Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS)

The Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative administered by the Rural Business-Cooperative Service to enhance domestic agricultural fertilizer production and strengthen the nation’s supply chain. The program aims to fund projects that materially expand or establish new independent fertilizer manufacturing capacity, including facility expansions, new construction, shovel-ready initiatives, and supporting infrastructure like terminals and transportation systems. Eligible applicants must demonstrate a clear path to increasing domestic production of nitrogen, sulfur, phosphate, or potash-based fertilizers and must be independent of the top four U.S. fertilizer producers. Funding is available in awards ranging from $15 million to $100 million per project, with a mandatory 50% non-federal matching funds requirement that must be secured prior to award execution. All projects must be physically located within the United States or its territories, with manufacturing processes occurring domestically, and must comply with Build America, Buy America requirements for infrastructure components. Applications are submitted via Grants.gov under solicitation number RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS with a due date of August 17, 2026. Proposals must include a variety of standardized forms—SF-424, SF-424A or SF-424C, SF-424D, SF-LLL—and a 20-page project narrative with a 500-word executive summary, all prepared in specified formatting with single-spaced, 12-point font, and one-inch margins. Evaluation is based on a weighted scoring system totaling 100 points across seven factors: financial viability and technical merit, work plan and budget, market demand and opportunities, administrator discretion, risk mitigation, nitrogen or sulfur-related innovation, and executed off-take agreements. Award decisions prioritize overall value over price, using a trade-off analysis to select the highest-scoring applicants. Key compliance obligations include SAM.gov registration with a valid Unique Entity Identifier, environmental reviews under NEPA, certification of domestic ownership and control, and post-award reporting using SF-425 and SF-271 for reimbursement. The performance period is 60 months, extendable by up to 24 months, with disbursements occurring upon verified expenditure, potentially with 10% withheld until final inspection. Projects on Tribal land require a Tribal Government Resolution of Consent, and all applicants must attest to no conflict of interest, no duplicated federal funding, and commitment to making fertilizer available to U.S