Koch Agronomic Services

NewLeaf Symbiotics is an agriculture technology firm focused on discovering and developing sustainable agricultural solutions based on bacteria and related microorganisms. The company's services are primarily focused on the study, development, and commercialization of symbiotic bacteria, which are helpful plant bacteria that help farmers combat plant disease and boost agricultural yields.

Koch Agronomic Services, LLC and other subsidiaries of Koch Fertilizer, LLC have become one of the world's largest networks for manufacturing and marketing value-added fertilizer products. The businesses distribute more than 13 million tons of material per year. Koch Fertilizer, LLC owns or leases more than 90 terminals worldwide to meet global demand for commodity and enhanced efficiency fertilizers year-round. Koch Fertilizer, LLC is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., one of the largest private companies in America.

Koch Agronomic Services (KAS) produces and markets enhanced efficiency fertilizers and plant nutrient technologies for agriculture producers and turf professionals. The company's product portfolio includes WOLF TRAX Dry Dispersible Powder (DDP) micronutrients featuring EvenCoat technology, which provides complete coverage and adhesion of micronutrients to dry fertilizer granules for even distribution across fields. KAS's technologies span three categories: controlled-release products, ammonia volatilization inhibitors, and nitrification inhibitors. The company introduced innovative nitrogen protection chemistries including Pronitridine in Centuro and Duromide in Anvol.

Natural Fertilizers

WOLF TRAX from Koch Agronomic Services Boosts Nutrient Use Efficiency

NewLeaf Symbiotics

RockPort Capital

Otter Capital

S2G Ventures

Leaps by Bayer

Koch Agronomic Services (KAS) produces and markets enhanced efficiency fertilizers and plant nutrient technologies for agriculture producers and turf professionals. The company's product portfolio includes WOLF TRAX Dry Dispersible Powder (DDP) micronutrients featuring EvenCoat technology, which provides complete coverage and adhesion of micronutrients to dry fertilizer granules for even distribution across fields. KAS's technologies span three categories: controlled-release products, ammonia volatilization inhibitors, and nitrification inhibitors. The company introduced innovative nitrogen protection chemistries including Pronitridine in Centuro and Duromide in Anvol.The company examines and understands the science affecting crops to create technologies that optimize fertilizer investments. Their enhanced efficiency fertilizer products generated North American sales of USD 590 million as of 2019. Their products are designed to maximize nutrient performance and minimize nitrogen loss while improving environmental performance through increased nitrogen use efficiency, decreased nitrogen runoff, and reduced CO2 emissions.KAS operates as a subsidiary of Koch Ag &amp; Energy Solutions, which completed the acquisition of OCI Global's Iowa Fertilizer Company (IFCO) for USD 3.6 billion in August 2024, significantly expanding its nitrogen fertilizer production capabilities.Key customers and partnershipsIn April 2023, KAS partnered with GROWERS to leverage their platform for promoting its product portfolio directly to farmers at the point of sale while directing sales through channel partners. The company also entered into a strategic partnership with FBSciences in January 2023 to develop agricultural technologies focusing on seed enhancement opportunities in North America. KAS serves various industries including western Canada's predominately calcareous soils, helping growers optimize their investments.

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 Based in Michigan, Gantec offers plant-based liquid fertilizers, micronutrient supplements, concentrates and biopesticides using a proprietary process called “Bio-Adaptive Supplementation” (BAS). BAS extracts properties from plants that thrive in extreme environments such as the neem tree and converts them into fertilizers. Gantec’s products can be applied to a range of crops, including field crops, root crops, vegetables, and tree and bush crops. The company initially began sourcing its raw materials from West Africa, and, as of May 2022,  sourced it from six continents.  
 
 
 Gantec’s BAS solutions claim to improve plant resiliency, nutrient uptake, yield, and growth. For instance, based on a trial conducted by the Saginaw Valley State University, applying the company’s GantecPro liquid fertilizer to cherry tomatoes increased the yield by 17%. For potatoes, based on another trial conducted by the Michigan State University, applying GantecPro increased the yield by 11%. 
 
