Phospholutions’ Hunter Swisher: ‘RhizoSorb consistently matches or exceeds standard yields while reducing applied phosphorus by roughly 50%’

Phosphorus is one of the three core nutrients essential for plant growth, alongside nitrogen and potassium. It plays a critical role in energy transfer, root development, photosynthesis, and crop maturation, making it indispensable for achieving high agricultural yields. Major crops, including corn, wheat, soybeans, and rice, rely heavily on phosphorus availability during early growth stages to develop strong root systems and support productivity.

Traditional phosphorus fertilizers face significant efficiency challenges. Much of the applied phosphorus quickly binds to soil, especially in soils high in calcium, iron, or aluminum, making it unavailable to plants. As a result, crops absorb only part of the phosphorus each season. This forces growers to apply more fertilizer to maintain yields, increasing both costs and the risk of nutrient runoff. In response, technologies that improve phosphorus efficiency, such as Phospholutions’ RhizoSorb, are attracting industry attention. Fertilizer Daily spoke with Phospholutions Founder and CEO Hunter Swisher about how their new technology helps farmers boost yields and reduce fertilizer use in the current turbulent economy, when fertilizer prices are skyrocketing.

FD: Phospholutions has been moving from development to commercialization. Which milestones from the past year show this change, and what are your main goals for scaling RhizoSorb in 2026 and beyond?

HS: The past year marked our transition from technical validation to commercial execution at scale. We surpassed one million acres treated with RhizoSorb in year two of commercial sales, representing significant repeat commercial adoption.

As we continue to expand that footprint and launch into new countries, Phospholutions has also built a strong manufacturing and regulatory foundation: multiple phosphate manufacturing partners, new patents, approvals in new states and countries, and AAPFCO recognition.

As we look to 2026 and beyond, the priority is execution, expanding availability through supply and distribution partnerships. With supply tight and prices volatile, phosphate use efficiency is no longer optional.

FD: You have partnered with distributors such as The Andersons in the U.S. and MustGrow in Canada, indicating a focus on market access. How are these partnerships driving real adoption among farmers?

HS: Adoption accelerates when a product aligns with existing supply chains and operating practices. Because RhizoSorb integrates directly into upstream phosphate manufacturing and downstream distribution, it does not require changes to how fertilizer is produced, sold, or applied.

That’s why we prioritized working with the distribution and retail partners growers already trust and know to deliver value through innovative new products. We’ve seen strong interest from growers as they look for ways to manage phosphorus fertilizer costs and risks, and these partnerships help us deliver on that demand at scale. When growers see they can protect yield while using phosphorus more efficiently and cost-effectively, and do so within their existing system, adoption becomes an easy, practical decision.

FD: RhizoSorb aims to improve phosphorus efficiency. Can you share any independent data or field results showing yield improvements and fertilizer savings across different crops and regions?

HS: Before our commercial launch, Phospholutions invested heavily in understanding how the product performs across crops, soil types, and geographies. Today, we have more than five years of on-farm and independent trial data across 18 states, including partnerships with land-grant universities, grower associations, and research organizations. 

Across 700+ trials, RhizoSorb consistently matches or exceeds standard practice yields while reducing applied phosphorus by approximately 50%. Over a five-year dataset, the combination of reduced application rates and yield performance has delivered an average ~$20/acre improvement in returns, with substantially lower exposure to phosphorus price volatility.

We see that same performance trend across corn, soy, wheat, canola, and potatoes. The consistency across crops, regions, and soil types shows the advantage of a fully integrated technology into the fertilizer granule.

FD: Phosphate fertilizer markets have been unstable lately. How do current prices and supply issues affect demand for your technology? How much does adoption depend on changes in fertilizer prices?

HS: The current volatility has sharpened the focus on efficiency, making one thing clear: constrained supply is a problem, but poor nutrient utilization is equally significant. When prices are high, efficient use directly lowers risk. When prices soften, supply exposure and long-term availability don’t go away.

The market is realizing that price is only one variable. Efficiency reduces dependency on tonnage, with fewer tons moved, stored, and applied to achieve the same outcome. This translates into a long-term, structural advantage that will also benefit farmers amid today’s market volatility.

FD: Getting regulatory approvals seems important for your growth. What is the current status in major markets, and what challenges remain before you can expand internationally?

HS: Regulatory alignment has been a meaningful unlock, as the product is currently registered in all 50 states within the U.S. Internationally, we’re shipping into Canada and Brazil, with trials underway across Latin America and other global markets. The consistent theme is that phosphorus inefficiency is universal; and therefore, so is the demand for solutions that allow stakeholders to do more with less and that work within current fertilizer systems.

FD: Farmers are dealing with tight margins and higher input costs. In your view, what are the main economic challenges for growers in 2026, and how does Phospholutions help address these issues in practical ways?

HS: The steep increase in fuel and fertilizer costs has added more pressure on growers, but the reality is that they have faced economic challenges for multiple seasons in a row. When commodity prices are low and margins have been tight season over season, these rapid price increases in inputs are that much harder to absorb.

Our product is positioned to always be less expensive than MAP or DAP. Efficiency gives growers a way to manage cost without increasing yield risk. By maintaining yields with less applied phosphorus, they reduce exposure to one of the most volatile and unaffordable inputs they manage.

FD: Competition in nutrient efficiency is growing, with more biologicals and enhanced-efficiency fertilizers on the market. How is RhizoSorb different, and where does it fit in integrated crop nutrition programs?

HS: Most nutrient-efficiency products add complexity by introducing additional inputs or management decisions. RhizoSorb takes a different approach by changing how phosphorus itself behaves. It’s embedded upstream in manufacturing, responds to plant demand, and replaces conventional phosphate directly. In a broader nutrition program, it becomes an efficient phosphorus backbone rather than an additional cost or a new practice to supplement inefficient commodities.

FD: As the industry moves toward sustainability goals and more precise nutrient management, how do you see the role of technologies like RhizoSorb changing?

HS: We’re seeing a shift from practice-driven sustainability toward outcome-based sustainability. For a long time, the focus was on how something was produced rather than what actually changed as a result.

A product like RhizoSorb shows why that shift is inevitable. At its core, it’s designed to be a better-performing and more affordable phosphate fertilizer. The primary goal is economic: helping growers get more value out of every pound of phosphorus.

That efficiency yields measurable outcomes, including lower carbon intensity, reduced runoff and nutrient loss, and slower extraction of finite reserves over time. Those benefits aren’t achieved by asking growers to farm differently, but rather by changing how the nutrient itself performs when applied.

That’s where we see sustainability headed: technologies that deliver better economics first and, in doing so, also deliver better environmental and resource outcomes. In short, performance-led sustainability is more durable.