Bio Huma Netics Appoints Jonathan Plehn as CFO

Bio Huma Netics, Inc. (BHN), President and CEO Lyndon Smith has announced the appointment of Jonathan Plehn to the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Vice President of Finance and Accounting. BHN produces the Huma Gro®, Huma Gro® Turf, Fertilgold® Organics, Probiotic Solutions®, and Mesa Verde Humates® product lines.

Mr. Plehn brings a wealth of knowledge from a background of financial leadership in the manufacturing, engineering, and chemical industries. He has an accounting degree from the University of Utah, an MBA with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems from California State University—East Bay, and a Lean Executive Leadership Institute Certificate from the University of Kentucky. He is also a certified public accountant (CPA) and speaks Spanish. Previous posts include VP Finance and Treasurer at Newpark Resources, Inc. (fluids systems, chemicals, and engineering), Director of Finance at Thermo Fisher Scientific (analytical instruments and laboratory supply), Global Consolidations Manager at Applied Biosystems (biotechnology tools and solutions), and Account Manager at Morgan Stanley.

Lyndon Smith said, “We believe Jonathan Plehn will be a great fit for our company. He has the financial leadership capabilities we need at this time to continue BHN’s growth and success. He’s also just a great guy who will be an asset to our company culture.”

Plehn said, “BHN is a great company with an innovative history and an unmatched culture. I am excited to help shape the future of BHN and contribute to its success around the world in its mission to enhance the quality of life.”

Plehn has been married to his wife Amber for 23 years. They have 6 children.

Jason Garcia on Commercial Vegetable Growing with Huma Gro®

With Larry Cooper

Jason Garcia portrait

Jason Garcia

Vegetable growers in Central Florida are preparing to get their beds ready for planting, so here’s my guide to how Huma Gro® can help growers get their best vegetable crops ever.

Bed Preparation

It’s become a pretty standard practice for Florida vegetable growers to fumigate their fields, then put down plastic and drip tape as their first steps in preparing planting beds for vegetables. Fumigation is generally considered to be a necessary—though expensive and sometimes controversial—first step to protect the coming crop from soil disease and nematode damage. Fumigation can be the most expensive part of vegetable production, and it comes with a host of safety precautions and restrictions that are a challenge for the grower and the surrounding community. But there is a Huma Gro® alternative that is much safer, has no restrictions, and can be up to half the cost of fumigation. [Read more…]

Huma Gro® Stories From the Field—SE United States, No.1

In this first installment of Huma Gro® Stories From the Field, we feature 16 short stories from Florida and Georgia of growers’ use of 12 different Huma Gro® products on a variety of crops. The stories describe everything from increased yields to reduced nematodes, to recovery from frost damage to reduced effects from citrus greening. We love to find Huma Gro® solutions for every grower problem. [Read more…]

Humic Acids vs. Compost

Two of the most common methods used for rapidly increasing soil organic matter and improving soil biology are to add compost or to add humic substances. There are pros and cons with each. [Read more…]

Huma Gro Program Increases Sweet Potato Yields 39% with a 10:1 ROI

Conducted by: Dr. K. Bruce Kirksey, AgriCenter International, Memphis, Tennessee
Huma Gro® Products: Jackpot®, Calcium, Super Potassium®, Zap®
OBJECTIVE

This field trial was conducted in order to compare sweet potato crop yields and return on investment (ROI) obtained when a Huma Gro® soil product (Zap®, for feeding soil biology and improving soil fertility) and 2 applications of 3 Huma Gro® foliar nutrients (Jackpot®, Calcium, and Super Potassium®) were applied in various combinations. [Read more…]

8 Simple Steps to Healthy Crop Soil

by Larry Cooper

8 SIMPLE STEPS TO HEALTHY CROP SOIL: A PREVIEW

Of course, you'll need to read this complete article to understand how and why each of these steps is essential for creating healthy crop soil, but here's a preview.

  • Understand that soil is a living system.
  • Measure and document your soil characteristics.
  • Disturb the soil structure as little as possible.
  • Bring plant diversity to the soil.
  • Keep soil covered at all times.
  • Keep living roots in the soil all year round.
  • Build soil organic matter.
  • Have a soil health plan: Review and revise it regularly.

Decline in soil health is one of the most potentially devastating world-wide crises of the 21st century, but the average person who does not farm probably never gives farm soil a second’s thought: The supermarkets are fully stocked—everything must be okay, right?

It’s not. A Reuters news headline from 2014 stated, “Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues.” The article quoted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as saying that about a third of the world’s soil has already been degraded from chemical-heavy farming techniques, deforestation, and global warming. It was predicted that in 2050 the amount of agricultural land, in particular, would be only a quarter of the amount available in 1960—yet we will have 2 billion more people to feed.

