Organics

Midwestern Bio-Ag offers quality products for organic farmers, many of which are OMRI listed. Before using any products, please consult with your certifying agency.

Organic Potassium Sulfate

Organic potassium sulfate (also called 0-0-50 or sulfate of potash (SOP), is a dual nutrient fertilizer with an equivalent potassium content of 50% potassium oxide (K2O), commonly referred to as potash, and 18% sulfate (SO4).

Midwestern Bio-Ag carries Great Salt Lake's (GSL) sulfate of potash, which has been accepted for use in organic farming in the United States for more than 30 years. It is used by itself as a potash fertilizer and as an ingredient in many formulated brands of organic fertilizers.

On Jan 1, 2010, GSL began marketing their Organic Materials Review (OMRI) listed sulfate of potash (SOP) products under the brand name, "Organic K+." OMRI reviews and lists products that are approved for use in certified organic production, handling, and food processing.

When purchasing sulfate of potash be aware that only Organic K+ is allowed for organic use. Many fertilizer companies or blending plants will say they carry sulfate of potash but it may not be Organic K+. Midwestern Bio-Ag is one of the few companies that carries Organic K+. Call us if you are interested in getting Organic K+ in your fertilizer blends.

Organic Potassium Magnesium Sulfate

Potassium magnesium sulfate has an analysis of 22% potash (K20), 11% magnesium, and 22% sulfur, and contains less than 2.5% chloride. The pH is neutral at 7.0.

Midwestern Bio-Ag carries Intrepid's OMRI listed potassium magnesium sulfate, which is called Trio™.

Each granule of Trio™ contains potassium, sulfur and magnesium in the same ratio ensuring that all 3 minerals are available to the plant when it needs it.

Trio™ is a naturally-occurring crystalline mineral. It is an excellent source of non-chloride potassium, water soluble magnesium and non-acidifying sulfur. Trio™ goes to work immediately upon application provided there is enough soil moisture to support crop growth.

Trio™ dissolves slowly, resisting rapid leaching from the soil. This solubility rate allows for a season long release of nutrients. The granular grade we use in our blends mixes and blends well with other fertilizer materials for even distribution of nutrients.

Pelletized Rock Phosphate

The typical analysis is 1-3% water soluble phosphate along with 18-24% calcium.

The two main sources of rock phosphate are soft rock and hard rock phosphates:

  1. Soft Rock Phosphate - sometimes called colloidal phosphate, comes from a variety of sources. Some are rock mineral with little or no industrial value because of their low analysis. More typically, soft rock phosphates are the by-products of industrial phosphate fertilizer manufacturing in the form of colloidal "slimes". After processing the rock phosphate ore, the sludge left over is let away into waste phosphate ponds. The dried waste material dug from the slime ponds is marketed as soft rock phosphate or colloidal phosphate.
  2. Hard Rock Phosphate - the sedimentary layer that settled in ancient lake bottoms after being recycled countless times through living organisms. These sedimentary deposits consist of dead animal and plant debris. Hard rock phosphate is a very slow-release source of phosphorous, except in soils that are highly acidic, where the phosphorus breaks down more rapidly.

Phosphate rock is most effective as a phosphorus source on soils with the following properties:

  • Low pH
  • Low available soil P

Midwestern Bio-Ag uses a granulated hard rock phosphate in our fertilizer blends as an excellent way to build soil phosphorus levels and to provide available phosphorus to feed plants all season long. By including sulfate sulfur with the rock phosphate in our fertilizer blends, we create a lower pH fertilizer zone, allowing the phosphate rock to become available more quickly.

Our granulated rock phosphate comes from Idaho and is OMRI listed for use in organic agriculture.

Pelletized Gypsum

Pelletized gypsum provides two essential plant nutrients: calcium and sulfur. Its analysis is typically 21% calcium and 17% sulfur.

