USDA and White House outline short- and long-term plan to ease fertilizer shortages

Secretary Brooke Rollins opened a White House–backed briefing saying the administration is pursuing immediate and structural actions to protect U.S. farmers from sharply higher fertilizer costs. "In the 1980s we had nearly 50 U.S. nitrogen fertilizer producers; today four companies control 75% of the domestic nitrogen fertilizer market," Rollins said, attributing recent spikes and supply fragility to that consolidation and to global disruptions.

Rollins listed short-term moves intended to increase supply this planting season: a presidential waiver of the Jones Act (initially 60 days and extended by 90 days) to increase shipping flexibility; Treasury waivers to allow U.S. entities to buy petrochemical products, including fertilizer, from Venezuela; and regulatory action asking EPA to revisit diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) rules so producers can shift output toward urea. She said one pending shipment of urea could meet about 57% of the April–June urea gap.

Administration officials emphasized interagency and private-sector steps. Rollins said USDA and DOJ signed an MOU to strengthen competition for agricultural inputs. She cited industry commitments: CF Industries agreed to delay scheduled maintenance at a Donaldsonville, Louisiana ammonia plant to supply an additional 100,000 tons of granular urea to U.S. customers, and Pivot Bio is offering multi‑year price locks for customers through 2028.

On longer-term capacity, Rollins described a $900 million USDA fertilizer production expansion program administered by Rural Development. "About $700 million of the $900 million is committed but has not yet been spent," she said, adding that dozens of projects across the Midwest and Southeast are in development and that some plants could come online this year; she cited a natural fertilizer project in Ames, Iowa expected to add 36,000 tons annually.

Other cabinet officials described complementary actions. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick highlighted the department’s Investment Accelerator funding and waivers intended to speed domestic manufacturing projects. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the administration had authorized roughly 100 critical‑mineral permitting projects over the past 15 months and used FAST‑41 processes to accelerate approvals on some fertilizer‑related projects. Assistant Secretary Adam Tell of the Army Corps of Engineers said the Corps processes more than 100,000 Clean Water Act permits annually and encouraged public comment on proposals to expand nationwide permits for projects related to fertilizer infrastructure and ports.

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, framed his role as coordinating those interagency efforts. "If you think we're moving fast, it's because we are," Hassett said, describing frequent White House meetings that he said accelerated action.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency has sent data requests to engine manufacturers about selective catalytic reduction (SCR) equipment and related engine derating issues and previewed a 2027 rulemaking on nitrous oxide; Zeldin also touted right‑to‑repair guidance to allow farmers more repair options for farm equipment.

Officials repeatedly framed fertilizer security as tied to U.S. energy and mineral policy, calling potash a critical mineral and pointing to DOE loans and Commerce investment to finance projects. Rollins said the administration is coordinating with Treasury, State and other agencies and that decisions on tariffs and countervailing duties are under active review.

The briefing closed with a question period in which administration officials reiterated that some funds are committed but not yet spent and that more specific project announcements would follow as permitting and contracting progress.

Ending: The administration said it will pursue both immediate supply moves and longer‑term domestic capacity and regulatory adjustments; officials and industry signaled additional announcements and permitting steps to follow.