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HARTINGTON — Officials from a company aiming to produce fertilizer near Hartington using electricity, water and air say plans for a small-scale ammonia production facility have been misunderstood by some area residents.
Tristan Peitz, head of business development for Austin, Texas-based TalusAg, said the proposed Hartington project would include one containerized “TalusTen” green ammonia production system capable of producing about 4,500 to 5,500 tons of ammonia fertilizer per year.
Ammonia is the primary building block of most nitrogen fertilizers used in corn and other row-crop production.
Unlike traditional fertilizer plants, which typically rely on natural gas and large centralized facilities, TalusAg’s system uses electricity to split water into hydrogen, extract nitrogen from the air, and then combine the two to create ammonia. The ammonia produced is chemically identical to conventional fertilizer, with the difference being how it is made, Peitz said.
Company representatives said the goal is to produce fertilizer close to where it is used, reducing transportation costs and exposure to global supply disruptions. According to the company, fertilizer often travels thousands of miles from large plants or overseas producers before reaching Midwest farms. This greatly increases the cost to the end user, Peitz said.
“This facilily would provide local production for regional consumption where we can lower the cost of fertilizer for the communities we serve,” Peitz said.
Cedar Knox Public Power District General Manager Mike Lammers said bringing the plant to Cedar County would be a win-win for county residents.
“This would be a real positive impact for Cedar County residents,” Lammers said. “It should be a real asset to farmers — it’ll help keep our rates low and help keep fertilizer costs down.”
Lammers said Cedar Knox has been in communication with the company for nearly three years. If the fertilizer plant is approved, Cedar Knox has agreed to sell TalusAg land along Highway 84 west of Hartington. Cedar Knox previously used the site for a substation when MidAmerica Dairy was operating in Hartington.
Peitz said the facility would have a positive economic impact on Cedar County.
“In the development and construction phase, our philosophy is to work with local contractors to prepare the site, including concrete, electricians and mechanics,” Peitz said. “We intend to hire and train local operators as skilled maintenance operators.”
The local production model is intended to offer farmers cheaper and more predictable pricing. The company says it targets ammonia pricing below long-term market averages and offers long-term fixed-price contracts, reducing exposure to volatile fertilizer markets.
“We want to be in an area where we can get good, affordable electricity and where we can help local producers,” Peitz said. “That’s what it’s all about. We’re really focused on delivering benefits to the community and operating safely.”
The Hartington facility would use about 10,000 gallons of water per day and include one 90,000-gallon ammonia storage tank. Construction and commissioning are expected to take eight to 12 months once approvals are secured, he said.
Peitz said safety is a top concern for the company. TalusAg systems include automated emergency shutdowns, remote monitoring and fail-safe containment. The site would be fenced, monitored around the clock and access-controlled, with ammonia storage tanks designed to be lockable. The facility is designed to meet or exceed OSHA process safety management standards, EPA risk management program requirements and NFPA 55 standards.
The company also plans to work proactively with local fire departments on emergency planning and will provide annual third-party safety audits to customers and local authorities.
Peitz said he has had extensive conversations with Hartington Fire Chief Ryan Marsh about the facility. According to Peitz, Marsh was pleased the department was being consulted and did not express concerns about the company’s safety measures.
“If we didn’t have the fire chief’s blessing, we wouldn’t be advancing the project,” Peitz said.
Initially, the facility was believed to require a conditional use permit from the county. It was later determined the site is within the city of Hartington’s one-mile zoning jurisdiction, meaning city approval would be required instead.
If approved, the Hartington project would represent one of TalusAg’s smaller, modular fertilizer facilities designed to serve regional agricultural markets.
The Hartington facility would be the company’s fifth location.
TalusAg’s first facility was built in Kenya in 2023, followed by a plant in Boone, Iowa, in 2024. Another facility was commissioned in Borgo, Spain, in October 2025, and the company plans to open a plant in Eagle Grove, Iowa, in 2026.
Peitz said he would like to see the Hartington facility operational in 2027.