Calcium is an essential nutrient that plays an important role in plant growth. It improves the absorption of other nutrients by roots and their translocation within the plant. It also activates a number of plant growth-regulating enzyme systems; helps convert nitrate-nitrogen into forms needed for protein formation; is needed for cell wall formation and normal cell division; and contributes to improved disease resistance. It also is essential for microorganisms as they turn crop residues into organic matter, release nutrients, and improve soil aggregation and water holding capacity. Calcium also helps nitrogen fixing bacteria to capture atmospheric nitrogen and convert into a form that plants can use.

Sulfate from calcium sulfate is in a water-soluble and readily available form of sulfur. Sulfur is a component of three amino acids (cystine, methionine, and cysteine) and is necessary for protein synthesis, chlorophyll transport and nitrogen utilization. It improves root strength and growth of plants as well as the aroma and taste of fruits and vegetables. Sulfur is frequently referred to as the fourth major nutrient.

At Midwestern Bio-Ag we prefer using pelletized gypsum in our fertilizer blends because it is in a form that breaks down easily in the soil, providing plant available nutrients. Pelletization is done by taking premium quality gypsum and finely grinding it (to 200 mesh) and adding a special binding agent to form pellets that hold together in the fertilizer bin, but break down quickly under field conditions. This process produces high quality pellets for easy, clean, accurate application.

Cal-Sul™ and SuperCal SO4 are two common trade names for pelletized gypsum. Both of these products can be used in organic agriculture as they are both OMRI listed.

Pelletized Lime

The conventional thought process is to wait for your soil pH to drop to a level of lost productivity before applying bulk ag lime to your fields. Under this philosophy, when calcium becomes deficient you should apply a large dose of lime, then wait 3 to 5 years for it to become deficient again before applying more.

At Midwestern Bio-Ag, we agree that if your pH is a limiting factor and you need to adjust it, then you should apply lime. But don't wait until calcium becomes a critical factor before applying any. Plants need a consistent supply of available calcium to grow and be healthy, and that means adding the right source of calcium to maintain both soil pH and calcium availability.

We recommend using pelletized lime because it is in a form that breaks down easily in the soil, providing plant available nutrients. Pelletization is done by taking premium quality lime and finely grinding it (to 200 mesh) then adding a special binding agent to form pellets that hold together in the fertilizer bin but break down quickly under field conditions. This process produces high quality pellets for easy, clean, accurate application.

As important as calcium is to plant health, using the most available source makes sense.

13-0-0 Feather Meal

This is an excellent source of nitrogen for organic growers. It is produced by Nature Safe from feather meal, meat meal and blood meal, and carries an OMRI listing.

The analysis of Nature Safe's 13-0-0 is:

  • Total Nitrogen (N) 13.0%
  • 0.19% ammoniacal nitrogen
  • 12.04% water insoluble nitrogen
  • 0.77% other water soluble organic nitrogen

Nature Safe 13-0-0 is designed to expand the organic fertility options to organic farmers. This product can be blended with other fertilizer ingredients in order to customize a formulation to meet the varied needs of the customer or as a standalone fertility product in areas where phosphorus and potassium are not needed. Available in Super Fine (greens grade), Coarse (ag grade) and Pellet grade, Nature Safe 13-0-0 provides tremendous food energy to stimulate soil microbial populations and allow for efficient nutrient uptake to the plant. The nitrogen source is derived from premium quality feather meal, meat meal and blood meal, and meat meal is also a natural source for chelated calcium.

Chicken Manure Crumbles

The analysis of our organic crumbles is 5% nitrogen (3% water insoluble, 2% water soluble), 3% phosphorus, 2.5% potash, and 9% calcium.

Midwestern Bio Ag uses only OMRI listed chicken manure crumbles. OMRI listed processed manure meets the requirements of the National Organic Program for organic crop production.

To make our chicken crumbles, MBA uses manure from layer hens. The poultry manure is dried and pasteurized to create a granular fertilizer that can be used as a stand-alone organic fertilizer or bended with other fertilizer ingredients. Poultry manure has long been recognized as a rich, natural source of nutrients and organic matter. It can deliver nutrients to crops in a slow-release formulation that improves soil aeration and water filtration and prevents leaching, run-off and soil erosion. It is also an excellent source of carbon for your soil microbes to feed on.

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