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Gantec Inc

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 Based in Washington, Impact Bioenergy manufactures portable systems that convert organic waste to produce electricity and fertilizer. The company started manufacturing its own biofertilizer product called “ProBiotic Plant Food” (PBF)  in July 2020. PBF is a compost biofertilizer, which is made by first creating a “smoothie” from waste food such as spent yeast, curds, whey, and trub. This is then digested by microbes in a 30-day process to convert it into PBF. The final product is dried and pulverized to create a mix called “PBF Mix No 7.” Based on a trial conducted by Forest Garden Farm for a butternut squash tree, PBF increased yields by almost 30% compared to using a standard fertilizer. 
 
 
 The company also adds fish bone meal, poultry feather meal, biochar, and mealworm frass to the base product to produce different blends of PBF, which is offered as a dry blend or concentrated liquid blend that can be mixed with water to make a fertigation liquid. PBF initially was available to B2B customers on a subscription basis and then later targeted B2C customers selling online via ecommerce sites such as Amazon.  
 
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Impact bioenergy

Based in France, Toopi Organics converts human urine (which is naturally high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) into fertilizer called “BACTIPI" using a proprietary patented fermentation process. The process involves collecting and filtering ‘pure’ urine (not mixed with water) from public places including schools, stadiums, and amusement parks before fermentation. The company ferments the cleaned urine at its production facility in Loupiac de la Réole France using 5,000 liter fermentation tanks along with sugar and Lactobacillus paracasei lactic bacteria to create a 100% organic fertilizer.“BACTIPI” can be applied to field crops, vine crops, home gardening, and industrial crops and promotes the growth of microorganisms and solubilizes phosphorus in the soil, increasing plant and root growth. The company has demonstrated that its fertilizer has similar efficiency and is a cheaper alternative to other chemical fertilizers in the market.Toopi aims to partner with local companies including farmers, fertilizer distributors, and sanitation companies to set up and operate urine processing plants. Toopi will handle the production of the fertilizer, while the partnering company will handle distribution. As of May 2022, Toopi states had set up a subsidiary in Belgium and was actively working with companies in Benin and Kenya to commercialize its products. The company had also signed an agreement with a large fertilizer distributor in France (name undisclosed) to sell its fertilizer for the following three years. Toopi has received approval to sell its products in Belgium and expects to obtain the same in France in 2022.Financials and Funding:In <a href="https://techfundingnews.com/french-startup-toopi-organics-raises-95m-to-turn-human-urine-into-crop-biostimulants/">November 2023</a>, Toopi Organics raised EUR 8.4 million (~USD 9 million) from EIC Accelerator, a European innovation programme for deep tech startups. The funding comprises a EUR 2.4 million non-dilutive grant and EUR 6 million in equity to be invested in 2025. Also, in <a href="https://techfundingnews.com/french-startup-toopi-organics-raises-95m-to-turn-human-urine-into-crop-biostimulants/">September 2023</a>, the company raised EUR 16 million (~USD 17 million) in funding to expand its urine collection network.&nbsp;Previously, In <a href="https://www.eu-startups.com/2021/04/bordeaux-based-toopi-organics-scales-up-urine-recycling-network-in-france-with-e3-8-million-funding">April 2021</a>, The company received a EUR 3.8 million (~USD 4.1 million) grant from ADEME (The French Agency for Ecological Transition). The company planned to use the funds to build a network of urine recycling plants in partnership with toilet manufacturers, installers, and collectors.

