Innovafeed secures $11 million from US government
The grant aims to expand the production of organic fertilizers made of insect frass to support regenerative agriculture in the US.
French insect producer Innovafeed has been selected from a pool of 350 applicants to receive a grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance domestic organic fertilizer production.
The $11 million (€10.4M) injection is part of the larger $500 million (€474.5M) Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP), established to address surging fertilizer prices caused by supply-demand fluctuations due to the war in Ukraine.
“This endorsement from the USDA recognizes Innovafeed’s potential to contribute to the autonomous supply of US organic fertilizer and to provide farmers with a solution that improves soil regeneration and carbon sequestration benefits, thus supporting the domestic development of regenerative agriculture,” says Maye Walraven, Innovafeed’s North America General Manager.
Fertilizer prices reportedly doubled between 2021 and 2022.
Replicating the French model
While Innovafeed is primarily known for producing black soldier fly (BSF) for animal and plant nutrition, its co-product, insect frass, has been recognized as a vital component in organic fertilizer production.
The USDA grant will help Innovafeed’s efforts to design and construct its first US industrial facility in Decatur (Illinois), a key milestone in the company’s international expansion strategy.
The new facility complements Innovafeed’s North American Insect Innovation Center (NAIIC), which is co-located on the same site and will significantly increase the domestic availability of BSF ingredients.
“This expansion will enable us to continue creating meaningful, novel, natural and functional protein and oil options for companies of all sizes in the pet food industry,” a spokesperson says.
Innovafeed notes to GlobalPETS that current efforts to boost insect frass do not impact the company’s BSF production volume. However, this dynamic could evolve in the future as operations scale further.
Sustainable operations
According to the company, the fertilizer complies with EU 2018/848 regulations and has already demonstrated significant results in the Champagne region of France.
Field trials have shown equal or improved crop yields, and a 2022 life cycle analysis reveals that the product emits 45% fewer carbon dioxide equivalent emissions than traditional animal manure.
Additionally, it increases soil carbon sequestration by approximately 60 kilograms of carbon per ton over 5 years, making it a low-carbon fertilizing solution.
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