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Introduction

          In the beginning the rain was clean and refreshing; the soil was rich and productive; the waterways were clear, fresh and unpolluted.  Everything was in a natural balance.  This balance made it easy to grow wholesome, healthy crops.

          As time has gone on, this natural order has been disrupted.  More and more forests have been cleared.  Industrial waste has been invading our waterways, skies and soils.  Pesticides and fertilizers have been leaving their mark.  Automobiles and factories have been adding its contaminates.  Likewise, nuclear tests, waste disposal and spills have created still more problems

          Everywhere we turn, dangerous poisons and pollutants are flowing throughout our environment at an alarming rate.  They are in the water we drink, the food we eat, and in the very air we breathe.  Silently, they are spreading their deadly toxins to plants, animals and people the world over.  At almost ever point in the water cycle, toxins are being added.  Food chains are being robbed of their nutritional value, as unwholesome substances infiltrate these chains.

          This vicious enemy must be stopped!  Yet our way of life is so entangled with the things that are causing pollution, we simply choose to ignore them.  Many people’s livelihoods depend on the very things that pollute and destroy.  We must not be beguiled by our devices, but we must make ourselves responsible.  We can no longer allow ourselves to destroy the balance of nature.  We must use our efforts to restore it.

          If you agree, then let’s join forces.  This cause needs the help of everyone who is willing to share in whatever way they can.  Our talents, knowledge and energies can be focused to purge our environment of these destructive elements.  Let’s join in an effort to restore this vital balance of nature. It must be restored!

          Nature has a way of balancing things in spite of the limitations and imperfections of its participants.  For instance, if one participant makes a mess, another finds its niche by cleaning up the mess.  Mankind, however, has been making such a mess that it has been difficult to find ways to clean it up.

          Fortunately over the past several years, many long hours of toil and inspiration, of triumph and defeat, have led to the discovery of a way to help neutralize the effects of toxic substances in our soil and water.

          We would like to share these discoveries with you and invite you to help us neutralize the toxins in our environment, while together we strive to make our world a healthier place to live.

Wendell Ivie,
President
Kozgro, Inc.

          The Kozgro story begins in the late 1940’s.  Oree Ivie, the son of a farmer, was raised on a farm and farmed all of his adult life in Idaho.  He started with one section of land which he farmed for many years.  After awhile, he became concerned that the chemicals seemed to be destroying the once fertile land.  He noticed the soil became hard to work and the humus almost disappeared.  Also, he saw the once abundant earthworms vanish.

          He realized there had to be an organic method to use which would restore his farm to its natural productive state.  So, for several years, he tried every type of organic program he could find to improve the poor soil condition of his farm.

          In the 1960’s, he began to formulate his own organic fertilizers and to test them and compare them against the other products.  He formulated a secret soil conditioner which he used for many years, first on his own farm and then eventually offering it to his friends.  The next natural evolution of this became commercial production of the formula.  He and those who purchased the product from him were able to grow a high yielding, high quality crop, economically and consistently, year after year.

          Restoring the soil organically was the key factor in his success.  Having an organic fertilizer formulation that worked season after season was the difference between his secret mixtures and the other organics on the market.

          As local farmers became aware of his success and the reason behind the success, they asked him for help with their own farmland.  By 1965, today’s product called Agricultural Field Blend in the United States or AFB in the international market, was sold and applied by Kozgro, Inc., although the name for the corporation was not selected until 1974.  The name means “causes to grow”, which really is what the product does and Oree wanted to give meaning to this event by naming the company after the process of renewed growth.  So, it was 1974 when the Kozgro name came into being and the company was really born, although sales started ten years earlier.  The Kozgro organic fertilizer formulas were applied to over one million acres of soil in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Nevada by Kozgro Custom Application Service over the first fifteen years.

           Wendell Ivie, son of Oree, became a co-owner of the company after returning from college in 1972 and took over as President and Administrative Manager of the company and Oree became Chairman of the Board.  Wendell was originally going into sports (basketball), but an injury in college made him change his goals and he decided to help his father in his ever growing business.  He drove a spray truck all over Idaho helping to apply the formula to thousands of acres.  This on-the-job training helped him learn more and more about soil conditions and gave him the knowledge he needed to move into management.  In 1980, due to many changes in policy and regulations by government agencies, the application service part of the business was terminated and management decided to concentrate its efforts on manufacturing and marketing the Kozgro product line.

          Meanwhile, the product line had expanded.  As a need came up for a particular use by a customer, a new product was developed.  During the 1970’s and into the early 80’s, new organic products were added.  Each organic product was designated and formulated to replace toxic chemicals and poisons being used every day by people all over the world.  Each organic product Kozgro developed was to help make the environment a safer place and to replace some of the chemicals that was causing harm to people or animals.

          Kozgro, Inc. decided to enter the international market in 1987.  Knowing the Kozgro  products could make a difference all over the world, they were excited to see Kozgro customers raise healthier food so people could be healthier.