AgroLiquid: Leaders in Innovative Agriculture
T
he Michigan-based company AgroLiquid provides liquid fertilizer to boost the production of a wide variety of crops. It also conducts research and shares its agronomic expertise with farmers and its more than 250 retail partners across the United States. In this interview, cofounder Troy Bancroft talks about the company’s family roots and its many branches. Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about how AgroLiquid was started. Troy Bancroft: My father-in-law, Douglas Cook, and I started the company in 1983. My father-in-law was a brilliant man who was always looking forward for next thing in agriculture in terms of plant nutrition or fertility products. Michigan, where we are based, is second only to California in its diversity of crops because of the Great Lakes. There was a need for a commodity product that could be used in both fertigation through drip lines and in various transplant solutions for fruits and vegetables. It was a difficult time to start a crop input company. There was a commodity surplus, so the government was paying farmers not to plant 20 percent of their crops. There was also double-digit inflation, which made things difficult for the ag economy. We didn’t have any money, and in the first 5 years, we struggled a fair amount. It wasn’t really until the drought of 1988, which really challenged U.S. farmers, that growers were motivated to investigate how to improve their yields in new ways. I can remember driving down Interstate Highways I-70 and I-80 and seeing farmers harvesting the grass in the medians of the highways to feed their animals. Every bushel of grain and every ton of forage crop was needed to maintain their herds’ health. That adversity led farmers to invest more in their crops, because tight supply made them more valuable and allowed them to take advantage of high-quality fertilizers like ours. It was a pivotal time in our company’s history. Irrigation Leader: What roles do your family members have in the company?
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the company’s products and services.
14 | IRRIGATION LEADER | February 2022
Troy Bancroft: We provide liquid fertilizer for a variety of crops, from asparagus to zinnias. We have all 13 essential elements needed to grow a plant—primary nutrients, secondary nutrients, and micronutrients. Our 26 products are made with combinations of those 13 essential elements. They are enhanced with flavanol-based polymers that allow the fertility to enter the plant more quickly, with less resistance, and without any harm to the plant. There’s some complex chemistry that goes into that, and we’re always developing new products to optimize yield and bolster the nutritional value of crops. As good as our products are, they are equaled by the agronomic expertise of our salespeople and agronomy staff. I’m proud of how thoroughly we educate and train our folks in the best use of our products so that they can give farmers the best results. We also do a lot of training with our retail partners on how to use our products and on agronomics in general. Our mission, which we further through our product line, our agronomic expertise, and our customer service, is always to prosper the farmer. Irrigation Leader: Who are your customers, and where are they located? Troy Bancroft: We really have two groups of customers: the retail partners that we sell our products through and the end users, or farmers. We have shipped products to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and Belize. We provide plant nutrition for coffee in Hawaii and ship some products to Alaska, but the bulk of our business is in the Great Plains, the Corn Belt, and the Great Lakes region. We do quite extensive business in the Pacific Northwest, California, and the West as well. irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AGROLIQUID.
Troy Bancroft: My three sons have joined me in running the company. My oldest, who was born within 10 days of the company’s incorporation, serves as the CEO now that I’ve transitioned to leading the board of directors. Another son oversees production, and the third is in charge of employee engagement. Each brings his own qualities to the company. People in agriculture often grow up in a family business. If you grow up with each other in the business, it allows for a lot of forbearance and forgiveness, which benefits the company. I’m proud of the way they work with each other and respect each other and me.
From left to right, Jill Bancroft, a member of the AgroLiquid board of directors; Troy Bancroft; and their sons, Gerrit Bancroft, the company’s operations manager, Albert Bancroft, the company’s employee engagement manager, and Nick Bancroft, AgroLiquid’s CEO.
