistics, and economic efficiencies that the farmer of tomorrow, and our downstream customers, are rightfully demanding,” said Matt Carstens, Landus President and CEO.
“Our goal is to enhance the precision of input products by reducing the overall amount of nitrogen applied while also lowering the carbon footprint required to produce, store, and ship this critical product,” Carstens added. “As rural champions, Landus is committed to helping provide a sustainable future for generations of agriculture while leveraging sustainable efforts for higher return on crops.”
The project was assisted by a $5 million grant from the USDA Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) and has support from the City of Boone and the Boone County Board of Supervisors. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack attended a kickoff event at Landus on June 29.
USDA’s FDEP program was announced last year (GM Sept. 30, 2022), and the agency reported earlier this year that it was evaluating 21 potentially viable projects to increase fertilizer production across the US totaling up to $88 million (GM Jan. 13, p. 1).