Pivot Bio today unveiled its “Intent to Pivot” field-scale beta testing program. Farmers in critical corn-producing states across the Corn Belt will trial Pivot Bio’s nitrogen-producing microbes in large-scale plots.
Nitrogen is critical nutrient in crop production, especially corn. The process for applying nitrogen requires precise timing and conditions to ensure full nutrient absorption. With traditional fertilizer, unpredictable weather and other environmental factors can prevent up to half of the nitrogen applied from being efficiently used by plants. Pivot Bio’s ON Technology™ addresses the nutrient absorption issue using naturally-occurring microbes to deliver nitrogen in a timely and efficient manner — resulting in more productive and predictable crop yields without nutrient degradation, leaching, or toxic runoff into waterways.
“Our approach to re-igniting nitrogen production in naturally-occurring plant microbes has been thoroughly tested over five growing seasons,” said Karsten Temme, CEO and co-founder of Pivot Bio. “I anticipate the additional key findings collected this growing season will confirm the already encouraging results we’ve seen, which include increased yields and a decreased need for conventional fertilizer.”
Pivot Bio is working with IN10T (pronounced intent), an agronomic field research company, to launch and manage the beta testing. Through IN10T’s FarmerTrials program, Pivot Bio will gather field data and evaluate the overall experience and expected outcomes from farmers using its nitrogen-producing microbes.
“We are thrilled to be part of a solution that has the potential to transform today’s nitrogen fixation practices and replace traditional fertilizer,” said Randy Barker, co-founder and CEO of IN10T. “The ‘Intent to Pivot’ FarmerTrials are designed to ensure broadacre testing and provide meaningful research data to ensure a smooth transition to market adoption.”
“Intent to Pivot” beta testing will begin as planting gets underway this spring. In-season evaluations will continue throughout the growing season (April – August), culminating data collection during fall harvest, with final reporting by the end of the 2018 calendar year.
“This is only the beginning, as we drive toward cleaner, more sustainable solutions for the crop microbiome and shift the current course of humanity and the planet,” Temme said.
Pivot Bio is joining the 2018 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco on March 20-21. Temme will speak on a panel entitled, “The Changing Face of Crop Protection & Demand for Bio-Based Solutions,” at 12:15 p.m. PT on March 21.