Hyvee Disaster Relief trailer. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack traveled to the Farm Progress Show, made a speech, answered questions from the audience, and held a news conference in Boone, Iowa, on August 28, 2024. During his speech, he announced that the Department is awarding $35 million for seven projects through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) on August 28, 2024.

The Secretary was joined by Tim Gannon, Chief of Staff for Farm Production and Conservation; Theresa Greenfield, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa; and Matt Russell, USDA Farm Service Agency Executive State Director in Iowa.

The FPEP program grants to independent business owners to help them modernize equipment, adopt new technologies, build production plants, and more. The program is designed 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. 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.

An annual three-day event, the Farm Progress Show is the nation’s largest outdoor farm event, annually hosting over 600 exhibitors from around the world. Every year, the Farm Progress Show connects thousands of producers with companies that are striving to innovate in agriculture. The show rotates between Iowa one year, then Illinois the next year. The show gives visitors the opportunity to see the latest equipment, seed, crop chemicals, field demonstrations, livestock handling and equine events, Ride and Drive events, and rural life programs. USDA media by Cecilia Lynch