USDA Opens $500 Million Fertilizer Expansion Program With Aug. 17 Deadline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for a $500 million program intended to expand domestic fertilizer production and strengthen the agricultural supply chain, with proposals due Aug. 17.
USDA announced the Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply, known as FIELDS, on July 8, 2026. The program will make competitive cost-share awards ranging from $15 million to $150 million for projects connected to domestic fertilizer production and distribution.
Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 17, 2026. The opportunity is listed as an active fiscal-year 2026 funding program by USDA Rural Development.
What the program will fund
The funding is aimed at increasing fertilizer production capacity in the United States, encouraging competition and improving resilience in the agricultural supply chain. Eligible projects include new fertilizer production facilities, expansions and upgrades to existing facilities, and projects ready to begin construction or implementation.
The program also covers infrastructure used after fertilizer is produced. Eligible projects include fertilizer terminals and transportation infrastructure, which can support the handling and movement of fertilizer through the supply chain.
USDA describes the initiative as a way to provide U.S. farmers and agricultural commodity producers with greater access to fertilizer made domestically. Fertilizer availability and cost affect farm operations, and the department has framed the program around increasing domestic supply and reducing concentration in the fertilizer market.
The program’s stated project requirements are intended to focus awards on proposals with a direct connection to domestic agricultural supply. Projects must be independently owned, made in America, innovative, energy-dominant and farmer-focused.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants include Tribes, Alaska Native corporations, for-profit and nonprofit entities, producer-owned cooperatives, benefit corporations, and state or local governments.
The applicant categories allow both private and public organizations to seek funding, but eligibility alone does not guarantee an award. Applicants must provide matching funds as part of the cost-share structure.
USDA says priority will go to projects that are technically feasible and financially viable and that have identified other sources of funding. Applicants therefore must document how a proposed facility or infrastructure project can work, how it can be financed and how it fits the program’s domestic-production requirements.
What happens next
Applicants have until the Aug. 17 deadline to prepare and file proposals through Grants.gov. The competition is not yet at the award stage, so no recipients have been identified.
The announcement establishes the total funding available, the award range, eligible applicants and the types of projects that may qualify. It does not establish a guaranteed amount for any individual applicant; awards will be competitive and subject to the program’s cost-share and matching-fund requirements.
The program also does not set a specific expected increase in fertilizer production or a projected reduction in fertilizer prices. Its practical effect for farmers will depend on which projects are selected and how those projects are developed after awards are made.
For applicants, the immediate requirements are to meet the ownership and domestic-production standards, identify matching funds, demonstrate technical feasibility and financial viability, and submit the application by the stated deadline. For farmers and agricultural commodity producers, the program’s intended benefit is greater access to domestically produced fertilizer as USDA evaluates the proposed projects.
Sources
- USDA Makes $500 Million Available for Fertilizer Investment and Expansion Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development
- Stakeholder Announcements, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development
Look for updates to this story
Discover more from Interactive News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
