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AM-AG acquired by Sigma Agriscience

 

Published by
World Fertilizer,

Sigma Agriscience has announced that it has acquired a controlling interest in AM-AG – an international marketer and distributor of agriculture products with operations in both the US and Latin America.

Sigma Agriscience is based in Houston, Texas, US, and is a manufacturer of granular biofertilizers and biosimulants. It provides products and solutions to agriculture, nursery, orchard, turf and landscape markets in the US, Mexico, Central America, South America, Europe and Asia. AM-AG will operate as a subsidiary of Sigma Agriscience under its present name. In the statement, Sigma Agriscience claims that AM-AG’s exclusive distribution rights to a unique granular product line of all-natural high analysis secondary and micronutrient plant nutrition were significant to the deal.

Alan Warren, President and CEO of Sigma Agriscience, said: “We are very excited about this announcement. This is a highly strategic and complementary acquisition with many parts.

“We have a long history of working with AM-AG and this investment strengthens our core competencies and will enable us to deliver unique value for not only organic but conventional growers.”

AM-AG partners, Don Barry and J. Robert Gonzales, added: “Both companies aim to create a smarter way for conventional growers to improve soil health and increase their existing yield and profitability.”

Branded as ‘Sigma Biosphere’, Sigma Agriscience claims that the go-to-marketing strategy is a program that complements conventional growing practices by supercharging standard NPK fertility with secondary and micronutrient plant nutrition plus biostimulants.

Julian Smith, PhD, lead agronomist of AM-AG, said: “This technology has very positive implications for agricultural crop production.”

Modern crop production relies on a number of factors and nutrition is a major element of economic yields across a variety of soil types. Even more importantly, matching genetics with an increasing attention to detail over and above conventional NPK fertility programs has paid dividends for many producers. Nowadays, NPK programs are typically supplemented with greater attention to secondary and micro-nutrient inclusion.

In a lot of areas, plant nutrition improvements have been achieved by complimenting recommended NPK applications with magnesium, sulfur and calcium. By doing this, maximum NPK efficiency is realised plus applying essential supplemental nutrition for high yield environments. Across many soils in the US, not least those that have been exhausted after years of farming, NPK is essential, but simply not enough to sustain economic production. Magnesium, sulfur and calcium (not just liming) supplemental nutrition is vital. Similarly, the impact of essential micronutrients such as zinc, boron, copper and manganese cannot be underestimated.

Sigma Biosphere products make use of a range of soil and crop appropriate combinations of magnesium, calcium, sulfur and micronutrients in season-long form to augment NPK blends to maximise crop production across a variety of growing environments and crop rotations.

The Sigma Biosphere program also includes a biological package, consisting of a unique combination of microbes with research pedigree. This is a carefully researched and selected group of microorganisms with a proven track record in crop production and soil productivity improvement.

Sigma Biosphere makes use of three specific bug groups, selected for efficacy and, importantly, their competitive ability in a soil environment. Adding a few bugs to a soil environment usually fails as the soil has billions of native microbes, all competing for food. Sigma Biosphere microbials are capable of out-competing native bugs and provide very specific services for crops via the root system. Such advantages include outcompeting pathogens, stimulating root growth and other essential growth functions, not least nutrient availability.