What can be done about it? Quite a bit, actually; though reversing soil degradation and improving soil health is going to require changes in thinking and changes in some very hard-wired cultural practices. The 8 Simple Steps to Healthy Crop Soil that we’re about to discuss are culled from a variety of farming philosophies, some as old as time itself. You can find them in modern-era discussions of Regenerative Agriculture, Restoration Agriculture, and Conservation Agriculture, but they also draw from many aspects of “conventional” farming that were in place long before the concept of “conventional” included chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Most important, these steps are modeled on the practices followed by Nature itself in every undisturbed forest floor, unplowed prairie, and pristine mountain meadow.

The very best thing about the 8 Simple Steps to Healthy Crop Soil is that these practices can be profitably applied with good results by commercial farmers (conventional and organic), hobby farmers, community gardeners, even the “square-foot” backyard gardeners in the middle of a city. And while geography, soil type, and soil history certainly influence how the 8 Simple Steps to Healthy Crop Soil are implemented, implementing them all (and it has to be all of them) will lead to good results in all soil-based plant-growing situations.

What are the benefits of healthy soil?

Better Yields. Healthy soil produces more abundant crops of higher quality that are less susceptible to pests and diseases, more drought resistant, and better tolerant of wind, heavy rain, hail, heat, and all the other mayhem that keeps farmers up at night.

Economic Return. In addition to better yields, crops will require less chemical input in terms of fertilizers and pesticides. This won’t happen overnight, or even necessarily in the first year or two. But in the long term, growers will find their input expenditures greatly reduced.

A Farm for the Kids. Restoring health to the soil in a sustainable way means that growers will leave their kids a productive, profitable farm that the kids, in turn, can also leave in good shape for the grandkids.

Saved Planet. Though not necessarily our immediate goal, following the 8 Simple Steps to Healthy Crop Soil will increase the amount of carbon sequestered in the soil and lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which will help reduce global warming and give our grandkids’ grandkids a decent world in which they can live and prosper.

With these impressive benefits in mind, let’s dig deeper into how to create healthy crop soil.

Download/read the complete White Paper here.

The Huma Gro Farmer Podcast: Episode 5—Interview With Dan Hilger

In Episode 5 of The Huma Gro Farmer podcast, we interview Nebraska farmer Dan Hilger, who has been using Huma Gro® products on his farm for the past 30+ years. Dan talks about his popcorn growing and distribution operation, his approach to developing and maintaining soil health, and his experience with using rye as a cover crop.

Link to The Banner Press article about Dan Hilger: Bellwood area farmer doesn’t mind taking a less conventional route

Link to Website for Hilger Agri/Natural Popcorn

Fall Is Fertil Humus® Time

In a recent USDA blog, Spencer Miller states the case for “No-Till November”: Repeated tillage undermines the soil structure and reduces aggregate stability. It breaks down organic matter and drains carbon from the soil.” He quotes Neil Sass, a USDA agronomist, who described the dramatic effect tillage has on soil microbiology as “akin to an earthquake, tornado, and fire happening all at the same time.” And by not inflicting that kind of devastation on the microbiome, “when you have the support of trillions of microbes, you can grow more with less.” [Read more…]

Rye: A Popcorn Farmer’s Experience with Cover Crops

Dan Hilger rye

Dan Hilger in his 2nd year growing rye, May 2015

An Interview with Nebraska Farmer Dan Hilger

By Jael Batty

Nebraska farmer Dan Hilger recently incorporated rye into his corn and soybean crop rotation. Cover crops are a natural addition to Dan’s farming methods, which include minimum tillage and biostimulant inputs (Huma Gro® products). These practices increase soil health, reduce pest and weed pressure, and diversify his income.

In the following interview, we discuss the popcorn farmer’s rye growing practices. Continue reading

Popcorn Farmer Combats Current Farming Challenges

Dan Hilger

Daniel Hilger at the Nebraska State Fair

An Interview with Nebraska Farmer Dan Hilger

By Jael Batty

Popcorn grower Dan Hilger fights weeds, erosion, flooding, and low commodity prices with an innovative approach that improves his soil health.

The Nebraska farmer applies Huma Gro® products (biostimulants) to his soil to increase soil organic matter. Organic matter stimulates soil biology to break down nutrients and minerals for plant uptake. This keeps Hilger’s crops healthy enough that they naturally resist disease and insect pressure.

In addition to using biostimulants, the popcorn grower has been protecting his crops and the environment by practicing minimum tillage and growing rye cover crops.

In the following interview, we discuss the Nebraska farmer’s innovative approach and the influence that has led him to his current farm methods. Continue reading.

Translate »
>