BioWorks parners with DCM to offer fertilizers

BioWorks, Inc., a provider of environmentally responsible, safe, effective growing solutions, recently announced that it has entered a strategic alliance with DCM Corporation of Belgium, a leading producer of natural and organic-based fertilizers in Western Europe.

The premier fertilizer product line to be offered by BioWorks in the U.S. will be branded under the trade name Verdanta™, and will include organic and organo-mineral fertilizers for professional horticulture and specialty agriculture growers.

"This partnership represents BioWorks' next exciting chapter. Growers trust our people, products, and service; having the DCM name behind Verdanta will serve to strengthen that trust. We are honored by the confidence DCM has placed in us and excited about the opportunities," stated Bill Foster, BioWorks President and CEO.

The high quality fertilizers manufactured by DCM allow BioWorks to offer plant nutrition products that enable growers to cultivate better and healthier crops and save time and money, while providing worker and environmental benefits.

"DCM has spent more than 30 years developing premium quality, leading-edge and environmentally responsible soil fertility products. The excellent reputations of DCM and BioWorks will be the foundation of a successful partnership," stated Tom De Ceuster, CEO of DCM Corporation.

Verdanta fertilizers will initially include 2 liquid and 3 granular formulations. The granular fertilizers are developed using the exclusive Minigran® Technology - a unique formulation providing dust-free, organic and organo-mineral microgranules with a homogeneous composition that assures a perfectly uniform nutrient analysis in every granule. It flows freely through all types of application equipment and offers better control of nutrient release.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to introduce such quality fertilizers to the professional horticulture market," commented Joe Gionta, BioWorks Director of Sales and Marketing. "With these products, growers will see more uniform plant growth and greener, fuller crops due to the carefully selected, high quality raw materials that provide continuous gradual nutrient release."

Dr. Lori Hoagland, Assistant Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture of Purdue University, Dr. Neil Mattson, Assistant Professor of Horticulture of Cornell University, and Dr. Kim Williams, Professor of Greenhouse Management at Kansas State University, recently visited Belgium to tour DCM Corp.'s manufacturing facility, local field and greenhouse growers, and research organizations to learn more about the development and use of these fertilizers in Western Europe. "I was very impressed with the technology behind these fertilizers and look forward to participating in the evaluation of their performance in the States," commented Dr. Williams.

BioWorks plans to offer Verdanta fertilizers to growers of greenhouse ornamentals and vegetables, specialty agriculture, and nursery and landscape plants in the latter part of 2012.