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USDA awards $207 million to energy and fertilizer projects

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is announcing new investments to support renewable energy production and domestic fertilizer expansion.

During Monday’s American Farm Bureau Federation Convention, Vilsack said $157 million will support 675 Rural Energy for America Program projects in 42 states.

“It’s going to help lower costs for farmers all across the United States,” he says.  “We’ve already done over 4,800 of those awards and we’re going to continue to see a significant increase.”

Vilsack also says projects in seven states have been awarded $50 million through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program to increase domestic supplies.

“We know that for far too long we have been over-reliant on others to supply the fertilizer necessary for crop production,” he says.  “That’s why I’m excited today to make additional announcements in our fertilizer expansion effort. We’ve identified roughly 90 projects that we’re exploring.”

ARE Properties LLC in Nebraska will build a fully automated fertilizer facility, powered by natural gas with the ability to convert to alternative energy sources in the future.

An existing dry fertilizer facility in Kentucky has also been selected to expand operations and produce an additional 17,000 tons of packaged fertilizer annually.

President Biden has committed up to $900 million through the Commodity Credit Corporation for the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program.

Vilsack says the USDA is creating opportunities for farms to have multiple revenue streams and be rewarded for their efforts.