Trump Administration Launches $500 Million Domestic Fertilizer Program

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the launch of the Fertilizer Investment and Expansion for Long Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) program, a $500 million grant initiative designed to expand domestic fertilizer manufacturing. Funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation and administered through USDA Rural Development, the program offers awards between $15 million and $150 million for shovel-ready projects producing nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and sulfur. Applicants must provide a 50% private-sector funding match and submit applications by August 15, 2026.

The initiative follows a spike in fertilizer prices caused by conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, which resulted in the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a loss of Middle East imports in May. As a short-term relief measure, President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending duties on phosphate fertilizer from Morocco. Simultaneously, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice are investigating potential industry collusion regarding price spikes.

To fund the program, the administration is deobligating funds from previous Biden-era projects, which Rollins characterized as crazy climate initiatives. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin supported the shift toward domestic extraction as an environmental and economic win. However, the Democratic National Committee criticized the grant amount as insufficient, with Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider arguing that the administration's trade and foreign policies have devastated family farms.