U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that he secured $3,935,600 for Growers Mineral in Erie County to help decrease reliance on foreign fertilizer. The investment will help build a new facility that will help the Ohio company increase production of their American made fertilizer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded the funds through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. The grants will help businesses increase production of American-made fertilizer, giving U.S. farmers more choices and fairer prices and reducing dependence on unreliable foreign fertilizer sources from Russia and Belarus. In January, Brown called on USDA to award a grant to Growers Mineral.
“Small family farms and rural communities face unique challenges,” said Brown. “This investment will help to bolster economic growth, reduce dependence on foreign sources, and help Growers Mineral expand their production and support more farmers. I will keep fighting to make sure that small businesses and communities have the support they need to grow and thrive.”
“All of us at Growers Mineral Corp. are thrilled to be one of the recipients of the FPEP grant. The funds will go towards the construction of a brand-new facility, located in Milan, OH, with an increased production capacity of 279%. As a family-owned company, we have been serving farmers for almost 70 years with a consistent goal of helping farmers be sustainable and profitable. This grant will help us to continue for generations to come,” said Åsa Bobel, President of Growers Mineral Corp.
The USDA’s Fertilizer Production Expansion Program is part of a government-wide effort to promote competition in agricultural markets. The program supports fertilizer production that is independent, made-in-America, innovative, sustainable and farmer-focused.
Brown, the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 50 years, has long been a leader for Ohio’s rural communities. Brown will help write the upcoming Farm Bill and has talked with farmers and other agriculture representatives at roundtables around the state over the last several months as a part of the Farm Bill planning process.
Source : senate.gov