Two Iowa projects are among 21 applicants being considered for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding under a proposal to assist U.S. farmers facing high input costs by increasing domestic fertilizer production.

On Jan. 9 at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced several major USDA developments that will benefit farmers, including up to $88 million in grant funding for the department’s newly established Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP).

The program, part of a whole-of-government effort to promote competition in agricultural markets, is investing in projects to increase fertilizer production and bring production and fertilizer jobs back to the United States, promote competition and support American goods and services.

“We think there’s...