For Alabama-based row crop grower Todd Stewart, the last four years have been nothing short of a struggle. Despite using the recommended amounts of fertilizers, fungicides, and insecticides, and conducting regular soil sampling, Stewart faced years of poor crops exacerbated by droughts and hurricanes. “In the spring of 2023, I knew I had to do something different. I couldn’t spend $500-700/acre [on crop inputs] to grow corn,” Stewart said.
In search of a solution, Stewart reached out to regenerative agriculture pioneers Allen Williams and Gabe Brown’s consulting firm, Understanding Ag. This connection led him to CHONEX, an Alabama-based biologicals company that has been developing StrongSoil, a dry microbial concentrate designed to restore both plant and soil health. Stewart applied StrongSoil to a portion of his corn and promptly saw a yield increase of 20 bushels per acre compared to untreated areas.
Other growers have reported similar successes with StrongSoil. Triple R Farmers noted an increase of 12 to 13 bushels per acre even during a drought year. Georgia grower Sam Gray, who had been experiencing a decline in blueberry plants, saw eight to ten inches of new growth after applying StrongSoil. “Compared to previous results, we would get that much growth in a year. Something has made these plants wake up, and the only thing we added is StrongSoil,” Gray remarked.
The promise of regenerative agriculture is clear, yet the majority of the world’s cropland continues to be farmed using intensive practices reliant on synthetic and chemical inputs. These methods, according to CHONEX, deplete microbial populations and degrade soil performance over time. “Intensive, industrial farming depletes microbial populations and reduces the soil and plant functions they can support,” says CHONEX CEO and cofounder Michael Lynch. “Over time, this leads to degraded soil performance and a greater reliance on synthetic inputs until a diminishing return is realized.”
CHONEX developed StrongSoil to counteract these issues. “StrongSoil is unique because of its scope of functions for both soil and plant functionality,” notes Dr. Pam Marrone, cofounder and executive chair at the Invasive Species Corp. & Invasive Species Foundation and an advisor to CHONEX. Dr. Marrone highlights StrongSoil’s ability to shift the soil microbiome in a beneficial way, increasing organic matter, water-holding capacity, nitrogen fixation, and mineralization of potassium and phosphorus. For plants, it boosts cell strength, root functionality, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance.
California-based agtech company Biome Makers observed StrongSoil’s versatility during field trials of its BeCrop soil intelligence platform. “Other products often demonstrate one to just a few areas of notable benefit,” says Biome Makers senior agronomist Gus Plamann. The BeCrop trials showed increases in biodiversity and resilience metrics, indicating that StrongSoil enhances soil microbial populations and increases their robustness and diversity.
Financial risk remains a significant barrier for farmers wanting to adopt regenerative agriculture practices, as obtaining credit for regen ag differs from conventional agricultural loans. Practices like no-till and cover cropping can take years to show returns. Allen Williams of Understanding Ag suggests that StrongSoil can speed up this process, reducing the financial risk for farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture.
After five years of field trials, CHONEX released StrongSoil to targeted markets this year and will soon kick off a Series A fundraising effort. Over two growing seasons, StrongSoil demonstrated an average yield increase of 15% in corn and 12% in soybeans compared to untreated cropland. Additional benefits include an 8% improvement in soil organic matter, a 25% increase in material biomass, a 10% reduction in irrigation needs, a 5% increase in carbon sequestration, and a 20% reduction in chemical fertilizer and pesticide usage. CHONEX reports that farmers using StrongSoil see a return on investment of three to one within the first year, with input costs decreasing by 15%.
This article is sponsored by CHONEX. The views expressed in this guest commentary are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of AgFunderNews.