USDA on Jan. 9
announced that it will soon begin accepting public comments on environmental
and related aspects of 21 potentially viable projects to increase fertilizer production
across the US totaling up to $88 million. These applicants have requested grant
funding through the first round of USDA’s newly established Fertilizer
Production Expansion Program. The $500 million program was announced last year
(GM Sept. 30, 2022).
USDA is considering
fertilizer production projects in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Texas,
Washington, and Wisconsin.
The public is invited
to provide comments regarding the 21 FPEP applicants listed below.
USDA said to consider
providing project-specific comments or information relevant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) or Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) that should be considered as part of the review
process on these projects.
Submit
project-specific comments to FPEP@usda.gov by Feb. 8, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. While commenters
may not receive a direct response, comments will be considered. For questions
about this process, please email FPEP@usda.gov.
The USDA said the program is part of a
whole-of-government effort to promote competition in agricultural markets. The
funds are being made available through the Commodity Credit Corp.
The grant program will support fertilizer
production that is: independent, and outside the orbit
of dominant fertilizer suppliers; made in America; innovative; sustainable; and
farmer-focused.
Eligible entities are for‐profit businesses and
corporations, nonprofit entities, Tribes and Tribal organizations,
producer‐owned cooperatives and corporations, certified benefit corporations,
and state or local governments. Private entities must be independently owned
and operated to apply.
The maximum award is $100 million. The minimum
award is $1 million. The grant term is five years.
Alabama
Pursell
Agri-Tech LLC, Sylacauga – working capital for existing, commercially operational
production; no new construction involved.
Arizona
Bio Gro Inc., Buckeye – 27-acre site
will have tanks or concrete beds and holding pond, which will total 2.6 acres
of concrete construction.
Colorado
Table to Farm Compost LLC, Durango –
Compost production to be scaled up from December 2022 to December 2027. Only
construction for the project is power interconnection.
Florida
Sunshine Organics and Compost LLC,
Jacksonville – Funds would be used on one acre for mostly equipment, though a
portion will be used to expand existing infrastructure and to build concrete
retaining walls around composting area.
Iowa
Landus Cooperative, Boone – Assistance
to build state-of-the-art facility to manufacture and distribute chemical and
seed products. Facility will manufacture a foliar, slow-release nitrogen
product that will decrease in-ground nitrogen application rates and increase
overall environmental and financial efficiency of farms.
Progressive Ag Cooperative, Northwood –
New fertilizer facility will include a total dry fertilizer capacity of 12,712 st
in a rod-less bin design with 11 bins in total (5 macro and 6 micro bins) and
cover 14,000 square feet. Factory equipment will also be included.
Massachusetts
AMT Bioproducts Corp., New Bedford –
Project involves construction of Abbeville production facility, which will be
approximately 16,000 square feet. Project involves pouring of concrete pads for
loading dock and for the plant.
Black Earth Compost LLC, Manchester –
Construction of 60×150-foot building adjacent to Manchester Town landfill that
will manage the initial stages of transforming food scraps into compost.
Project includes various equipment that helps get the finished compost to
farmers to be cured on their land.
Minnesota
Northstar Lime LLC, Crookston – Renovate
a 46,000 square foot building and construct a new building (42x40x34x24 feet).
Install devices including one to create biochar as well as filtration bag
house. Additional equipment needed for moving materials from outside to inside
for processing.
Missouri
Elm Dirt LLC, Grandview – Rent a 45,000
square foot warehouse on 0.5 acres in Kansas City and purchase additional
equipment to allow the manufacture of more liquid fertilizer. Any warehouse
improvements would be minor. Project will purchase and install tanks, pallet
racks, liquid solid separators, and infrastructure inside warehouse.
Ostara St. Louis Ltd., St. Louis – A
portion of the project funds will be used to complete construction of Ostara
St. Louis Ltd.’s fertilizer manufacturing plant. A total of 14,000 square feet
of building footprint expansion on the site are expected to be part of the
project. This construction will be supported on a concrete slab built on augur
cast piles and will be housed in a pre-engineered metal building. The remainder
of the funds would be used for working capital to support staffing up,
commissioning, raw materials procurement, and initial production inventory
management.
Palindromes Inc., Unionville – Purchase
and construct two new fertilizer processing systems and two new anaerobic
digestion systems.
Montana
Farmers Union Oil Co. of Circle,
Circle – Funds will be used as working capital to fill the newly-constructed
8,500 st fertilizer plant. Funds will also be used for equipment and technology.
Ohio
Earth Peak Organics LLC, Dublin –
Procurement of necessary equipment for aerobic digestion technology to create
natural fertilizer digestate from local food waste. Minimal facility
modifications will be implemented.
Oregon
True Organic Products Inc., Boardman –
Grade area east of existing building for raw commodity storage bunkers, pellet
processing building, and finished pellet storage bunker building. Provide and
install said buildings and processing equipment and support equipment. Supply
new upgraded facility electric service and support equipment.
Texas
BioXRG LLC, Bryan – New construction of
walls and roof for bioprocessing building, assembly of bioprocessing equipment,
maintenance shop, laboratory, and employee areas.
PCI Nitrogen, Pasadena – Funds will be
used to build a liquid fertilizer production facility and storage. Included are
construction of an 85×40 tank for 10,131 st of APP, 60×30 tank for 4,898 st of
sulfuric acid; and upgrade of an existing tank for 5,397 st of super phosphoric
acid.
Washington
Perfect Blend LLC, Othello – 4,000
square foot addition to existing building. It also includes equipment and eight
25,000 gallon tank storage, as well as working capital.
Wisconsin
Black’s Valley Ag Supply Inc., Durand –
Construction of a new dry fertilizer storage and blending facility, including
new blending, receiving, loading, and unloading equipment. Funds would also be
used for green initiatives such as solar panels, as well as equipment and
technology need in the facility. The current facility produces 20,963 st/y of
dry fertilizer.
Dairy Dreams LLC, Casco – Install
state-of-the-art Nutrient Concentration System and pelletizing system, which
will process manure inputs into organic liquid and pellet fertilizers.
The Delong Co., Elkhorn – Removal of
existing feed mill and three other buildings. Construct a new dry fertilizer
warehouse, liquid fertilizer dike with tanks, and liquid fertilizer loadout
building, which will be constructed on existing concrete pads.
