MILAN, Ohio – Growers Mineral, Corp., maker of a non-toxic, environmentally friendly liquid fertilizer, has been in Milan for 70 years. Later this year, the company will open a new office and production facility, also in Milan.

Once complete, the facility will provide the capacity to nearly triple the company’s current production, said Jim Halbeisen, Growers Mineral director of research. The expansion is supported in part by funding from the USDA Fertilizer Production Expansion Program.

Growers Mineral, a long-time Fort Wayne Farm Show exhibitor, will have one of the nearly 1,100 booths expected to be at the show.

The company’s website describes Growers Mineral Solution (GMS) as a 10-20-10 high-quality liquid fertilizer that can be used for crops, landscape and as a nutritional supplement for livestock. The website says it is safe, easy to handle and simple to apply.

“At Growers, we prioritize using ingredients with significantly lower levels of heavy metals, which we believe benefits the symbiotic microbes in the soil,” Halbeisen said. “These microbes, in turn, help nourish the plant more effectively, resulting in healthier crops.

“While the industry typically focuses on yield as the primary measure of success, we believe this doesn’t tell the whole story. Other factors, such as the health of the animals consuming the plants, are equally important. By fixating solely on yield, we overlook the need to address the health of the consumer, which is often supported by traditional methods of supplementation to prevent disease or promote growth.”

Every gallon of GMS has essential trace elements such as zinc, copper and manganese, he said. The minerals play a vital role in supporting the immune systems of animals, and are naturally introduced through Growers’ crops, Halbeisen added.

The Growers Program requires smaller volumes of fertilizer, reducing nutrient loss and environmental contamination compared to traditional approaches, he said. When GMS fertilizer is applied directly to the plant, radioactive isotope research has shown that efficiency of utilization is improved significantly compared to conventional dry fertilizer programs, Halbeisen noted. This allows crops to be grown in closer alignment with natural biological systems, resulting in healthier plant tissue and more nutrient-dense crops, he said.

The industry has long told farmers that a certain weight of fertilizer is required to produce a certain weight of crop, Halbeisen said. When he attended South Dakota State University, he was taught that for every bushel of corn produced, 1½ pounds of nitrogen were required.

“On my farm, we have been using just 0.65 pounds of nitrogen per bushel to raise corn,” Halbeisen said. “Some have warned that this approach would ‘wear out’ our soil, yet after 70 years on the Growers Program, we have seen no evidence of that. We’ve also reduced our use of phosphorus and potassium.

“While others say this is impossible, we say it is very possible to use less fertilizer and remain highly competitive. Our yields are just as good as our neighbors.”

Growers also offers gibberellic acid as a nutritional additive. Gibberellic acid is a plant growth regulator that plants naturally produce when setting fruit. Halbeisen said they apply it at a specific time during active growth, in addition to fertilizer, to help the plant set and grow more harvestable fruit, such as kernels of corn or tomatoes.

The company serves 27 states and Ontario, Canada. Growers Mineral has 17 office and production employees, 20 transportation workers and 125 sales representatives.

Growers Mineral, Corp. was founded by Joseph P. Henry, George B. Ward and Dr. Victor A. Tiedjens in 1955. Tiedjens, who spent years in agricultural research, created GMS.

The three bought an old brewery, built in 1905, in Milan, and began producing GMS on equipment previously used to make beer. The equipment required minimal revamping to produce fertilizer, Halbeisen said. Most of the original equipment has since been replaced and upgraded with materials such as stainless steel, he said.

Descendants of the co-founders work in the company today. For example, Russell R. Bobel, vice president of marketing and technology, is Joseph Henry’s grandson. Jim Ward, vice president of sales, is a grandson of George Ward.

It’s important the company remains a family-owned business “because it reflects the farmers we work with,” Halbeisen said. “Growers’ ownership understands the challenges our customers face, as they share the same goal: preserving operations and creating opportunities for the next generation to continue the family business.”