Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Trump administration officials, and congressmen outlined a series of projects and initiatives designed to boost U.S. supplies of fertilizer and reduce costs for farmers, as shared during a May 19 press conference.
Among the projects, the Trump administration has instructed the US Army Corps of Engineers to wrap up permitting of the $3.7 billion Blue Point ammonia project in Louisiana within 45 days, Rollins said. Once operational, the joint venture from fertilizer maker CF Industries “will become the world’s largest ammonia plant,” Rollins shared.
Additionally, the Trump administration is re-engaging applicants to the Fertilizer Product Expansion Program (F-PEP), which started under the Biden administration, and streamlining the permit approval process.
Out of the 121 projects outlined, F-PEP led to eight project completions and 90 projects that “were stalled because of climate requirements [and] are now coming back online,” Rollins noted.
“We’ll be assisting the higher impact awardees with project completion, putting them on Trump speed. For example, an $80 million investment in Washington state under this program — that again was stalled — is projected to produce 700,000 tons annually of hydrogen ammonia fertilizer that will support over 200 jobs. We expect construction to begin this year," Rollins shared.
She added, “Taken together, we expect these projects ... at the highest level to unlock over 2 million tons of new annual fertilizer capacity, serving 61,000 producers, and adding an additional 30 million acres that will be covered by American-produced fertilizer that will create over 500 jobs and reduce reliance on foreign investment.”
Additionally, the USDA is recruiting an input economist to boost fertilizer market transparency, following remarks from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry earlier in the month. This move was heralded by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) as a means to provide independent analysis of fertilizer and other crop inputs.
“Improving access to timely, consistent, and reliable market information can help strengthen understanding of fertilizer and crop input markets across the agricultural economy, including the important distinction between domestic production capacity and overall market share in a globally traded fertilizer marketplace,” said TFI president and CEO Corey Rosenbusch in a statement.
Congress’ role in reducing fertilizer prices
The Iran war has spiked fertilizer prices, causing concerns of shortages and planting decisions around the world. However, the fertilizer market isn’t a stranger to supply shocks as the Russia-Ukraine war spiked price, which disrupted fertilizer from those countries and Belarus, said Representative Glenn Thompson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee.
“Fertilizer has probably been one of the most significantly impacted inputs that we need for farming or for this nation because of geopolitical reasons,” Thompson elaborated.
Congress introduced various pieces of legislation to support various aspects of the fertilizer industry and farmer prices, including the Fertilizer Transparency Act, the Homegrown Fertilizer Act, the Plant Biostimulant Act, and others, said Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kentucky).
The Plant Biostimulant Act would provide “a consistent federal definition for plant biostimulants” by amending the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. This would provide biostimulant companies and start-ups “consistent guardrails” and support market competition, Marshall explained.
Additionally, Congress is debating the removal of countervailing duties on phosphates from Morocco. Morocco is the second-largest phosphate-producing country, producing 26 million metric tons in 2025, with 50 billion metric tons in reserves.
“The White House is doing its part. Congress needs to step up and act at Trump speed and try to help solve this riddle for American farmers,” Marshall added.
