Lebanon Seaboard Corp., Lebanon, Penn., said July 29 that it has acquired the turf and landscape business from Novozymes, a global leader in biotechnology solutions across a wide range of industries. The deal includes the Roots Turf brand of organic-based granular fertilizers, along with other unique nutritional complements.
The Roots Turf brand is an all-in-one nutrient delivery system that feeds the plant while enhancing the biological life of the soil and plant ecosystem. Roots products are used on golf and sports turf, as well as for lawn care, sod, and hydroseeding, to provide consistent color response, improved turf density, and root mass.
The acquisition reinforces LebanonTurf’s commitment to the emerging field of biological plant nutrition, according to Kathy Bishop, CEO and president of LebanonTurf, a division of Lebanon Seaboard. “Biology and microbes are fundamentally changing agronomic science and how nutrition is viewed and applied. This acquisition puts us on the front edge of that change,” Bishop said. The acquisition also complements Lebanon’s December 2008 acquisition of the Emerald Isle line of foliar and granular fertilizer products. The Emerald Isle line provides seaplant extract and other supplements for root growth, stress tolerance, and disease resistance.
“We now can offer customers access to the broadest and most complete offering of nutrition and physiological fitness products on the market today ?Çô from fundamental N-P-K offerings to highly advanced biotechnology-based products,” said Dave Heegard, vice president and general manager of LebanonTurf.
Novozymes said the divestment was part of a focused growth strategy for its microorganisms business. “We want to ensure the continued growth and profitability of our bio-agriculture business based on the development of our core technologies,” said Thomas Videbæk, executive vice president of Novozymes’s BioBusiness.
Terms of the agreement between privately-held Lebanon Seaboard, and Novozymes, a publicly-traded Danish firm, were not disclosed.