Francie Finn Newport Beach, CA Interests: Microbes & BioChar

Farmers and ranchers worldwide use about 180 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer every year, much of which eventually runs into waterways and oceans, causing algae blooms that kill aquatic life. The mix of more than 30 types of microbes in SumaGrow could eliminate all other fertilizer use on the planet’s eight billion acres of pasture grass alone; not to mention all the billions of acres used for farming, forests, and landscape applications. SumaGrow's microbes replace naturally occurring ones that are lost in over farmed soil, increasing productivity by locking nitrogen in the soil and breaking down organic waste into useful nutrients. The treatment increases a high yield by some 20+ percent over standard fertilizer. Because microbes create micro-channels in the soil structure, water runoff decreases by about half, reducing watering needs and costs.