Early-stage trials test machine that replicates lightning to convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available fertilizer. 

Has technology evolved to where farmers can make nitrogen from the air and apply it directly on the farm?

That’s the question being explored by Beck’s Hybrids as it tests the Green Lightning machine process, which uses electricity to convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available forms of nitrogen.

Beck’s Regional Agronomy Manager Jon Skinner shared promising early field testing results of the Green Lightning machine during the annual Becknology Day at the company’s Colfax location last month.

He said that while the product is relatively new, there’s excitement about how the machine uses electricity to capture nitrogen from the air, binding it with water to create an alternative...