Inocucor will use the investment to develop a new fertilizer for cash croppers
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
A Montreal, Que. fertilizer start-up will use a $2.5-million investment from the federal government to develop a new product for corn, soybean, canola and wheat producers.
The new fertilizer, called Synergro Free, is still a few years away from commercialization, but early field trials indicate farmers could see significant yield increases, according to Don Marvin, CEO of Inocucor.
“We’ve seen anywhere from the mid-single-digit to low-double-digit percentage (yield increases),” Marvin told Farms.com today. “An increase along those lines is rather significant because it’s all about getting an economic return to the grower.”
Growers can apply Synergro Free via a tank mix with herbicides in-farrow or post-emergence. Synergro Free can also be used as a seed treatment.
Inocucor already has a fertilizer on the market called Synergro. A total of 10 microbes make up the product’s formulation.
Synergro Free is a similar product but there are some nuances that set the two fertilizers apart.
“Synergro Free has the same fermentation process as Synergro,” Marvin said. “But at the end of the fermentation process, we remove all of the microbes and concentrate the molecules produced during fermentation that are responsible for stimulating the plant and increasing yield.”
Inocucor received the investment from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an arm’s-length foundation of the Canadian Government.
The investment shows farmers that the government is committed to seeing the ag industry grow, Marvin says.
“Developing agricultural products is an expensive process to go through,” he said. “Having the financial backing of SDTC is extremely important to the company to allow us to accelerate the development of Synergro Free. We’re honoured to receive its support.”