Ag co-op testing fertilizer from farm wastes

Manchester, Conn.-Central Connecticut Co-op Farmers Assn. is partnering with U.S. Sustainable Energy of Natchez, Miss., to produce an organic fertilizer from agriculture wastes using a carbonizing process that also yields biofuels and biogas, according to co-op officials. Central Conn Co-op told Green Markets that preparations are underway to use 2,000 pounds of the dry 7-3-7 fertilizer on test plots growing corn, vegetables, tobacco, and other crops. Eventually, the co-op plans to open a facility to produce both the fertilizer and biofuels to help boost the economy in the agriculture area. At the same time, U.S. Sustainable Energy announced its initial sale of 2,000 pounds of the carbon-based fertilizer to Vegetable Energy Group, LLC, doing business as Vee-Go Energy. Vee-Go successfully completed solubility and time release tests with Central Conn Co-op. Sustainable Energy Chairman and CEO John Rivera said the sale price of 15 cents per pound helps boost the product’s commercial viability since it was much higher than anticipated. Vee-Go’s CEO Michael Garjian added, “The carbon ash product is undergoing additional testing in Virginia to validate whether the activated carbon within the fertilizer can render toxins inert by absorbing them in the soil.”