Persist™ PAF Liquid Soil Enhancer Earns USDA Certified Biobased Product Label

CAMARILLO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VGrid Energy Systems, a California-based clean energy producer, announced today it has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product Label for its Persist™ PAF liquid plant and soil enhancer.

Persist™ PAF is a unique blend of organic acids and natural compounds. Academic research and multiple field trials support the role PAF can play in significantly enhancing plant growth and crop yields. Beneficial soil microbes use organic acids in PAF for their metabolism, resulting in increased diversity and population. Additionally, the organic acids in PAF, such as malic and acetic acid, have also been shown to solubilize and mobilize minerals such as iron, phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium. These organic acids form complexes with soil minerals to release previously unavailable nutrients for plant growth and development.

PAF packaging will display a unique USDA label highlighting its 100% biobased content. Third-party verification for a product’s biobased content is administered through the USDA BioPreferred® Program, which strives to increase the development, purchase, and use of biobased products.

The USDA Certified Biobased Product Label displays a product’s biobased content, which is the portion of a product that comes from a renewable source, such as plant, animal, marine, or forestry feedstocks. Utilizing renewable biobased materials displaces the need for non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals. Biobased products are cost-comparative, readily available, and perform as well as or better than their conventional counterparts.

“Displaying the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label validates the quality of our product and serves as a strong endorsement to consumers, especially those actively seeking biobased alternatives over synthetic and fossil-fuel based fertilizers. We’re thrilled to be recognized,” said Jeff Norton, Vice President of Business Development at VGrid Energy Systems.

“We applaud VGrid for earning the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label,” said Vernell Thompson, USDA BioPreferred Program. “The label is intended to help spur economic development, create new jobs, and provide new markets for farm commodities. But the label also makes it easier for consumers and federal buyers to local biobased products and consider planet-friendlier options during purchase decisions. By having their products become USDA Certified Biobased, VGrid joins an expanding list of businesses combatting inaccurate marketing claims and the practice of greenwashing, while also contributing to a thriving bioeconomy that decreases our reliance on petroleum.”

In the latest Economic Impact Report released by USDA, the biobased products industry supported 4.6 million American jobs; contributed $470 billion to the U.S. economy and generated 2.79 jobs in other sectors of the company for every biobased job. Biobased products also have a substantial environmental impact, displacing about 9.4 million barrels of oil a year, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 12.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year.

About VGrid Energy Systems:

VGrid Energy Systems is a California-based clean energy producer developing long-term solutions for creating clean energy, sequestering carbon, and reversing climate change. The company’s innovative biomass energy system processes agricultural waste into 100% sustainable and renewable electricity and creates biochar, which stabilizes and sequesters atmospheric carbon for over 1,000 years. VGrid manufactures its all-natural biochar and bio-oil products under the Persist™ name. For more information, please visit www.vgridenergy.com and www.persistproducts.com.

About the USDA BioPreferred Program

With the goal of increasing the development, purchase, and use of biobased products, USDA’s BioPreferred® Program was first introduced in the 2002 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2018. It requires federal agencies and contractors to give purchasing preference to biobased products. The USDA BioPreferred Program also includes a voluntary certification and labeling initiative for biobased products. This is referred to as the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label.

More than 1,800 companies across the U.S. and in 47 countries participate in the Program. From farm and field all the way through the manufacturing process, the expanding market for biobased products creates jobs, supports rural economic growth in America, and has a positive impact on our planet.

Have questions? Please contact: Vernell Thompson, USDA BioPreferred Program at [e-mail].