Baldwin Announces Over $3.5 Million to Boost Fertilizer Supply, Grow Agricultural Economy

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Wisconsin will receive more than $3.5 million in federal funding to help expand the domestic production of fertilizer.

“Wisconsin’s agricultural community plays a vital role in not only putting food on tables and fuel in people’s tanks, but also helping other farmers run their operations,” said Senator Baldwin.  “I am proud to help deliver this funding to support our farmers and grow our Wisconsin agricultural economy.”

Betley Farms in Shawano County will use the funding to install and operate a Nutrient Concentration System, which converts manure waste into organic fertilizers. When fully operational, this system is expected to yield nearly 40 million gallons of liquid product per year and the project is expected to create nine new jobs. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fertilizer Product Expansion Program (FPEP).

Senator Baldwin has championed expanding domestic access to and lowering the cost of fertilizer. Last year, Senator Baldwin introduced the bipartisan Fertilizer Research Act to shed light on market factors driving the cost of fertilizer and require USDA to conduct a study on competition and trends in the fertilizer market to determine their subsequent impacts on price. 

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