Vice President Vance announced a $1.3 billion investment in fertilizer manufacturing on Thursday while rallying for Republicans in Nebraska, the latest in a string of moves by the administration aimed at relieving pressure on American farmers.
Before making the announcement, Vance praised Nebraska GOP Senate candidate Pete Ricketts, telling the crowd that Ricketts “has been fighting for your farmers.”
Vance said one of the two companies receiving the funding, TalusAg, will be opening two manufacturing facilities in Nebraska.
The vice president framed the investment as a win not only for the Cornhusker State but for agriculture nationwide.
“What this means, not just for Nebraska but for the entire country, is that 32,000 farmers, farmers who are farming over 4 million acres all across the United States of America, they are going to have fertilizer at a lower cost and made by American hands right here in the United States of America,” Vance said.
The announcement comes as farmers grapple with high fertilizer costs driven by the Iran war.
The administration has rolled out several agriculture-related announcements to help mitigate the high costs facing farmers in the U.S. Farm state Republicans have been pushing the administration to take action on high diesel prices amid the war with Iran.
Earlier this week, President Trump announced an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program while at a rally in Kansas for Republican candidates.
Trump said the $8 billion will “offset diesel costs during this harvest season.”
The president credited Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall with making the relief program a reality.
“Roger Marshall is the leader who fought for that to happen,” Trump said. “Roger got it to happen.”
According to a release from the Agriculture Department, the $8 billion fund will be available for one-time payments to farmers.
Trump also said he would allow the sale of E15, a fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol, year-round. Currently, E15 sales are restricted during the summer months for environmental reasons. However, the president tied the move to Marshall winning his reelection bid.
The flurry of actions did not begin this week. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order expanding the availability of red-dyed diesel.
Red-dyed diesel is diesel fuel with red dye added to signal that it is tax-exempt. It is typically used in farm and construction equipment, making it a key resource for agricultural producers working to keep their operations running.
The president signed that order while at a rally for Ricketts and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican.
Taken together, the fertilizer investment, the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, the planned expansion of E15 sales and the red-dyed diesel order represent the administration’s push to address the high costs farmers are facing amid the war with Iran.
For Nebraska, Thursday’s announcement means two new TalusAg manufacturing facilities in the state. For farmers across the country, Vance pitched it as a promise of lower-cost fertilizer produced by American workers on American soil.
[READ MORE: Sen. Roger Marshall Blames Ukraine War, Green New Deal Policies for Soaring Diesel Prices]
