Gevo Begins Field Trials to Amplify Soil Carbon Sequestration Using Locus AG “Probiotics”

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado (July 31, 2019) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) announces a partnership with Locus Agricultural Solutions® (Locus AG) to trial a new technology, developed by Locus AG, that is expected to improve capture of soil carbon, reduce applied nitrogen fertilizer needs and improve yield.

Locus AG’s Rhizolizer^® is a line of fresh, non-GMO soil “probiotic” treatments which are produced from proven microorganisms and tailored to meet the needs of local farmers. Rhizolizer has been used to treat 40,000 commercial agriculture acres across several crops, with positive results in improving crop productivity, crop quality, vigor and sustainability. Treatments are now being tested on Gevo’s 30-acre farm co-located at its Luverne, MN facility.

“In the on-going battle against petroleum-based pollution and greenhouse gasses, we see tremendous potential in technologies like those developed by Locus AG. Think about the possibilities: the potential exists to produce whole gallons of liquid transportation fuels that could have a large negative carbon footprint, and generate enormous quantities of protein for the food chain. Our farmers are already excelling at reducing their carbon footprint, and technologies like this could maximize their efforts. It could lead to a win-win-win: farmers have potential to make more money by being more efficient and improving yield, while generating field corn that has a lower carbon footprint. Gevo can win because we have access to field corn with a better sustainability profile and potentially much lower or even negative carbon footprint. Our fuel customers have potential to win because the low-carbon, sustainable attributes carry through to the sustainability footprint of the finished fuels,” said Patrick Gruber, Chief Executive Officer of Gevo. “People are waking up to the fact that agriculture is our friend when it comes to sequestering carbon. Agricultural soils really are a remarkable part of the solution to actually reducing atmospheric carbon levels in a potentially meaningful way, not just by supplying raw material to companies like us, but by capturing and sequestering greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide, directly.”

“Initial field trial data across several crops shows that ongoing Rhizolizer soil ‘probiotic’ treatments have the potential to amplify crop soil carbon sequestration by up to an additional 3 to 6 metric tons of CO₂ equivalents per acre annually over current grower practice, while also substantially increasing crop yields and grower profits. Benefits have been demonstrated in over 175 completed or ongoing field trials and over 40,000 acres of commercial applications,” said Paul Zorner, CEO of Locus AG. “We see great potential to make a substantial impact on further reducing the carbon footprint of field corn and the sustainable fuels produced by America’s corn growers, and we are pleased to be working with Gevo to demonstrate the benefits of this green technology.”

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About Gevo
Gevo is a next generation “low-carbon” fuel company focused on the development and commercialization of renewable alternatives to petroleum-based products. Low-carbon fuels reduce the carbon intensity, or the level of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to standard fossil-based fuels across their lifecycle. The most common low-carbon fuels are renewable fuels. Gevo is focused on the development and production of mainstream fuels like gasoline and jet fuel using renewable feedstocks that have the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions at a meaningful scale and enhance agricultural production, including food and other related products. In addition to serving the low-carbon fuel markets, through Gevo’s technology, Gevo can also serve markets to produce chemical intermediate products for solvents, plastics, and building block chemicals. Learn more at our website: Gevo.com.

About Locus Agricultural Solutions^®
Locus Agricultural Solutions^® (Locus AG) provides growers with science-based solutions that address challenges to agricultural productivity and sustainability from the ground up—while improving user profits. These solutions include a portfolio of integrated tools to better manage crop vitality and nutrition, soil microbial health, environmental impact, and pest and plant disease management. The company’s current treatment program utilizes patented fermentation technology to produce fresh, dense batches of agricultural microbes (“probiotics”) that are delivered rapidly to growers via a unique cold-chain process for maximum efficacy. Ongoing treatments result in improved plant resilience and vigor, higher productivity, more soil carbon deposition and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The cost-effective solutions are easily applied without changing standard grower practices. Locus AG leverages its core scientific capabilities from its parent organization, Locus Fermentation Solutions (Locus FS), an Ohio-¬based green technology company. For more information, visit LocusAG.com.