Grant impacts Jackson County and surrounding area
BOONE, Iowa, Aug. 28, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that the Agency is awarding a $4,669,600 grant through the Fertilizer Production and Expansion Program (FPEP) to Quality Flow Environmental LLC.
“From the start, it was clear that there was strong demand for a USDA program to expand domestic fertilizer production,” said Director Greenfield. “In addition to increasing the supply of made-in-Iowa fertilizer, the Biden-Harris Administration is helping to promote competition in agricultural markets, create jobs, and decrease costs for producers.”
Quality Flow Environmental LLC received the $4,669,600 grant from the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) to construct a new thermochemical manufacturing facility for production of a fertilizer product made from dairy waste. Located in Maquoketa, in Jackson County, Iowa, Quality Flow Environmental LLC, a leader in water quality and treatment, utilizes waste generated from a contiguous dairy into a carbon product through a thermochemical process called torrefaction. The process yields a high quality, viable fertilizer product from animal waste feedstock. This facility is expected to generate 540,66 tons of solid carbon-ready product annually which will be made available to local producers in the region.
This award is part of a larger national announcement from USDA.
USDA Fertilizer Production and Expansion Program
This program provides grants to independent business owners to help them modernize equipment, adopt new technologies, build production plants, and more.
To date, USDA has invested $286.6 million in 64 projects across 32 states through FPEP. These projects have created 768 new jobs in communities across the country and will increase domestic fertilizer production by over 5.6 million tons.
President Biden and USDA created FPEP to combat issues facing American farmers due to rising fertilizer prices, which more than doubled between 2021 and 2022 due to a variety of factors such as war in Ukraine and a lack of competition in the fertilizer industry. The Administration committed up to $900 million through the Commodity Credit Corporation for FPEP. Funding supports long-term investments that will strengthen supply chains, create new economic opportunities for American businesses, and support climate-smart innovation. FPEP is part of a broader effort to help producers boost production and address global food insecurity. It is also one of many ways the Administration is promoting fair competition, innovation and resiliency across food and agriculture while combating the climate crisis.
Contact USDA Rural Development
USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.3 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas. Office locations include a state office in Des Moines, along with area offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas in Iowa, call (515) 284-4663 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal, and high-poverty areas.
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