Iowa Fertilizer Company will build a new nitrogen fertilizer plant in southeast Iowa to supply customers in the U.S. corn belt. The new plant will be located in Lee County near the Mississippi River. Iowa Farm Bureau Economist Dave Miller says this will be the first natural gas-based fertilizer plant built in the U.S. in nearly 25 years. He says it’s a result of $2 natural gas prices.
Miller says the plant could significantly lower the cost of fertilizer in the corn belt, but in particular Iowa. And it could open the door for fertilizer production returning to the U.S.
Miller says the plant will take 18 to 24 months to complete. However, once finished it will also mean less dependence on imported fertilizer, which exceeds 15 million metric tons annually.
