The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced investments in domestic fertilizer production in nine states to increase competition, lower fertilizer costs for American farmers, and lower food costs for U.S. consumers. As Tyron Spearman reports, one of those states is Georgia.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “When we invest in domestic supply chains, we drive down input costs and increase options for farmers. Through today’s investments, USDA is bringing jobs back to the United States, lowering costs for families, and supporting farmer income.”
USDA is investing more than $116 million through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) to help eight facilities expand innovative fertilizer production in California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. FPEP is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation and provides funding to independent business owners to help them modernize equipment, adopt new technologies, and build new production plants. Through the program, USDA has invested $517 million in 76 fertilizer production facilities to expand domestic fertilizer access.