Nov 1, 2023
OMRI certifies TerraSante fertilizer for organic use
TerraSante crop fertilizer and soil amendment technology from MustGrow Biologics Corp. has been certified for use in organic production by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).
The certification brings TerraSante into the materials recognized by the National Organic Program for organic growing.
The organic certification may provide an opportunity for farmers to reduce synthetic chemical and fertilizer use while meeting growing market demand for organic biological products, according to a MustGrow news release. The OMRI approval process includes a strict review of product ingredient composition and observance of manufacturing compliance standards required in organic production. Pending final registration of product approval from U.S. state agencies, TerraSante will be marketed with the legend “OMRI listed for organic use.”
“We believe that organic compliance is a major milestone towards commercializing TerraSante” Colin Bletsky, MustGrow chief operating officer, said in the release. “Agriculture needs new organic innovations to support food production and this organic certification further supports our belief that MustGrow’s technologies could be impactful. The key U.S. agricultural regions are under constant pressure to eliminate or reduce synthetic products, so natural, OMRI-certified technologies like TerraSante have great promise for commercial-scale adoption.”
MustGrow believes this soil amendment and biofertility initiative will complement its existing biocontrol programs in preplant soil fumigation, postharvest food preservation, and bioherbicide, which are currently under development with four global partners: Janssen PMP, Bayer, Sumitomo Corporation and NexusBioAg. These four partnered programs continue to achieve performance milestones and expand globally in scope and investment.
TerraSante for soil and ecological health
MustGrow’s soil amendment and biofertility development programs will focus on soil and soil microbiome health, nutrient and water use efficiencies, and plant yields. Initially, the development work is anticipated to progress in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California and Arizona, before expanding nationwide across the U.S.
As a soil amendment in mixable form, TerraSante contains nutritious plant proteins and carbohydrates that feed soil microbes to improve beneficial microbial activity and ensure long-term sustainable soil health. These targeted micro-communities have been shown to work to improve nutrient availability, which can potentially increase plant vigor and yields, while reducing plant stress. TerraSante has the potential to improve crop nutrient uptake. There are no artificial additives or preservatives used during its manufacturing.
MustGrow expects to initially pursue TerraSante-branded registrations in North America for soil amendment applications, followed by formulations and brands targeting the biofertility markets. The soil amendment and biofertility products will use multiple technologies derived from novel plant-based extracts from mustard and potentially other sources.
Alternatives to synthetic fertilizers
With the world’s population expanding, agriculture production and global food security are increasingly important. Fertilizers continue to play a critical role in agriculture, yet plans to reduce their use have been amplified in recent years to minimize the negative consequences of climate change through emission reduction strategies. Canada, for example, has set a voluntary national fertilizer emissions reduction target of 30% below 2020 levels by 2030 to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Soil amendment and biofertifility innovations, such as MustGrow’s TerraSanteTM technology, could provide a key agricultural solution to the combined effects of fertilizer reduction targets alongside the need to increase farm production, farm profitability, economic growth and global food security.
