Q How did you get into the soil business and biochar?
A I started with a degree in horticulture from the University of Florida. Then I worked for a while on an organic farm in Oregon where I spent all my free time researching soil at the Oregon State University library. I was very interested in the health of ecosystems and how to grow nutrient-dense food. Soil is the driver of health, both in the environment and our bodies. In 2006, I started my business of making quality potting soil. The 2013 USBI conference in Amherst, MA is where I absorbed enough information from the biochar research community to convince me that biochar had the potential to be a game-changer. I started doing my own experiments and growth trials.
Q Your Pennsylvania-based business makes Biochar and Stormwater Blends that include biochar and sells them in retail packages, bulk bags and truckloads. Have you had any problems getting the volume of biochar you need to make your products?
A No, because we have been lucky and found great suppliers that understand the qualities that we need and can produce the consistent product volume we require. We tried making our own biochar but quickly realized that we could not do that in the volumes we needed. We have been approached by a lot of suppliers and potential suppliers who are just looking for off-take agreements, without really understanding their products. It is crucial for biochar manufacturers to have their products tested so they can effectively market to soil blenders and end users.
Q Organic Mechanics has an impressive nationwide distribution. What is your approach to building markets for your products? What’s more important - educating customers or changing government policies?
A They are both important! We need to do both and there is so much to do. I am only one person and I do as much as I can to educate customers and decision makers. Thankfully, there are more events and conferences where I am being asked to speak about biochar to professionals who specify products like our Stormwater Blend. We can reach both the contractors who do environmental management projects and the agencies and elected officials who determine the specifications.
One group that is very important is the American Society of Landscape Architects. I had been invited to address their conference last year, but sadly, the COVID 19 virus cancelled that event.
Q What opportunities could the Biden administration’s two-trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal offer?
A The proposal includes funds for water quality that could be a help but the amount in the budget is only approximately $58 billion. It seems like a lot, but over 50 states, it is just a drop in the bucket. I think that the way forward is for all of us in the industry to work locally and regionally to educate managers and customers who are concerned with stormwater management and mitigating nutrient pollution. We have a solution for them. I like to say that biochar could have an impact on the same scale as that of the chemical fertilizers that came in after World War II. Biochar will be a great good for humans as we continue to inhabit this earth.
Q What else should the biochar industry be doing to grow markets?
A We should all be supporting USBI. Tom Miles is doing great work as an advocate for biochar with policy makers, but USBI lacks resources. We should all be donating to USBI so they can continue the education and advocacy work that they do. In particular, we need to support USBI to work with AAPFCO (American Association of Plant Food Control Officers) to refine their biochar standards and allow multiple grades of biochar. That will open up more supply and reduce the price. Limited biochar supply keeps prices high and keeps biochar out of markets and applications that could really benefit from biochar.
You can order Mark Highland’s 2017 book: Practical Organic Gardening: The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Naturally from Organic Mechanics and online book sellers. See more about Organic Mechanics in the USBI Biochar Directory.