(NAFB.com) – The Department of Agriculture Tuesday extended the comment deadline regarding its “Access to Fertilizer: Competition and Supply Chain Concerns” Federal Register notice.

Published in the Federal Register in March, the previous deadlines for comments were May 16, and June 15, 2022. USDA extended the comment deadline another month to July 15, 2022. Andy Green, USDA’s Senior Advisor for Fair and Competitive Markets, says the new deadline allows “commenters to provide additional feedback regarding the role of capacity expansion and related strategies to directly enhance competition in the fertilizer market.”

Through the effort, USDA is seeking information on what obstacles exist to financing and developing new fertilizer capacity, expanding fertilizer manufacturing, and what other threats the fertilizer sector faces. In March, USDA announced plans for a $250 million investment in grants to support additional fertilizer production for farmers to address rising costs and spur competition. Fertilizer prices have more than doubled since last year.