Greentech TOOPI Organics

Reazent is a Canadian company that has developed a patented technology to organically replace agrochemicals. The company focuses on loading plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) to treat the soil and the plant. The company states that its technology can be applied across a wide range of crops such as soybean, peanuts, wheat, kale, and lettuce.Studies show that only 0.1% PGPR strains have been commercialized to date. Reazent claims that its competitive advantage is that it can work with up to 116 PGPR strains and has identified that soil bacteria have a second metabolite that can be used to up-regulate plant defense and root growth genes in plants. The company further claims that its technology helps in achieving an improvement of 5x in the plant’s immune system, thereby providing protection against pesticides as well.As of June 2022, the company has not commercialized and is actively working on obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of its products in Canada and the US. Based on trials conducted in 2020 across different growing conditions, its product has demonstrated a 400% increase in soybean root nodules, a 30% increase in peanuts above-ground biomass, and up to a 35% increase in peanuts pod dry weight when compared with synthetic and other organic products. In October 2020, the company reported that it had many trials underway, including for tomato, and was expecting results by December 2021. The company noted in November 2021 that it would be extensively trialing its fertilizer product for soybeans in North America, Brazil, and India during the following growing season.Funding and financialsIn May 2020, the company received CAD 350,000 (USD 250,000) in seed funding as part of joining IndieBio’s accelerator program. The funds were to be used to conduct trials for its prototype fertilizer product at the <a href="http://www.verschurencentre.ca/">Verschuren Center for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment </a>at Cape Breton University ass well as to develop its product for large-scale trials. In <a href="https://crushdynamics.com/news/natural-products-canada-supports-over-4m-in-commercialization-activity-for-seven-promising-canadian-food-and-agriculture-companies/">February 2023</a>, the company raised USD 15,600 from Natural Products Canada, a non-profit organization that supports Canadian bio-based innovation and commercialization to fast-track the development of a regulatory plan.

Reazent

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 Based in Spain, Ficosterra is a marine biotechnology company that offers seaweed and algae-based fertilizers and biostimulants, with applications in agriculture, landscaping, and turf. The company offers fertilizer under the brands “Ficosterra-g” (algae-based) and “Ficosgreen” (algae and seaweed-based), made using its “Biological Crop Booster” (BCB) technology. BCB combines microbes and algae extracts to produce soil-regenerating microbes.
 
 
 As of June 2022, Ficosterra operated two manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Spain and sold its products via its own online store, serving the local and overseas markets (launched across the US and Europe in 2019). 
 
 
 To expand the reach of its products in Spain, in October 2018, the company partnered with Sipcam Jardin, a Spanish multinational distributor of fertilizers, nutrients, and biostimulants, for the distribution of “Ficosterra-g,” Ficosterra’s algae-based fertilizer. In January 2021, Ficosterra also partnered with Algas Marinas (AlgaMar), a Mexico-based company producing algae-based products for agriculture and human consumption, to jointly launch “Ficosterra America,” which would serve both the American and European markets. Ficosterra and AlgaMar were to combine their seaweed and algae nutrient-extracting technologies to develop and produce fertilizer.
 
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Focisterra

Contain bacteria such as Rhizobia, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and blue-green algae that transform nitrogen into organic compounds that can be absorbed by the plant

Contain bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down insoluble phosphates to make them available to crops

Contain rhizobacteria that can act as biofertilizers, bioprotectants

Contain organic matter such as animal dung which enriches the soil with microorganisms

Fertilizers derived from animal materials such as cow manure, crushed animal bones, animal blood, shellfish, and fish meal

Fertilizers made with plant material such as compost produced from plant waste, seaweed, cottonseed meal, and soybean meal

Fertilizers developed from natural elements like greensand, rock phosphate, and nitrogen from air

Provides a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

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 Koch Agronomic Services has launched Phosforce, an enzyme-based nutrient enhancer that uses phosphodiesterase to unlock organic phosphorus in soil for better crop nutrition. This product is available as a liquid solution compatible with common agricultural inputs.
 Phosforce facilitates biochemical reactions in the soil to make unavailable phosphorus usable for plant uptake. It has versatile application methods such as on the surface, in furrow, as a side dress, or through fertigation, and has a shelf life of two years.
 Trials have shown 23% more phosphorus in corn treated with Phosforce compared to untreated corn, resulting in a yield advantage of five bu/A. Other crops also showed improved yields; 3.5 bu/A in soybeans, 22.4 cwt/A in potatoes, and 57 lb/A in cotton. Additionally, Phosforce stimulated lateral root formation and boosted soil activity.
 
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