Organic Fertilizer Success—45 Years in the Making

Bio Huma Netics, Inc. (BHN) has its origins in the discovery of a mine in Idaho that contained a type of leonardite that was never compressed or heated to become coal and never covered by an ocean that deposited heavy metals. When this carbon- and oxygen-rich material was ground and applied to agricultural soils, crop yields and quality improved. A company was formed in 1973 to mine, process, and distribute this organic material, which was sold in 50-lb bags to be spread on fields (by hand, by ground machine, or by airplane). 

One of the company founders, plant scientist Dr. Jordan Smith, was always looking for ways to improve the use and application of this core material. In the 1980s, he developed a process that extracted the core properties from the leonardite that improved crop yields; digested it to very small particle sizes that could be absorbed through plant roots, leaves and stems; and complexed it with specific added conventional nutrients in a liquid solution. This became the Micro Carbon Technology^® (MCT) that is now the carrier for all of our liquid nutrient and crop protection products. The resultant conventional fertilizers made with the MCT carrier are now widely used around the world with just about every crop imaginable. Our customers have consistently seen higher crop yields and improved crop quality.

As organic agriculture became more economically viable, customers began asking us to develop a fully organic liquid nutrient line to replace their standard organic fertilizers—which are sometimes difficult to store and use, do not meet crop needs at all growth stages, often give inconsistent results, and at times give very little result at all. They saw no reason why organic crops had to be of lower yield and quality than conventional crops. They challenged us to set a new standard for organic fertilizers.

When the scientists in our lab successfully created an organic version of our MCT, the door opened to developing fully organic soil fertility, macronutrient, micronutrient, organic acid, and surfactant products. We are launching the Fertilgold^® Organics product line in 2018 with over 20 initial products, and more in the pipeline.

We’ve come full circle back to producing fully organic fertilizers, as we were perhaps destined to do. We have a lot of tradition at BHN that made the journey’s conclusion inevitable: Dr. Jordan Smith, the founder, instilled the importance of scientific investigation, natural resource stewardship, and community responsibility. These values have been upheld by his son, Lyndon Smith (company president and CEO since 1995); his grandson, Justin Smith (Executive Vice President of Sales since 2016); and four other grandchildren who have key areas of responsibility in this company—which remains family-and-employee-owned to this day.

Fertilgold^® Organics grew from a desire to contribute to a shared world abundance through our traditions and time-tested values. We have set a new standard for organic fertilizers, and we will continue to expand and improve the Fertilgold^® Organics line to help organic growers produce premium crops while profiting for their families, stewarding natural resources, and improving the quality of life for all of us.

We hope you accompany us on the next 45 years of our journey. Follow our story on this blog, and share your own stories on our social media channels. [Facebook] [Twitter]