Experts say Biological Compost Extract from the Core Extractor can prove to be an economical and effective way in advancing regenerative ag practices.

Photo submitted by Core Bio Ag LLC.

Regenerative agriculture is a combination of management decisions to increase the soil, plants, water and animals' interactions to improve soil health. Common regenerative practices are no-till, cover crops, manure, reducing synthetic NPK inputs and grazing. So, what is the one thing that all these practices have in common? Biology.

Soil biology is key in regenerative agriculture. The quicker you can get your soil biology to function at higher efficiency than the sooner you will see the advantage of regenerative management practices.

Every year, farmers are facing increased costs to produce crops, specifically fertilizer to grow them. Because of these increasing costs, farmers are looking for solutions to lower costs and keep up production. Simply put, farmers want a better ROI. Furthermore,  Carbon Intensity Scores are pushing farmers to consider other potential financial incentives to decrease the amount of synthetic NPK applied and adopt other regenerative ag practices.

“The Core Extractor provides growers with many benefits, but perhaps the most valuable is the ability to make large amounts of a diverse biological in the same amount of time it takes to fill a planter or sprayer tank,” said Blake Merritt, Core Bio Ag Business Development Specialist. “When we’re making a pass across the field and have the opportunity to introduce gallons of biology versus ounces of biology per acre, this can significantly increase the effectiveness of regenerative ag practices.”

Photo submitted by Core Bio Ag LLC.

There are several pros to utilizing a high volume, highly efficient extractor like the Core Extractor. Not only is making your own biological a more economical option compared to others, but being able to make it on demand is appealing as well. By being set up to make your own biological in such an efficient manner, it allows you to utilize a live microbial solution and not a product that has been subject to dormancy. It is an aerobic solution that can go to work in the soil immediately.

By achieving higher volumes of biological communities through extracts we can increase the soils’ efficiency when it comes to nutrient management. Which may be a key player when it comes deciding how much NPK fertilizer to needed.

Photo submitted by Core Bio Ag LLC.

“When I can verify that the farm has a decent culture (biological) that they’re working with, and by decent, I mean, we’re checking the boxes - we have Bacteria, we have Fungi, we have Protozoa, maybe, we have Nematodes. But, you know, when we have that sort of complete picture of ecology, it’s a no brainer to apply with the Core Extractor,” Said Zach Wright, biological advisor for Core Bio Ag and owner of Living Soils Compost Lab.

There are many different options when it comes to sourcing a high-level material to make your own biological. One of the best parts of making your own biological with the Core Extractor is that you can pull diversity from many different sources. Whether that source of compost is purchased or built on your farm, it allows you ample opportunity.

“It’s a very seamless process with limited downtime. For somebody that really does get to see a lot of homemade extractors year-after-year, to do that amount of volume in that little amount of time, the time savings is going to really help with the bottom line at the end of the year,” Wright said.

To learn more about the Core Extractor and the impact it can have on your bottom-line visit corebioag.com. If you’re interested in visiting with one of our biological experts and want to get in contact with a farmer who is already implementing this system call our office at 888-676-8967.