Dec 15, 2021Heliae Agriculture awards almond grower with 40 acres of PhycoTerra
Phoenix, Arizona-based Heliae Agriculture, an algal tech company specializing in scalable regenerative agriculture solutions, is proud to announce the award of 40 acres worth of PhycoTerra soil microbial food to Michael Brancato, an almond grower in Bakersfield, California.
The prize was announced at the 2021 Almond Conference in Sacramento, California, where partners Heliae and Yara North America promoted regenerative agricultural practices and sustainable food productio
n through their partnership, the BetterSoil Alliance.
“The theme of this year’s almond conference is ‘Rooted in Success,’ and that’s exactly why we created this Alliance with our partners at Yara,” Norm Davy, chief revenue officer at Heliae Agriculture, said in a news release. “We want to help California almond growers and their orchards thrive, and we know the way to do that is through better soil. The future of the California almond industry depends on innovation and collaboration. The BetterSoil Alliance is our way of supporting almond growers and promoting the sustainable agricultural practices they need to succeed.”
The goal of the BetterSoil Alliance is to support the longevity of the California almond industry by promoting healthy soil and rewarding growers for taking practical, sustainable actions in their orchards. In addition to the product award, Karl Wyant, Heliae’s VP of Ag Science, spoke from The Almond Stage to educate growers. Wyant discussed the role of microbes and nature-based solutions, like PhycoTerra, in alleviating drought stress on almonds.
“Food companies are changing the way they source ingredients,” said Debbie Watts, VP Yara North America. “They need to meet sustainability goals to overcome challenges in their markets. At Yara, and with the BetterSoil Alliance, we want to help growers rise to those challenges by making practical solutions that positively impact the food chain. That means creating better soil, improving water productivity, and lowering GHG emissions.”
The BetterSoil Alliance is open to all California almond growers, crop advisers, agricultural retailers, handlers and processors, and food companies looking to improve almond production through innovative regenerative agriculture practices and policies.
The data collected from BetterSoil Alliance growers will help agricultural communities thrive and move forward with sustainable, cost-effective solutions to work toward a climate-friendly food future. Participating growers will also be eligible to receive sustainability rewards based on their soil’s water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).
The BetterSoil Alliance is an investment in research that supports sustainable and profitable production, which is essential not only for the over 7,000 almond growers in California, but the entire almond industry. The Alliance will promote California almonds as a sustainable food choice and create a strong foundation for future generations of growers to succeed.
To learn more about the BetterSoil Alliance and how you can get involved, visit www.yara.us/bettersoil/.
To learn how PhycoTerra soil microbial food can benefit your orchard, visit www.phycoterra.com.
Heliae Agriculture, a division of Heliae Development LLC, provides microalgal products to the agricultural community. Dedicated experts in the soil and crop science fields, Heliae Agriculture is focused on delivering regenerative agriculture solutions with its PhycoTerra product portfolio. PhycoTerra branded products are sourced from nature and work to improve overall soil microbial health, structure, water productivity, and nutrient use efficiency, which helps to increase crop yields sustainably for the planet, farmers, and consumers.
