Proterra Ag Launches New Gel Substrate Product
Proterra Ag Inc. formally launched Oct. 12 its new company with a focus on sustainable agriculture. With expertise in farming, bioscience and engineering, Proterra Ag invents technology and brings to market products that reduce water requirements and make growing food more efficient, productive, profitable, and kind to the earth.
At a time when agriculture uses 75% of the world’s fresh water and only 2% of arable farmland is left worldwide, Proterra Ag is developing new technology and solutions that address these challenges, creating bold opportunities for growers, communities, and investors.
New Product Launch
In conjunction with the company launch, Proterra Ag is introducing its gel substrate, HYPERroots, enabling propagators to achieve higher yields consistently, with minimal OpEx. Testing in controlled environment agriculture and with conventional outdoor growers shows that, compared to other existing substrates, HYPERroots radically reduced the amount of water required to grow food, and dramatically improved crop outcomes, consistently and reliably, without pesticides or growth hormones. Thus supporting automation and freeing time for producers to build their businesses.
HYPERroots can be used in hydroponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, traditional farming, floriculture and cannabis.
Recent studies illustrate how easy it is to consistently achieve the highest yields of viable clones in propagation from cuttings, without the use of rooting hormones, and seeds germinating 20-30% faster with increased uniformity compared to other substrates.
HYPERroots is ready to use and does not require preparation, a differentiator from most other grow mediums on the market today. The substrate is naturally pest and pathogen-resistant, resulting in the elimination of common pests such as fungus gnats, whiteflies, soil aphids and thrips, and has almost no watering requirements.
This firm hydrogel substance is composed of water (98%) and natural organic material (2%). It’s biodegradable, rapidly compostable, sourced sustainably, organic, vegan, and kosher (certifications pending).
Available in a variety of formats, sizes and nutrient formulations, HYPERroots also offers custom nutrient recipes and formats to meet customer specifications.
Leadership
Research and development is the heart of Proterra Ag, and the company’s roadmap of advanced technology is focused on scaling up sustainable agriculture while scaling down costs. Leading the way for new product development is Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Morris Gasmer and Chief Scientist Geoff Landis, who has been developing and testing new technology over the past six years. With more than 20 patents, the new products being rolled out over the next several quarters fully meet some of the biggest challenges in agriculture.
In 2019 Erik Caso, board chairman and CEO, joined the company to see it through commercialization and bringing its products to market, also leading the charge for investment. The company has raised 100% of Series A funding through Ospraie Ag Science and will be moving toward Series B by mid-2022.
Proterra Ag currently sells across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
