An Oregon egg producer and a Bay Area nitrogen fertilizer manufacturer will each receive $4 million grants from the USDA Fertilizer Production Expansion Program.

More USDA grants coverage

More USDA grants coverage

Idaho gets more than $2.2 million in USDA specialty crop grants

USDA provides $6 million in labor grants to Northwest ag organizations

New export funding to benefit U.S. meat, dairy, wool

West Coast commodity groups get USDA grants to boost trade

USDA gives 34 Northwest firms energy grants for Earth Day

USDA gives organic product grants to nine Northwest firms

On Aug. 28, the agency announced seven grants totaling $35 million for the program, which aims to expand innovative domestic fertilizer production, create jobs in rural communities, lower costs for U.S. farmers and strengthen local economies.

Oregon

Valley Fresh Foods of Woodburn, Ore., will use its funding to construct a pelletizing fertilizer plant.

The farmer producer of shell eggs will construct the facility to process on-farm chicken litter into a nutrient rich, heat pasteurized pellet product available for local producers.

The facility is expected to generate 100 tons of pelletized product annually and create 10 full-time positions.

A phone call to Valley Fresh Foods wasn’t returned.

California

Nitricity, a farmer-focused nitrogen fertilizer manufacturer, will expand its existing facility in Fremont, Calif.

The company will produce a fossil fuel free product by electrifying aqueous calcium nitrate, producing a clean, climate smart product for producers.

The facility is anticipated to generate 20,000 tons of fertilizer annually and create six full time positions.

Program background

The USDA has invested $286.6 million in 64 projects across 32 states through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program.

The program was created to combat issues facing American farmers due to rising fertilizer prices, which more than doubled between 2021 and 2022 due to a variety of factors including the war in Ukraine and a lack of competition in the fertilizer industry.

Up to $900 million has been committed to the program to strengthen supply chains, create new economic opportunities for American businesses and support climate-smart innovation.

The Fertilizer Production Expansion Program is part of a broader effort by the government to help producers boost production and address global food insecurity.