Romania’s Norofert AG on March 19 announced plans to invest €250,000 to build a small bio-based fertilizer plant in Watertown, S.D. Production will concentrate on soil health and foliar nutrition, similar to a facility in Romania. The plant will use bacteria produced in the laboratory in Filipestii de Padure in Romania.
The investment will be carried out in partnership with Gary Lamb, who the company identifies as an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in Midwest agribusiness, with extensive knowledge of the market and farmers in the area. He will manage the activities of the new entity from South Dakota, overseeing sales, territorial expansion, and company administration. Norofert holds the majority stake of 51% in the project, with Lamb holding 49%.
Norofert said the production line will be located in a rented space, and automation will allow the company to maintain a small number of employees, specifically two, for the first year. The company said there are already pre-orders for the bacterial fertilizers to be produced from the facility. The start of construction for the production line is scheduled for the first week of April.