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Company

Company

Loam Bio is an Australian company that was founded by farmers. Loam entered the U.S. market by launching its 2024 pilot in the U.S. across six states (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin).

You can get started by completing our grower interest survey. If you have additional questions about Loam, CarbonBuilder, or SecondCrop, contact us for more details.

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SecondCrop

SecondCrop

No. Simply using our CarbonBuilder microbial seed treatment at planting satisfies the additionality clause (i.e., requiring new practices that increase soil organic carbon and/or abate GHG emissions).

There are no direct program fees to participate outside the purchase of CarbonBuilder. SecondCrop retains a small percentage of your total credit volume to meet buffer pool allocations, cover reversals, and offset program costs. If no credits are generated, Loam bears this cost – not the farmer.

You earn credits based on the amount of carbon captured in your soil (1 metric ton/CO2e sequestered = 1 carbon credit). You own your carbon credits and have the option to bank them or to work with Loam to sell your credit to buyers. Your credits will be tracked on a third-party registry until they are retired/sold at your request.

CarbonBuilder works at the roots of your crop, increasing the plant’s natural ability to draw down carbon and store it in the most stable solid carbon pools. Our research in the field proves that by using CarbonBuilder, farmers can increase soil organic carbon 0.75 – 2 tCO2eq/acre annually.

Loam uses direct measurement (physical soil core sampling) combined with laboratory analysis and stratification, as these are widely accepted as the most accurate measurement of changes in soil carbon. These measurements are then certified by BCarbon.

Your initial commitment is 2 years and ongoing participation is renewed in 4-year increments (i.e., you can exit the SecondCrop program at any time without penalty in the first 2 years, or at years 6 and 10).

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CarbonBuilder

CarbonBuilder

CarbonBuilder consists of two main ingredients: the active component made up spores and hyphal biomass from beneficial microbial fungi and a graphite-talc powder.

Loam’s microbial library contains over 4,000 unique fungal and bacterial isolates pulled from soils across a wide range of natural and managed landscapes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

We strictly adhere to a “do no harm” principle in our product development and delivery, and adhere to the most current ethical and regulatory standards, both international and national. Our products go through stringent registration and science-based risk assessment to make sure they meet the highest safety criteria for humans and the environment.

No, none of the organisms in our products are genetically modified.

Cropping soils tend to favor both bacterial and pathogen populations. After years of industrial farming, we have degraded the native microbiome of soil. By adding CarbonBuilder, farmers can restore a more natural and balanced microbial system without any negative impacts to microbial populations.

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Management Practices

Management Practices

CarbonBuilder integrates seamlessly with conventional practices and/or regenerative practices. If you have already introduced regenerative practices, CarbonBuilder will facilitate the additional capture of carbon, above and beyond what was attainable through your regenerative practices.

Yes. Tillage breaks up soil aggregates which are the reservoirs for stable soil carbon. Tillage also increases the oxygen content of the soil which leads to increased oxidation and loss of soil organic carbon from decomposition. Deep tillage will have greater impact than shallow “scuffleage.”

Yes, CarbonBuilder is designed to be applied each season. This ensures that the crop has sufficient levels of microbial fungi to achieve the maximum soil carbon build. Because our CarbonBuilder products are crop-specific, you may need a new active depending on your rotation.

No. We do not recommend you apply more nitrogen in your system to support carbon capture. Loam’s agronomists partner closely with our farmers to develop a program that ensures balanced soil nutrition and the most advantageous conditions to deliver the best carbon capture outcomes.

In the 1960s, it was believed that water repellency was caused by fungal growth. This theory has been debunked. We now understand that fungi are not primary contributors to hydrophobic compounds in soil. Soil repellency is attributed primarily to the accumulation of wax from the decomposition of plant matter, at the surface of soil. This wax may be degraded faster by inoculation with wax-degrading bacteria.

Loam ensures its products do not negatively impact the key beneficial biology within your system. Our data shows that using CarbonBuilder can positively increase both the level of AMF and nodulation in your soil.

CarbonBuilder stores carbon in the more stable carbon pools (as aggregate carbon and mineral associated carbon). These carbon pools are the least likely to respire to the atmosphere, even under environmental pressure like drought. Note, droughts can cause reduced soil carbon if the soil is left bare, particularly over the summer period where the sun heats up the soil and accelerates carbon loss.

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CarbonBuilder Product Stewardship

CarbonBuilder Product Stewardship

Apply CarbonBuilder at a rate of 3 oz/acre. If your equipment requires more than 3 oz of flowability agent, use additional CarbonBuilder rather than dilute the product with a secondary flowability agent. Mixing CarbonBuilder with other flow agents may reduce its
performance.

No, to ensure optimal performance, mix CarbonBuilder into the seed as it is being loaded into the planter (either planter boxes or bulk tank).

CarbonBuilder 64-37 does not require any special disposal measures. If you have excess or leftover product, it can be added to your planter and distributed in your fields, following the same planting guidelines. Optimal application rate is 3 oz/acre, but adding extra product will not adversely impact your crop.

For questions about product disposal or using excess product, please contact your dealer.

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