SUPERIOR, Neb. — A south-central Nebraska community is being considered for a new fertilizer manufacturing facility as part of a $1.3 billion federal investment in domestic fertilizer production.
Superior City Administrator Andrew Brittenham confirms the city is one of the Nebraska locations identified for projects by TalusAg, a company selected for nearly $100 million in proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture funding.
The announcement came Oct. 22 during Vice President JD Vance’s rally in North Platte. The USDA later released details identifying eight fertilizer manufacturing projects across the country selected for a combined $1.34 billion in proposed investment, including approximately $573 million in proposed federal funding.
TalusAg’s project would deploy 20 modular ammonia manufacturing units across 11 locations in seven states, including Nebraska. The company estimates the units will produce approximately 130,000 tons of anhydrous ammonia annually.
Brittenham says the proposed Superior facility would be outside city limits but within the city’s zoning jurisdiction.
The project is still in the early stages of development, and the city has not received formal documents from the company to begin its planning and zoning review.
“We welcome any sort of investment or consideration by the federal government in rural America. But we do have a pretty robust planning and zoning process that this will need to go through,” Brittenham said.
He expects the company could submit the necessary documents before the end of the year. Depending on when those materials arrive and how quickly they can be reviewed, the city could begin its approval process sometime in January, February or March.
That process would include public hearings and opportunities for community participation.
“We would welcome any public participation,” Brittenham said.
The Superior project follows an earlier proposal by TalusAg to build an ammonia fertilizer plant near Hartington in northeast Nebraska. That project was withdrawn after residents raised concerns and the city announced earlier this year that the company had scrapped the proposal.
TalusAg has not yet responded to a request for comment on the Superior project.
The USDA launched its Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply, or FIELDS, program in July, making $500 million available to expand domestic fertilizer manufacturing. The program is intended to increase competition, strengthen the fertilizer supply chain and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
The eight projects selected through the program represent a combined investment of more than $1.34 billion and are expected to support approximately 1.08 million tons of annual domestic fertilizer production capacity.
Fertilizer costs remain a significant expense for farmers, making domestic production and supply a priority for the Trump administration.