business_and_commerce · USDA-RBCS
Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS)
Rural Business-Cooperative Service · RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS
Award Range
$15.0M – $150.0M
Total Program Funding
$500.0M
Expected Awards
10
Deadline
August 17, 2026
GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview
USDA Rural Business Service is deploying up to $500 MILLION (100 awards, up to $100M EACH) to expand domestic fertilizer production — building new plants, expanding existing facilities, and bringing shuttered capacity back online. This is about national food security: reducing dependence on foreign fertilizer (especially from Russia/China) by investing in American production. MASSIVE infrastructure funding.
Who Should Apply
Fertilizer manufacturers, agricultural cooperatives, tribal entities, corporations, and nonprofits that can build or expand fertilizer production facilities in the United States. For-profit entities explicitly eligible.
Who Should NOT Apply
Agricultural producers (this is for MANUFACTURERS, not farmers), pure retailers/distributors without production capacity, or foreign-owned entities without US production plans.
Key Requirements (Plain English)
- •Must expand or build NEW domestic fertilizer production capacity
- •Must be independent (not the 4 largest fertilizer companies — likely excluded or deprioritized)
- •Must provide fertilizer to US agricultural producers
- •Awards up to $100M each, $500M total, 100 awards
- •For-profit, nonprofit, co-op, tribal, and corporate entities eligible
💡 GrantQuick Tip
This is INFRASTRUCTURE money at a scale usually reserved for DOE or DOT — $100M per award for fertilizer plants. If you're a mid-size fertilizer company, agricultural cooperative, or entrepreneur with a viable nitrogen/phosphate/potash production business plan, this is once-in-a-generation federal investment in your sector. The "independent" framing suggests USDA wants to diversify beyond the Big 4 (Nutrien, CF Industries, Mosaic, Koch).
Competitiveness: Moderate — 100 awards is generous, but building a fertilizer plant requires serious engineering/financial capacity. The applicant pool is naturally limited to entities with industrial-scale production plans.
What This Grant Funds
Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program
The Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program is intended to expand or bring into operation new, independent domestic fertilizer production capacity in order to provide agricultural producers with additional domestic fertilizer options and strengthen the U.S. fertilizer supply chain.
Program funding is intended to support projects that significantly increase domestic fertilizer manufacturing capacity and availability. Eligible projects may include expansions or upgrades of existing facilities, construction of new domestic production facilities, shovel-ready projects capable of rapidly increasing domestic supply, and on-site fertilizer terminals and transportation infrastructure that improve supply chain efficiency.
Notice of Funding Opportunity Update – 7/7/2026
The following updates have been made to the Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Notice of Funding Opportunity:
- Maximum competitive award cap increased: Revised from “competitive, cost-share awards of up to $100 million” to “competitive, cost-share awards of up to $150 million.”
- Approximate number of awards clarified: The Notice of Funding Opportunity now states that approximately 10 awards are anticipated.
- Restriction on pre-development costs added: The updated version explicitly states that pre-development costs cannot be the primary use of funds, consistent with the existing limitation on working capital.
- Section 3.3, Other Eligibility Requirements: Removed the following language: “Ensuring compliance with packaging and labeling requirements under applicable law (including sealing, packaging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment).”
Attachments
Environmental Checklist
Environmental_Checklist_Fillable.pdf
Notice - Updated 7.7.2026
FY_26_FIELDS_NOFO_6.30.26_Updated_7.7.26.pdf
FIELDS Certificate
20260630_Final_RD_RBCS_FIELDS_CertificationFillable.pdf
Feasibility Study Guide
20260630_Final_RD_RBCS_FIELDS_FeasibilityStudyGuide.pdf
FIELDS Application Checklist
20260630_RD_RBCS_FIELDS_ApplicationChecklist.pdf
Who Can Apply
Eligible Applicant Types
Funding Details
- Minimum Award
- $15.0M
- Maximum Award
- $150.0M
- Total Program Funding
- $500.0M
- Expected Number of Awards
- 10
- Cost Sharing Required?
- Yes
- Funding Instrument
- grant
Key Dates
11:59pm
Agency Contact
Lisa Noty Phone 7122544366
Lisa.Noty@usda.govReady to apply?
View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov