With 600 acres in Maryland under cultivation, Lorn Cartee Farm is on a path to greater yields and sustainability, in part thanks to Bloom.

Lorn Cartee has been farming ground in Washington and Frederick counties for 40 years, but long struggled with yield issues, unable to break out of the 40-bushel-per-acre range on soybeans using traditional commercial fertilizers. However, things began to change when Lorn started using organic matter sources like chicken litter and, more recently, Bloom. “I couldn’t get out of the 40s on yields,” the farmer recalls. “But once I started adding organic matter four years ago, the averages in soil health started coming up, and everything is going in a positive direction.”

This year, Lorn Cartee Farm complemented its usual chicken litter application with Bloom, using 20 tons on sorghum and 10 tons on soybeans. The results have been impressive. “On the sorghum fields where I used Bloom, on an average the heads are bigger with a lot better color and a lot healthier. Local farmers have commented on how good everything looks considering the dry weather. I am expecting 135 bushels this year, and I have had a hard time reaching 100 before,” the farmer shares.

Despite the drought conditions this summer, Lorn’s fields have shown resilience. “My sorghum rolled up a little, but the beans didn’t look horrible, all things considered. Now with the constant rain is breaking that organic matter down and getting it into the soil. The leaves are large—I can hold in both hands.”

The farmer is eager to see Bloom’s long-term benefits unfold, especially as its organic matter contributes to improving the soil’s cation exchange capacity (CEC), which helps make nutrients available. “I can’t wait to see what it does 3 to 4 years from now when the soil health is built up. I am hoping to average 250 bushel corn next year, when it has been difficult to achieve 200 on average.” Lorn says.

Lorn is committed to continuing this sustainable farming approach. “I have changed my way of thinking and am focused more on soil health. It used to be you get what you get; you grow what you grow, but that way of farming isn’t cutting the mustard anymore. I also have realized that what we’re doing—whether it be chicken litter, Bloom, or other soil biologicals and amendments—this is not a one-hit wonder and won’t fix problems in one year. It’s a 3-5 year process, and people have to understand that to get healthier soils.”