Montreal-based Sollio Agriculture announced that its new controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) AgriTech plant in St. Thomas, Ont., has received a C$154,000 grant to accelerate production as part of the Bioenterprise Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions and Technology Challenge.
Provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the grant will help boost production and industry adoption of the CRF products made at the plant. Bioenterprise selected Ontario-based alternative fertilizer projects and products based on their potential to address risks in the fertilizer supply chain while delivering economic and environmental benefits back to the Ontario ecosystem.
Sollio said it will use the grant to train retailers and growers, research coatings for various nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and other fertilizers, and ensure product quality control, with production set to begin in May.
In 2021, Sollio partnered with Pursell Agri-Tech LLC, Sylacauga, Ala., to build and operate the C$20 million dedicated fertilizer-coating plant in southwestern Ontario (GM Sept. 2, 2021). The facility applies Pursell’s proprietary materials and processing techniques to the production of advanced CRFs, providing an environmentally beneficial fertilizer supply to the region’s agriculture industry.
The two companies broke ground on the project in the fall of 2021. When it begins operation in May, Sollio said the plant’s patented technology will enable the addition of micronutrients and temperature-sensitive additives to fertilizers, such as biologicals, growth enhancers, and soil health promoters.
At the time of its launch in 2021, Sollio and Pursell said the new facility would serve farmers in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern US. The companies said the CRF AgriTech plant will also generate economic benefit for the St. Thomas region with local jobs for facility staff, trucking companies, and suppliers.