USDA FIELDS Program Monitor

Update Log NEWEST FIRST

July 5, 2026 (Sunday) LATEST

🗓️ 43 days to deadline. The application window is open with the clock running to the August 17 close. Prosody's internal go/no-go target for any supported application is ~July 17 — feasibility-study procurement is the critical path, followed by the financial package and match certification.

📋 Portfolio read complete. Master Target Tracker screened across five audiences: Track-1 independent manufacturers, IRPT host/anchor ports, CFORT co-ops, industry associations, and government stakeholders. The two screens below eliminate most quick-fit ideas.

July 1, 2026 (Wednesday) NOFO POSTED

📢 FIELDS NOFO published. USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, posted opportunity RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS under Assistance Listing 10.383 (same ALN as the predecessor FPEP). $500M total; ~10 awards; $15M–$100M each at 50% match.

🏛️ Authority & contacts. Authorized under the CCC Charter Act §5(b). Team Lead Lisa Noty; electronic waiver requests to FIELDS@usda.gov at least 48 hours before close. Awards anticipated December 2026 – January 2027.

The Two Screens That Decide Eligibility

Together, these eliminate most quick-fit ideas. A viable candidate needs a genuine manufacturing core at scale, committed capital, and a signable feasibility study inside the window.

1 Process-manufacturing test

Projects must materially increase domestic fertilizer process manufacturing — physical/chemical operations that make or convert fertilizer: ammonia from natural gas, ammonia→urea/UAN, granulation, drying, micronutrient coating, sulfur processing.

Ineligible standalone: mixing, blending, bagging, storage, warehousing, distribution, resale — unless integral to and directly supporting a capacity-adding manufacturing project.

2 Top-4 market-share gate

Any applicant or affiliate at or above the fourth-largest market share in nitrogen, sulfur, phosphate, or potash is ineligible. The dominant majors (CF, Nutrien, Mosaic, Koch, Yara) are effectively excluded.

Real applicant pool: independent sub-top-4 producers, new entrants, and Capper-Volstead co-ops (which may submit a justification if the top-4 test misreads their segment).

Program at a Glance NOFO RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS

Program	Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS)
Opportunity No.	RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS · Assistance Listing 10.383 (same ALN as FPEP)
Agency	Commodity Credit Corporation, implemented by USDA Rural Development, Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS)
Authority	CCC Charter Act §5(b), 15 U.S.C. §714c(b)
Total funding	$500 million (RBCS may increase at its discretion)
Award range	$15M minimum — $100M maximum · ~10 anticipated awards
Match	50% of total eligible project costs, non-federal; secured commitments required before award agreement execution
Posted	July 1, 2026
Deadline	August 17, 2026, 11:59 PM ET via Grants.gov (electronic waiver requests to FIELDS@usda.gov ≥48 hrs before close)
Award dates	Anticipated December 2026 – January 2027
Performance	1–5 years; 60-month maximum period of performance; up to 24-month no-cost extension case-by-case
Instrument	Grant via Financial Assistance Agreement (Form RD 4280-2)
Contacts	Team Lead Lisa Noty · FIELDS@usda.gov

Scoring Framework 100 PTS + 10 ADMIN

Seven criteria totaling 100 points, plus up to 10 discretionary Administrator points. Implementation readiness is the explicit cross-cutting priority; failure to address any criterion renders an application ineligible, not merely low-scoring.

Criterion	Points	Weight
1 · Financial Viability & Technical Merit	0–25
2(ii) · Market Demand & Opportunities	0–18
2(i) · Market Impact	0–12
3(i) · Work Plan	0–7
3(ii) · Budget	0–6
3(iii) · Key Personnel & Service Providers	0–6
4 · Major Risks & Mitigation	0–6
5 · Nitrogen- or Sulfur-Related Products (bonus)	+5
6 · Executed Off-Take Agreements (bonus)	+5
7 · Administrator Points (discretionary)	0–10

Scoring edge: confirmed match & financing over identified-but-unconfirmed capital; nitrogen/sulfur products carry a structural bonus; executed off-take beats agreements under negotiation; administrator points favor rural recovery, first-time (non-FPEP) applicants, and geographic diversity.

Key Dates

Jul 1, 2026

NOFO posted

Jul 17, 2026

Prosody go/no-go target

Aug 17, 2026

Applications due · 11:59 PM ET

Dec 2026

Awards anticipated

Jan 2027

Award window closes

Deadlines, amounts, and program mechanics verified against the FIELDS NOFO (RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS) as of July 2026. Fit assessments are desk screens, not formal eligibility determinations — always confirm against the current NOFO before applying.