New Tech Fertilisers solving our soil nutrient crisis
I read an abstract from a University of Queensland (UQ) publication https://global-engagement.uq.edu.au/german-day-schmidt which spoke with concern regarding the shortfalls of existing fertiliser practices.
“Fertiliser inefficiencies have enormous environmental costs, globally and locally. Our iconic Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is degrading, and nutrient pollution is a main contributor. The GBR lagoon receives 6-times more nitrogen(N) than natural backgrounds, approximately 80,000 tons annually, and N-pollution reduction targets remain unmet. This long-standing problem is caused by fertilisers used in broad-acre agriculture that rapidly dissolve and are readily lost from soil.”
What worried me was that the article ignored the availability and effectiveness of what I term, “New Tech Fertilisers”, which reduce the use of synthetic NPK by up to half, and which are available now, cost effective, and provide higher farm yields than the old tech products.
We are currently selling the BioIQ Bactivate V6.3 product set, and it has too much upside to be ignored by farmers, ag distributors, and academia.
The products are established, farm trialled, and cost effective. More importantly, they benefit most agricultural vertical markets.
We just need the universities to catch up with what is readily available to agribusiness and assess them for merit, and (where appropriate) help promote these solutions.
The Bactivate products repair soil damage caused by the long-term use of old technology fertilisers.
The UQ article talks about synthetic fertiliser wastage like it’s a modern discovery, when we have known about the deficiencies of old tech fertiliser for 50 years.
The trouble with universities is that they won’t work with leading edge, but often small industry providers, still referring to the need for a “multi-disciplinary consortium of scientists” to produce the “2nd Green Revolution”.
New Tech Fertilisers
The “2ndGreen Revolution” is already progressing quite nicely, but we could use the marketing and research clout of our major universities, UQ included.
We know that we can reduce the use of old tech fertilisers by up to 50% quickly, and in many instances within 12 months.
The Mitta Valley Report funded through Mitta Valley Landcare provides useful data and insights over a 5-year period which supports this assertion.
The same goes for the work of Bactivate over the past 13 years.
Although not a direct quote, Elon Musk suggests –
“With all the difficulties in the world, do not fret -- we still have more than a few outstanding humans left paving the way for a better future".
My view is that the environmental and production problems of old tech fertilisers can be addressed immediately and simply by a staged implementation of new tech fertilisers, merging the old with the new.
Just like electric cars
Electric cars started as hybrid electric vehicles, then battery electric vehicles, now new tech battery vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles siting on the horizon ... and so on.
The UQ article prescribes how old technology fertiliser problems might be addressed: -
“Authorities and stakeholders agree that the nutrient problem demands disruptive and transformative innovation. Enhanced efficiency fertilisers (e.g. plastic-coated urea) can reduce N losses, but release patterns remain difficult to control. We take a new approach with the aim to better synchronise nutrient supply and crop demand. Capitalising on innovation in material science and process engineering, we are developing Next Gen fertiliser to support a future circular nutrient economy without pollution and waste.”
Reduction in Synthetic Fertiliser Use
Across vertical markets where the BioIQ Bactivate products operate we see reductions in the use of old tech fertilisers by up to 50%, usually within a year and with better production yields.
We are breaking new ground to address the constraints of current fertilisers that are costly to purchase, and costly for the environment and prevent crops from reaching their yield potential.
The BioIQ Bactivate platform is complemented by crop and soil beneficial microbes and bacteria, bio-stimulants, amino acids, and proteins combined with concentrated processing technology.
We show how agriculture profits can be increased from understanding the crop-soil-microbe interface, at prices per hectare which impress the most conservative landowner.
Current model of University Research is Broken
Reliance on student fees not contributions from business and endowments is keeping the Australian academic elite away from the coalface. Universities in North America like MIT keep pushing research with record numbers of patents being filed each year, literally 1,000s of them.
Their model is based on the understanding that only a few need to succeed to create the financial success to justify the investigation into new product technologies.
BioIQ was born out of an ambition to reduce the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers and improve soil health, migrating farmers and agribusinesses to programs more sustainable and safer to use.
Robert Rushford and Mike Tyrrell offer a new plant nutrition solution that provides regenerative and all natural solutions for farmers, land managers [and homeowners] to improve the health of the planet through scientific innovation.
BioIQ is made for Farmers and Land Managers … A leader in fertiliser and soil conditioner technology.
BioIQ
Robert Rushford CEO BioIQ 1300 090 261
