Tampa-based Yara North America Inc., in partnership with Heliae® Agriculture, announced on Oct. 18 that it has launched the BetterSoil Alliance to support the California almond industry in the pursuit of sustainable farming practices to improve water productivity and soil health, while decreasing their carbon footprint.
The two companies said the alliance will allow sustainable solutions to be put to the test to understand their impact on critical issues challenging the long-term viability of the California almond industry, including water scarcity, drought, and rising temperatures. Almond growers and advisors are invited to participate in implementing the solutions through customized crop and soil nutrition programs that will be developed by mid-November.
The two companies said participants will be eligible to receive a sustainability reward based on water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency. Data collected from participating orchards will be used to better understand the positive impact the solutions implemented in the program can have. Yara and Heliae will help fund a portion of the sustainability rewards, but are asking the industry to participate through pledges to help with the funding.
“We know by collaborating with others across the industry – growers, advisors, hullers, processors, and food companies, for instance – we can achieve more,” said Debbie Watts, Vice President, Yara North America. “This is why we have launched the BetterSoil Alliance, with the belief that industry partners will come together and accelerate building out sustainable solutions through discovery and collaboration to address this urgent need.”
Participating growers and advisors will have access to the agronomic expertise of Yara and Heliae, which is a division of Heliae Development LLC, Phoenix, Ariz. Heliae provides microalgal products to through its PhycoTerra® product portfolio, which the company said improve overall soil microbial health, structure, water productivity, and nutrient use efficiency.
Growers will also have access to soil management solutions that include YaraLiva® Calcium Nitrate and PhycoTerra®, a nature-based soil microbial food for fungi and bacteria. Yara and Heliae said they hope the program demonstrates that together these products will improve almond yield and quality while improving soil health and structure.
“Improving soil quality serves as the foundation to improving water use that help optimize crop yield and quality”, said Heliae’s Norm Davy. “Between the increased consumer demand for almonds and tightening water supply in California, growers need solutions that increase yield and improve soil health and soil structure for future crops.”