months of traditional composting , but all of the byproducts of his process end up as fertilizer . “ Right now farmers have to pay to get rid of their waste , but with our process , eventually we could buy their waste from them and give back great fertilizer using their own waste . It ’ s a benefit all the way around ,” he said .
Considering how beneficial CAFS and Cox ’ s fertilizer is for the environment , it ’ s surprising that it hasn ’ t taken the country by storm yet . Cox attributes this to the novelty of the process . “ No one that we ’ re talking to has a clue on how to deal with anaerobic bacteria ,” he said . He has tried for years to get big food companies to set up CAFS , but the companies were suspicious because it wasn ’ t being done anywhere else .
Nevertheless , Cox is soldiering on . He has built a 4500 square foot research and development building that will be making fertilizer and hydrogen . He and his wife Mary , who is Anaerobe Systems ’ VP of regulatory affairs , hope to have the building ready by the end of the year . “ Once we have that up and running then when companies ask , ‘ who ’ s doing it ?’, I ’ ll say , ‘ come over and take a look ,’” Cox said with a grin .
In the meantime , Mike and Mary Cox are hoping to find additional farmers to purchase their fertilizer . They have come up with an early adopter program with good pricing for farmers and landscapers who want to try their fertilizer for six months . “ They ’ ve got to try it before they really see it and believe it ,” Mary said . Their FermeGROW , FermeSOIL , and FermeCHAR products are also available at U-Save Rockery and Johnson Garden Center in Morgan Hill , and Yamagami ’ s Garden Center in Cupertino .
There has already been so much damage done to farmlands and groundwater that it seems like an impossible problem to fix . But , as Mary said , “ You have to start somewhere .” Both Mike and Mary are glad to see that others are catching up to Mike ’ s innovative ideas .
She thinks that within the next few years we will see this process incorporated into large farms and processing plants across the country .
ABOVE : Mike ' s FermeGROW , FermeSOIL , and FermeCHAR will soon take the world by storm . The products solve for waste reduction , are less expensive than non-organic soil treatments and fertilizers , and able to restore plant and soil health . Our visit to Anaerobe Systems was educational , paradigm shifting , and very enjoyable .
ABOVE : Check out Mike ' s recent guest appearance on episode 49 of the Sustainability Now podcast here :
Mike Cox Interview .
To learn more about and purchase the Ferme line of products , visit :
fermegrow . com or call Anaerobe Systems at 408-782-7557 .
32 SUMMER 2022 gmhTODAY Magazine gmhtoday . com