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optimize from there. We believe, based on what Rhizolizer is mixed with a starter blend of
we’ve seen, that 40% is achievable, and possibly micronutrients and applied through irrigation
even higher,” he says. systems and makes it easier for plants to take
Growers generally won’t adopt new technology up nutrients, the company says. In citrus, for
solely because it’s good for the environment, example, the company reported a 73% average
Miille says. “Yes, they want to be sustainable, increase in root mass. In soybeans, it reported a
and yes they care about climate change and the 4 to 5 bushel an acre increase.
environment. But you rarely can sell them on a The company also claims significant reductions
product solely on that.” in emissions of nitrous oxide (75% to 85%), cit-
rus (87%) and potatoes (60%). As a greenhouse
However, once you can tell them they can gas, nitrous oxide is 300 times more potent as a
reduce their nitrogen use by 25% to 30%, “it greenhouse gas than CO2.
gets really interesting to them economically,”
he says. Meanwhile, Locus has created a program called
CarbonNOW to lead farmers through the
Pivot Bio’s nitrogen-fixing microbe product process of obtaining carbon credits. One of the
has sold out each of the past two growing first to participate is Iowa grower Kelly Garrett,
seasons and the company has expanded capacity who has enrolled 3,300 acres in the program for
in the hopes of covering millions of corn acres an expected payment of about $103 an acre, or
in 2021, Poston says. about $341,000, over five years.

The company picked up $100 million this spring However, the payments are based solely on
from investors including Breakthrough Energy existing farming practices and don’t account for
Ventures — whose backers include Bill Gates yields and carbon sequestration due to his use
and Jeff Bezos — which it is using to expand of Rhizolizer. Use of that product is currently in
internationally, making the product available in the process of being validated as a conservation
Argentina and conducting trials in Canada. It practice, said a Locus spokeswoman.
is also moving towards commercialization of a
new product for U.S. wheat. So far, 5,000 of his credits have been sold, to
Shopify, for $75,000. The rest are for sale in the
“We have a lot of folks that are interested in our Nori marketplace.
product, and a lot of folks, quite frankly, that
really want us to be successful,” Poston said. Pivot has used farmer customers to give testimo-
nials to other growers.
“The ultimate goal of our company is to replace
synthetic nitrogen, if at all possible. How long During the 2020 Commodity Classic in San
it will take to get there, I can’t tell you,” Poston Antonio, Texas, Illinois corn grower Bryan
said, adding, “We’ve certainly made the first Tomm said during 2019, an exceptionally wet
viable step in that direction.” year, he saw a 30% increase in yield compared
to the standard practice of side-dressing rows
Poston acknowledges that biologicals have a with anhydrous ammonia.
checkered history. Some products have had lim- Kevin Gerlach, an Iowa farmer, worries farmers
ited success, while others “are real failures.”
could face restrictions on fertilizer. “If we don’t
Locus AG also expresses optimism about its do something on our own, they’re going to tell
results. Rhizolizer was used on tens of thousands us what to do. And so we might as well be pro-
of acres this past growing season and expects to active and try something different … and this is
increase its presence in the Midwest in 2021. the best thing I’ve found.”

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