CANNON FALLS, Minn. — What began as a Minnesota farm family looking to turn poultry waste into a fertilizer good for plants and the environment has turned into a company that ships its products nationwide and to 60 different countries in the world.
Cannon Falls-based
Sustane Natural Fertilizer
was one of 12 fertilizer plant projects that was
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announced last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is investing $83 million to enhance domestic fertilizer supply.
The family-owned company plans to use a $2,397,792 grant to enhance and expand its current facility and purchase new equipment to increase production.
USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Basil Gooden and Colleen Landkamer, Minnesota’s director of USDA Rural Development, were in Cannon Falls on Thursday, May 30, to hear from Sustane’s founder, CEO and president Craig Holden and other company leaders.
Gooden said fertilizer prices have almost doubled since the pandemic.
“The Biden-Harris administration is focused on this supply chain for fertilizer, and reducing the costs and making fertilizer more available,” he said. “(USDA) really wanted to make that significant investment in fertilizer companies.”
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USDA Under Secretary For Rural Development Basil Gooden and Colleen Landkamer, Minnesota’s director of USDA Rural Development, visit Sustane Natural Fertilizer’s plan in Cannon Falls, Minnesota on May 30, 2024.
Noah Fish / Agweek
The investment in Sustane, which specializes in products that can be used on certified-organic operations, also has an environmental impact, Gooden said.
“It’s a win-win,” he said. “I’m really just delighted that we were able to come here to learn more and to see it, and to show our support for such initiatives as well.”
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A turkey farmer at the time, Craig Holden came up with the idea for the company in the 1980s when he was looking for a solution to having an excess of manure on the farm.
“That’s me, 39 years and 39 pounds ago,” Holden told Gooden and Landkamer, pointing to his face on the cover of a farm magazine for regenerative agriculture in 1985. “A local agronomist suggested that we donate the manure and give the manure away to crop farmers that could benefit from the nutrients. But we literally could not give manure away. Crop farmers didn’t want it.”
Craig Holden, founder, CEO and president of Sustane Natural Fertilizer on the cover of a farm magazine in 1985.
Contributed / Sustane Natural Fertilizer
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Holden said he’d “never forget the look on the face” of the crop farmer across the road from him, who refused to take manure from his farm. Instead, he found ways like anaerobic composting to store manure safely to prevent disease transmission to flocks, but Holden said the costs were adding up.
“Even though we were able to get rid of it, at about 25 bucks a ton in those days, all of our income was consumed by transportation because we were handling this wet, humus, nutrient-rich product and transporting it only about 10 or 15 miles,” he said.
Blaize Holden, vice president of operations for Sustane, said that was when the family began to research the agronomic benefits of composted turkey litter.
“So we began dehydrating it and granulating it, and bagging it,” Holden said. “Now we ship it to over 60 countries around the world.”
Today, around 40 poultry farms in Minnesota and western Wisconsin contribute to the company’s products.
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Sustane is currently the only manure-based fertilizer that’s permitted to ship to Europe, Blaize Holden said, and the only U.S.-based organic fertilizer that’s permitted to ship to China. The company has around 50% of its customer base inside the U.S., with the other half international.
The company’s products are sold to a diverse range of customer populations from home gardeners to large-scale organic farms, and is used on areas to regrow grass and reclaim damaged or depleted soils.
Packaging for Sustane Natural Fertilizer.
Noah Fish / Agweek
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“We service agriculture, but we also service professional lawn and landscape, nursery and greenhouse, erosion control,” Holden said. “It’s a very high-quality, organic, sustainable product with low odor, low dust, so easy to handle.”
Holden said that products from Sustane Natural Fertilizer are used at exclusive properties, including the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Disney facilities, PGA Tour golf courses, and Premier League, MLB and NFL fields.
The USDA project funding will allow the company, which has been pushing against its capacity for several years, to expand
“We’re looking to increase fertilizer production capacity here in Cannon Falls, and we’re also building a second facility on-site for our seed treatment production,” Blaize Holden said. “We have developed markets all over the world, so we’re looking to be able to supply those better.”
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I am a general assignment agricultural reporter who covers everything from food to land, farm emergencies and co-op mergers to trade shows and 4-H fundraisers; using multiple elements of media. I prioritize stories that amplify the power of people.
As an ag reporter, I’ve covered the opioid crisis, herding dogs, trade wars, collapsed barns, COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant farmers, regenerative poultry, farmland transition, milking robots, world record pumpkins, cannabis pasteurization, cranberry country and horseradish kings.
