With fertilizer costs and global supply concerns still weighing heavily on American agriculture, the Trump administration is moving to accelerate domestic production. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced three new initiatives May 19 aimed at expanding U.S. fertilizer manufacturing, speeding up project approvals and increasing market transparency for farmers.

Speaking alongside Republican lawmakers and Cabinet officials at USDA headquarters, Rollins said permitting for a new CF Industries ammonia facility in Louisiana is expected to be completed within 45 days. The $3.7 billion project is projected to become the world’s largest ammonia plant once construction is complete.

The new facility will be located in Ascension Parish, less than 10 miles from CF Industries’ existing Donaldsonville Complex along the Mississippi River. Company officials estimate construction will take about four years. When operational, the plant is expected to produce approximately 1.4 million metric tons of low-carbon ammonia annually.

“We’re so excited about not only the fertilizer implications of that, but the hundreds and hundreds of jobs that will come along with it for the great state of Louisiana,” Rollins said.

Biden-era fertilizer program revised

The administration also announced major changes to the Fertilizer Product Expansion Program, or FPEP, originally launched under the Biden administration in 2022. The $778 million program was created in response to soaring fertilizer prices driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing supply chain disruptions following the pandemic. The initiative provided grants to fertilizer manufacturers to help expand domestic production capacity.

Under the revised approach, the Trump administration has added funding to the program while removing provisions that promoted environmentally focused production requirements.

Rollins said those climate-related provisions delayed several proposed projects. She noted the updated program will allow fertilizer production facilities in Washington and Iowa to move forward, eventually adding an estimated 2 million tons of annual fertilizer production capacity.

“I think that this is a really important long-term step, but we’re taking these steps immediately to get to the goal of reshoring all fertilizer to our country,” Rollins said.

USDA seeks greater fertilizer market transparency

The third action announced by USDA involves hiring a full-time input economist focused on improving transparency within fertilizer markets. During a May 12 Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, lawmakers from both parties urged USDA to provide farmers with better access to fertilizer pricing and supply information.

Officials with The Fertilizer Institute welcomed the move.

“TFI thanks Secretary Rollins for hearing the concerns of farmers across the country and advancing practical solutions that support market transparency and provide farmers with additional tools and information to help navigate volatility in a global fertilizer marketplace,” said Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute.

Rosenbusch added that improved access to reliable market data could help producers better understand fertilizer and crop input markets, including the distinction between domestic production capacity and fertilizer’s role within a globally traded marketplace.