(Jamestown, ND) – The North Dakota Farmers Union is urging lawmakers in the state, who are returning for a special session to deal with a bill deemed unconstitutional, to retain a program designed to support in-state fertilizer production.
North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne said the Union’s members set expanding in-state fertilizer production as a “top legislative priority,” saying it still is as the Legislature heads into special session.
In Senate Bill 2015, legislators directed the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority to establish a fertilizer development incentive program of up to $125 million.
“Because we are at the end of the supply chain, farmers in North Dakota are consistently subjected to higher fertilizer prices and extreme price volatility compared to other parts of the country,” said Watne. Increasing the state’s fertilizer production capacity would give farmers a “more affordable and reliable supply source,” he said.
“This bill would position North Dakota as a leader in cutting edge fertilizer production technology,” Watne said. “It’s a win for farmers and a win for North Dakota.”
