USDA on Oct. 16 announced $52.6 million in awards under the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP), which will fund 17 new projects to boost domestic fertilizer manufacturing, support innovative fertilizer technologies, and help lower costs for farmers.
FPEP is funded by USDA’s Commodity Credit Corp. and is part of a government-wide effort to spur domestic competition and combat an increase in fertilizer costs caused by the war in Ukraine.
| State | Company | Amount | Purpose |
| Ariz./Wash. | Bio-Gro Inc. | $3 million | Humic Acid |
| Ariz. | Grower’s Market Inc. | $2.4 million | Eco-Friendly Fert. |
| Ariz. | The Fairfax Co. LLC | $810,225 | Compost-Based Fert. |
| Calif. | Farm Fuel Inc. | $2.05 million | Organic Fert. |
| Calif./Ore. | True Organic Products | $5 million | Organic Fert. |
| Fla. | GreenTechnologies LLC | $2.4 million | Bio-Based Fert. |
| Ind. | Bionutrients Ag LLC | $5.53 million | Organic Fert. |
| Mich. | Scenic View Dairy LLC | $2.26 million | Biofertilizer |
| Minn. | Northstar Lime LLC | $4.41 million | Lime Pellets |
| Ohio | Growers Mineral Corp. | $3.94 million | 10-20-10 Fert. |
| Ohio | Quasar Energy Group | $3.96 million | Biofertilizer |
| Penn./Iowa | Holganix LLC | $3.45 million | Microbial |
| Penn./Ohio | EnviroKure Inc. | $2.04 million | Biofertilizer/Stimulant |
| PR | Colon Pan American | $3.84 million | Ag Gypsum |
| Texas | BioXRG LLC | $3.78 million | Liquid Potassium Fert. |
| Utah | Aqua Yield Operations | $1.26 million | Nano-Based Liquid Fert. |
| Wisc. | Dairy Dreams LLC | $2.53 million | Organic Fert. |
USDA expects to announce additional project selections in the coming months and is inviting public comments on four projects through Nov. 15, 2023. They include:
| State | Company | Purpose |
| Iowa | Quality Flow Environmental | Carbon and Fert. Products |
| Maryland | Compost Crew Inc. | Compost |
| Nebraska | Viridis Chemical NE Asset Co. 2 | Ammonia Plant |
| Virginia | AdvanSix Inc. | Ammonium sulfate |
Major winners to date have included specialty fertilizer manufacturers Ostara Ltd., St. Louis, Mo, which received $7.57 million, and Pursell Agri-Tech LLC, Sylacauga, Ala., which received $5 million (GM March 17, p. 1).
In 2022, USDA made $500 million available under the FPEP to increase innovative domestic fertilizer production, creating jobs in rural communities and providing more options to US farmers. Due to strong demand, USDA in June 2023 increased the funding available for FPEP to up to $900 million.
USDA received requests for $3 billion in applications from more than 350 businesses for the first two rounds of the program. Including the Oct. 16 announcement, USDA has awarded 33 projects for a total of more than $121 million invested since the program was announced roughly 18 months ago.