en.Wedoany.com Reported - Biotechnology company Switch Bioworks announced that it has received authorization from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate field trials of its novel microbial fertilizer. The technology utilizes living microorganisms to absorb nitrogen from the air and deliver it to crops, aiming to provide farmers with an alternative to traditional natural gas-based chemical fertilizers. Switch's technology represents a new category of solution, centered on a genetically encoded switch that addresses the fundamental energy problem that has long limited the performance of microbial fertilizers.
The advanced R&D field trials focus on corn, the largest crop, and are conducted across multiple agricultural sites in the U.S. Midwest. The generated data will help optimize the company's Stanford University-derived microbial discovery and engineering platform under real-world agricultural conditions.
Nitrogen fertilizer is crucial for modern agriculture, but traditional production relies on fossil fuels and unreliable supply chains, exposing farmers to risks when prices surge. Switch Bioworks replaces conventional fertilizers produced in chemical plants with precisely engineered natural microorganisms that extract nitrogen directly from the air, convert it into ammonia (the active ingredient in fertilizer), and release it to crops at the plant roots. The product is designed to integrate with planting equipment and practices already used by farmers, lowering adoption barriers.
This announcement comes amid growing concerns over rising fertilizer costs and dependence on globally concentrated supply chains. Recent federal actions—including the Trump administration's executive order on fertilizer and herbicide supply chains and the bipartisan Homegrown Fertilizer Act—reflect a growing recognition that domestic fertilizer supply has become a critical economic vulnerability.
"Obtaining regulatory approval for field trials is a significant milestone for Switch Bioworks," said Tim Schnabel, founder and CEO of Switch Bioworks. "Microbial fertilizers have long faced a fundamental biological challenge: microbes need energy to multiply at the plant root and also need energy to produce fertilizer. Doing both simultaneously is impossible—you can't use the same energy twice. Our approach aims to first allow the microbes to reliably colonize the plant root, then switch to fertilizer production mode."
The field trials will evaluate the stability of Switch's microbes in colonizing crop roots and initiating nitrogen production under real agricultural conditions, helping the company optimize the performance of its genetic switch design and microbial production host.
"Modern agriculture and our global food supply rely on a century-old technology that is polluting the planet and threatening global food security," said Gareth Asten, General Partner at Acre Venture Partners. "Reinventing fertilizer is one of the most important issues of our time, and Switch is one of the few companies that truly has a chance to solve it. Field trials are a significant milestone on this path."
These trials also highlight growing federal and commercial interest in alternatives to traditional fertilizers amid concerns over supply chain resilience and agricultural input costs. Switch Bioworks obtained field trial approval through established EPA and USDA biotechnology regulatory pathways, which allow testing of advanced technologies while ensuring safety, aligning with federal R&D priorities to reduce input costs and enhance domestic farm resilience.
Field trial data will support ongoing product development as Switch Bioworks advances a new generation of engineered microbial fertilizers toward commercialization, helping solidify U.S. leadership in agriculture and biotechnology.
About Switch Bioworks: Founded in 2022 and originating from Stanford University, the company is headquartered in San Carlos, California. It leverages cutting-edge proprietary technology to engineer symbiotic microorganisms that colonize plant roots and initiate fertilizer production. Supported by leading investors and scientific advisors, Switch Bioworks' mission is to reduce fertilizer costs while improving outcomes for farmers and the planet—starting with nitrogen.
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