Background and Workshop Objectives

Recent White House executive actions have elevated phosphorus supply-chain resilience to an urgent national security priority, recognizing that domestic production falls short of critical needs. The element is vital not only for supporting agricultural food security through fertilizer, but also for enabling high-value applications in defense, semiconductors, energy technologies, and advanced materials. Despite its wide-ranging importance, federal oversight of phosphorus remains fragmented across numerous agencies—such as the USDA, DOD, EPA, and USGS—with no central body coordinating science, environmental protection, and strategic policy. To address this fragmentation, this workshop will bring key stakeholders together to clarify agency roles, identify critical knowledge gaps, and establish a unified policy agenda for resilient phosphorus systems.

Specific workshop objectives include:

1. Establish a shared understanding of the February 18, 2026, Executive Order (EO), “Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides,” and the 2025 USGS designation of phosphate as a critical mineral as well as their implications for phosphorus and glyphosate supply chains, domestic production capacity, and national security priorities.
2. Identify critical knowledge conflicts and knowledge gaps related to phosphorus resources in the U.S.
3. Clarify and map out institutional roles and responsibilities among federal agencies, industry, NGOs, and academic researchers with respect to phosphorus management.
4. Develop a cross-sector road map for research priorities and coordination, data sharing, and assessment of domestic phosphorus supplies and sustainability.
5. Identify a process to increase and sustain network connections between all stakeholders involved in domestic phosphorus management.

Tentative Agenda

December 1, 2026
8:00 am	Networking Breakfast
9:00 am	Workshop goals and objectives, introduction to STEPS
9:15 am	Policy briefing panel
10:15 am	Break
10:30 am	Technical Session with lightning talks: – Phosphorus supply chains  – Domestic production capacity – Phosphate use patterns
12:00 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm	Technical Session with lightning talks: – Environmental monitoring – Human health considerations – Economic dimensions
3:00 pm	Break
3:15 pm	Breakout sessions to digest materials and outline questions for Day 2
4:00 pm	Review and editing of stakeholder matrix
5:00 pm	Break and downtime
6:30 pm	Networking reception
December 2, 2026
8:00 am	Networking Breakfast
9:00 am	Open discussion of questions from Day 1
10:15 am	Break
10:30 am	Facilitated breakout discussions Part 1
12:00 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm	Facilitated breakout discussions Part 2
3:00 pm	Break
3:30 pm	Full group prioritization of research priority areas

Workshop organizers will continue to update this page with additional information for attendees and agenda details as these items are finalized.

Please reach out to Maude Cuchiara ([email protected]) if you have questions or need additional information.