NEWDALE, Idaho — Northwest Biotech is ahead of the curve when it comes to fertilizer. They began producing potent, eco-friendly fertilizer decades before it became a national trend.
“It was my dad’s business; he started doing this in the 7’0s,” Northwest Biotech owner Chantry Mason said. “He understood that the farming practices were destroying soil and crops and human health.”
Northwest Biotech produces a unique biological fertilizer blend using worm castings. Bacteria is taken from the worm droppings and used as a base for the soil additive.
The organic fertilizer is chemical-free, and Mason said it works to enhance all the qualities of farm soil and of the crop. In eastern Idaho, Northwest Biotech is frequently used by growers during the potato season.
“When you farm them biologically they are actually filled with healthy starches and antioxidants,” Mason said. “They weigh more; they shrink less. They’re just better tasting and better for you.”
“Fertile, rich, alive soil produces rich, live food,” founder Gary Mason said.
Liquid microbes, fish fertilizer, natural acids and kelp make up the biological program of the fertilizer. The fish product used is that of oceanic fish, which is shipped by train from California.
“We add biological nutrients and different ingredients to the soil to replenish it,” Chantry Mason said.
Stan Schwendiman, owner of Schwendiman farms in Newdale, has been using Northwest Biotech products for 13 years and has seen more than a visible difference in his crops. “The quality has gone up, the yield has gone up, and [so has] the storability,” said Schwendiman. “We don’t have any storage problems generally.”
Potatoes aren’t the only crops the fertilizer is used on.
“Potatoes, corn, alfalfa, grain, sugarbeets. If the crops grow in the Snake River Valley, we can put it on it,” said Mason.
The organic fertilizer benefits the soil now and for many harvests to come.
“I believe in enhanced agriculture,” Gary Mason said. “To make it better year after year. I say we have to care for the soil like we care for the plants.”
Source: East Idaho News