Fertilizer prices and availability have been a major pain point for U.S. producers for several years. A major factor that contributes to that pressure is fact that the U.S. imports about 50 percent of the 20 million tons of the fertilizer farmers across the country use every year. The recent groundbreaking of the $3.7 billion Blue Point 1 project in Louisiana signals an eventual turning point in the overreliance on fertilizer imports. Stephen Vaden, USDA Deputy Secretary, said the time to act on this problem is now.
Vaden said it’s a problem that has been squeezing farmers for too long.
Vaden added that this isn’t about just helping farmers, either.
The ammonia plant will have an average capacity of 1.4 million metric tons when it goes online in 2029.