I report out of northeast Rochester, Minnesota, where I live with my wife, Kara, and our polite cat, Zena. Email me at nfish@Agweek.com
In a year headlined by the Pohlads’ frugality, broadcasting issues, and a historic collapse, we often need the reminder that the Twins were a playoff-caliber club for more than two-thirds of the season. You aren’t a playoff contender without players who are producing at exceptional rates, as compared to the rest of the league. Let’s look at four(ish) statistics that stood out across the league for our local club.
Matt Wallner’s Power Matt Wallner is a power player on both sides of the ball, with a 98th percentile exit velocity (EV) and 99th percentile arm strength. While we need to see considerable improvement in Wallner’s contact rate, the lefty hits the snot out of the ball when he makes contact, boasting elite hard-hit rates. With a 93 mile-per-hour average EV and a 116.8 mile-per-hour maximum, the lefty mashed 13 home runs in only 220 at-bats in 2024. His hardest-hit ball was “just” a single, but his second-hardest was this 116.7 MPH scorcher over the right-field fence at Guaranteed Rate Field.
And then there was the behemoth off Griffin Canning.
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On the other side of the ball, Wallner might grade out as a below-average right fielder, but he has one of the best arms in the game. Runners need to tread lightly (er, quickly? Tread not at all?) when they’re thinking about extra bases on a ball hit to Wallner, as he shows off an arm that produced a maximum velocity of 101.2 MPH and an average velocity (on competitive throws) of 96.9. On Aug. 30, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Spencer Horwitz learned this this hard way.
Byron Buxton’s Speed Twins fans are very aware of Buxton’s speed, and while we’d love to see it employed more on the basepaths, it’s helped him remain one of the best centerfielders in the game. His Sprint Speed and Outs Above Average (OAA) both sit in the 97th percentile in all of baseball, and his best catch of the season was this liner off the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers Teoscar Hernandez, which had a 35% catch probability.
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Nothin’ but raindrops, folks.
Griffin Jax’s Stuff While rumors swirl regarding Jax’s ability to be a starter, he has cemented himself as one of the best relievers in baseball, with a bevy of statistics that sit in the 90th percentile of the league or better. Most notably, his chase rate (99th percentile), whiff rate (98th), and strikeout rate (97th) lead to some of the best actual and expected stats in the majors. Sure, the highlight below is from Spring Training, but my oh my did he send the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tsung-Che Cheng back to medieval times with this sweeper.
Joe Ryan’s Command The Twins really missed Joe Ryan down the stretch, in large part due to his ability to control and command the strike zone. With a 96th percentile walk rate and a 98th percentile expected OBP, Ryan limited free passes better than nearly anyone in baseball – an important attribute when you don’t have traditionally overpowering stuff. His ability to live on the edge of the strike zone doesn’t just limit walks. It also limits a hitter’s quality of contact, resulting in better-than-average exit velocities and hard-hit rates for the righty.
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There’s plenty more to be thankful for this season, and it gives us plenty to look forward to as the calendar inches toward 2025. One thing is for certain: No matter what happens with the team on the field in 2025, we here at Twins Daily are thankful for the owners, editors, content creators, and readers that make this all possible. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate—and cheers, all the same, to those who don’t!
Los Angeles Clippers (12-8, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-10, 12th in the Western Conference)
Minneapolis; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Timberwolves -5.5; over/under is 217.5
BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles visits the Minnesota Timberwolves after James Harden scored 43 points in the Clippers’ 121-96 win over the Washington Wizards.
The Timberwolves are 5-7 against Western Conference opponents. Minnesota is sixth in the Western Conference at limiting opponent scoring, allowing only 111.3 points while holding opponents to 47.2% shooting.
The Clippers are 7-7 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is sixth in the Western Conference scoring 50.2 points per game in the paint led by Ivica Zubac averaging 13.7.
The Timberwolves average 15.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.2 more made shots on average than the 12.9 per game the Clippers give up. The Clippers average 109.3 points per game, 2.0 fewer than the 111.3 the Timberwolves allow to opponents.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Julius Randle is averaging 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Timberwolves.
Harden is averaging 21.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.6 steals for the Clippers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 3-7, averaging 110.2 points, 41.6 rebounds, 22.6 assists, 9.5 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.7 points per game.
Clippers: 6-4, averaging 110.1 points, 46.3 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 10.0 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Joe Ingles: day to day (soleus).
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Clippers: Kobe Brown: day to day (back), Kawhi Leonard: out (knee), P.J. Tucker: out (personal), Norman Powell: day to day (hamstring).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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